The Wine and Management Programme takes place in Paris, the French capital of culture, gastronomy, and the art of fine living. French vineyards remain a reference throughout the world, making the French capital the ideal location for in-depth wine studies.
This programme is a partnership with the Georges Chappaz Wine and Vine Institute in Champagne (University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne) and gives students a double diploma:
The Georges Chappaz Wine and Vine Institute in Champagne offers specific training courses, through teaching based on innovative research of international reputation.
By the end of the course, students will be able to draw on multi-disciplinary knowledge of the world of vines and wine, and to understand, analyse and interpret elements of history, geography, law, economics and marketing relating to the sector, the wine industry and wine tourism.
This double degree in wine is taught in English and welcomes students from all over the world. It also opens doors to key professional events in the wine and spirits industry and allows students to expand their professional network.
Sponsored by Xavier Thuizat, an influential figure in French and European sommelier circles. As a mentor, he embodies both excellence and a passion for the transmission of knowledge, while also serving as a role model for young generations eager to pursue a career in the world of wine. His commitment to this role highlights the importance of guiding the talents of tomorrow in this demanding and fascinating industry.
Programme objectives:
Key information
Entry requirements:
Durée : 10 months
Frais de scolarité : €23,160. These fees include the application fee (€1,500), 4 vineyard trips, all tastings, and the uniform.
Career opportunities
The Wine and Management Programme is divided into three parts:
1. Theoretical and practical teaching in Wine
- Study of viticultural countries - This part of the programme is spread over the six months and focuses on French wines with an overview of vineyards in Europe.
Subjects covered include cultivation techniques, associated climate and terroir as well as the winegrowing producers of each region. Students will have the chance to taste a representative selection of wines from each vineyard during the many professional tasting sessions organized at the Institute and wine fairs.
- Food & Wine pairing - during culinary demonstrations by Le Cordon Bleu Chefs, Wine & Management students will actively participate in food and wine pairing workshops in order to highlight the identity of Le Cordon Bleu and link the culinary and wine worlds together.
- Lectures, wine conferences - Several experts in the field (sommeliers, wine brokers, wine growers, speakers, wine merchants etc) will provide students with the most up-to-date and comprehensive information in an ever-evolving discipline.
- A full immersion in the world of wine during the French harvest season is organized. Students join in the harvest alongside French winemakers.
- Educational trips to French vineyards – These field trips give students the chance to discover the many facets of French vineyards and learn more about the history, the terroir, the economy, the way in which the wine industry is organized and the secrets of production of different wines.
2. Project Management
This part of the programme is tailored for our students to develop and nurture their professional projects: Experts in the field of Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Finance, Logistics and Wine tourism tutor our students to assist them into realizing their professional dreams.
3. An internship in a wine-related establishment
From March to June, a 16-week internship period in a wine related establishment in relation to the professional project of the student, such as:
Hotels and Restaurants: Les Ambassadeurs (Crillon Hotel's restaurant), Drouant Restaurant, Le Sur Mesure (Mandarin Oriental Hotel's restaurant), La Tour d’Argent, Lasserre Restaurant, La Table du Baltimore (Baltimore Hotel's restaurant), Le Meurice Hotel, Le Bistrot du Sommelier, Le Jules Verne, Georges V, Frenchie, Le Petit Sommelier
Wine bars and wine cellars: O Château, Wine by One, Caves Legrand
Wine producers, specialized firms and organizations: Duval Leroy, AOC International, France Boissons
Wine tourism agencies: Wine Chic Travel, Wine Passport, A La Francaise
Wine agents agencies: Valade and Transandine, Vinhop
Wine communication and journalism: La Revue des Vins de France, Bettane & Desseauve
Teaching methods
A multidisciplinary approach is used throughout the programme, and all of the modules leverage interactive teaching methods.
The Wine & Management Diploma programme includes:
Teaching methods include:
The programme is centred around active student participation, both in real-life situations and simulated environments, notably to cultivate a responsible work ethic.
Assessment methods
Students are assessed based on the Learning Outcomes set for each module and on the programme’s cross-disciplinary Learning Outcomes.
Various methods of assessment may be used, including:
Examinations or quizzes where students are asked to give written answers to multiple choice questions, true/false questions, short-answer questions, long-answer questions or a combination of any of the above.
Summarization task (Business Plan)
Continuous assessment of progress
Continuous assessment of work completed during practical lessons. The final grade is based on the cumulative grades awarded throughout the programme.
Examinations during which a series of tasks must be completed under supervision. Each student’s performance is evaluated against formal assessment goals, and a standardised grading scale is used to determine the operational skill level attained.
Presentation of either a practical task or a section of the Business Plan, or a presentation to pitch a concept as part of a hands-on task.
Students will be required to understand and apply what they learn in order to successfully complete the programme. Regular attendance is therefore a prerequisite for success.
One thing that was invaluable about studying at Le Cordon Bleu Paris was the ability you have to meet industry leaders, new business owners, winemakers, and not only that, but then being able to have and grow those connections, should you decide to stay within France, or move abroad. It will put you at a cutting edge to any other formation I've yet come across.
Le Diplôme de Wine and Management était très complémentaire avec mon projet. En plus des compétences de sommelier que j'ai pu développer, j’ai eu l’opportunité de me préparer à la création d’entreprise. Nous devions rendre un projet entrepreneurial sous forme de mémoire avec une soutenance à la fin de l'année, ce qui m’a permis de construire et d’alimenter mon propre projet à travers cette expérience.
The Wine & Management Diploma is an intensive training programme but comprehensive enough to enable you to launch your project whatever it may be (sommellerie, wine store or wine bar, agent or brand ambassador, oenotourism and many other jobs).
I love the way wine brings people together, provides an opportunity to set aside their work, and simply pause and enjoy life. Since graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, I've founded my own business based in San Francisco, En Pointe Wines. I hope I can encourage others to view wine not as something to be collected or critiqued, but as something that can help bring us together, celebrate the diversity in the world, and bring us all joy.
I was a member of the first cohort into the new Wine and Management Diploma, and was drawn to Le Cordon Bleu Paris because of its reputation, its location, and the thorough grounding in wine the course provides. I'm now owning my own company, Thomson & Scott, where my wines are selling all over the world and made newspaper headlines all over the UK.
I suppose my favorite moments at Le Cordon Bleu institute were the trips we took as a group, driving through the French countryside and stopping at vineyards and estates to meet the people who work in them. It was then that I realized wine is so much more than a tasty beverage. When you drink it you are tasting a place.
The Rhone Valley is one of my favorite regions and this trip allowed me to see the terroir up close. The meetings with winemakers and tastings has furthered my knowledge about the great wines from the Rhone. The perfect weather and beautiful scenery were also a plus!
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!
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 thought this trip was a success: all of the vineyards we visited were very interesting and the region is fantastic! It was my favourite trip of the whole year by far!
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.
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!
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