Wine and Management programme

The year at Le Cordon Bleu Paris is something everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime. The months are intensive and hard but when you see the final result, you cannot be anything other than speechless. I had never analyzed a glass of wine, a bottle, a grape variety, a region… Curiosity played a major role and opened my eyes to discover the beauty of this sector. Marketing, communication, management, soft skills… We touched on these subjects every day. The consultants are professionals, particularly good listeners and receptive, which is a very positive aspect.

The Wine and Management Programme is complete. You will learn techniques and theory; you will practice and visit the places to know. You will also make contacts and become an insider of the wine world.

I am now doing what I love for a living, which had been my goal for many years. It is very important to me to have a range of quality, original, and sometimes rare, wines and spirits so that I can always try to meet the needs of my customers. The training I received at Le Cordon Bleu institute gave me the opportunity to consolidate my network thanks to the different speakers we met (sommeliers, agents, appellation representatives, etc.). Not forgetting, of course, the visits to French vineyards, the professional fairs that I took part in during the training programme, the numerous tastings undertaken in lessons and the wines selected by Mr. Ramage.

I was, once again, delighted by our trip: the experience was extremely enriching and I really enjoyed discovering Cognac. Visiting the different Cognac Houses provides a thorough understanding of their style and philosophy. Not forgetting the Doureau cooperage visit, because I hadn’t realized the importance of wood in influencing different styles of Cognac. In addition, the meetings with David Boileau teach us so much and, I would go as far to say, are essential in order to fully understand the history and economy of Cognac. From a professional point of view there are, without a doubt, many development opportunities in the field of oenotourism.

I was very happy when I found out that one of our trips would be to Cognac. I really wanted to see the production methods and all the cellars. It was interesting to learn about the different facets of Cognac, from small wine-growers to large groups. At first glance, the programme seemed to have a lot of visits for just one product, but by visiting lots of different Cognac Houses we were able to understand the differences in quality, style, production and the way in which the different Cognac Houses are run. We always received a very warm welcome in a magnificent setting. I would like to thank Le Cordon Bleu once again for enabling us to have such amazing experiences: we are extremely lucky!

Our class visited a variety of cognac houses from smaller and more "artisan style" houses such as Tesseron to very famous and large ones such as Hennessy. We were able to taste numerous selections of cognacs and we also had food pairings with each. Every host was extremely hospitable and made me feel so welcome and at-ease especially.Getting to see the hands-on approach each distiller takes was also very special. . It was truly an incredible experience to be across the world tasting cognac that is very special to me! This trip was quite luxurious too as the château we stayed in was very classic French and ornate.

The trip to the Rhone Valley was amazing and the organisation outstanding! During three fairly intensive days, we had the opportunity to visit estates and winegrowers in emblematic appellations such as Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There was a great atmosphere, amazing discoveries and many special moments shared!

Spending these 3 days in the Rhone Valley just increases our knowledge of wines. Tasting all these incredible wines and visiting all the winemakers, whether industry or independent winemaker, bring up so many different ideas and help us gain wine experiences. I really enjoyed the tour with Le Cordon Bleu.