Intensive Principles of Winemaking

Course overview

Do you want to learn about how wine is made?

The aims of this one week intensive course are to provide a good level of
knowledge and understanding of winemaking (oenology) to those who wish to start
making wine, work in a winery, enter the wine trade, or have a strong interest
in the world of wine.

During the course, winemaking theory is introduced in the morning classroom
session, then put into practice during the afternoon session in the winery. It
is based on the seven day Principles of Winemaking course, and allows a good
understanding of winery activities over a short, intense, period of time.

The theory sessions for this course will delivered in the mornings at
Plumpton College Wine Centre classrooms, and the practical session in the
afternoons at Plumpton College winery.

This course is suitable for anyone who has an interest in the
subject.

Modules

• Harvest preparation
• Grape processing
• Must amelioration
• Alcoholic fermentation
• Red wine production
• Wine clarification
• Wine stability and packaging
• Sparkling wine production

How will I be assessed?

The course ends with a 30 minute multiple-choice test

Student testimonial

“Plumpton College is a truly unique place to learn about wine. Spending time in the winery and being able to use the machinery really helps add another dimension to your understanding. I enjoyed the Principles of Winemaking course. In the morning, in the classroom there’s a lot of information for you to absorb and in the afternoon you’re in the winery, rolling up your sleeves and getting mucky. You quickly realise that the lecturers have a lot of experience. And learning in a small group makes it’s really easy to ask questions. There was an interesting mix of people with a wide variety of backgrounds. Some wanted to start learning about wine and others, like me, are in the wine trade (independent retail, selling to supermarkets, UK’s largest bottling factory) and a few people wanted a new career in wine production. Everyone seemed to be learning and enjoying it. Before taking the course I’d read books on winemaking but never felt like I understood it fully. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding. The course has managed to pull together all the pieces of the puzzle.” 

– Gavin Dealville, General Manager for award winning independent wine merchant Handford Wines where he works alongside two Masters of Wine. Before that he managed Harvey Nichols Wine department in Knightsbridge. In his spare time he runs EnglishWineJobs.com, a job noticeboard that advertises fine wine vacancies for free

“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you, Kristina, Deepika and Emma for a fantastic course last week.

Having known very little about winemaking beforehand, it has given me a really solid understanding of the whole process, as well as the many choices that can be made to influence the style of a wine. The practical elements in the lab and winery really helped bring the theory to life.”

– Gemma Hopwood