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At USUE one can obtain a certificate of professional sommelier
At Ural State University of Economics, known sommeliers and cavistes of Yekaterinburg taste more than 100 beverages from around the world. They learn to describe flavors at the international level to pass an exam on December 6 and get a Level 3 WSET certificate. The classes are held by Andrey Mikushin, certified teacher, Master of Wine. There are only two such specialists in Russia.
Director of the USUE School of Service and Hospitality Yana Starovoytova said that such training is possible only in Yekaterinburg (at USUE), Moscow and some cities of Europe. "We have been seeking certification for about a year, and one of the classrooms is accredited according to all the rules. In the Urals, we are the only institution who train sommeliers under this system," she said.
There are several levels of training. The second level of training provides fundamental knowledge, and the third level is relevant for the experienced sommelier. According to Yana Starovoytova, the third level is taught only in English. This is due to the fact that the Russian language is not accredited at this stage: there are no corresponding teaching aids.
The trainees of the course taste samples according to a clear algorithm. "This involves three organs of senses: eyes, nose, and mouth. The most important is to correctly describe what aromatics sommelier feels in the first wave, what aging or fermentation gives to this wine. It turns out that all the flavors can be decomposed into components and it is possible to understand what nature has planted and what winemaker has done. For example, vanilla aroma is a clear characteristic of aging in oak," explained Yana.
Against a white tablecloth or a sheet of paper, you can accurately determine the color of the wine, and tasting is done only in the first half of the day - at ten in the morning when there is daylight.
In order a sommelier could correctly identify all of the characteristics, the organizers are doing breaks and ventilate the area. There should not be any foreign smells in the classroom. "On the tables, there is slightly dried bread without aromatic additives: it is an ideal neutralizer. It is forbidden to smell coffee: it immediately kills all nasal receptors. It is necessary to drink plain water or eat this dried bread to stimulate receptors,” the director of the USUE School of Service and Hospitality noted.
After training, a person clearly understands what kind of wine is in front of him/her: young, complex, or non-vintage. A caviste and sommelier have a glossary of terms and, most importantly, a whole library of samples in mind.
The most serious for the third level students is the exam, which takes place on the sixth day of training. It is conducted on camera; an officer from London follows the order. "At USUE, we have a certified officer who administers the exam. The trainees sit the theory and describe two samples, one of which is expensive and strong, and the second one is simple and young," Yana explained.
Participants in the current course note that they systematized knowledge and got the tool - a universal vocabulary that helps to communicate and understand each other. With the Level 3 WSET, you can easily find a job abroad because it is a pass to the world of sommeliers, wine connoisseurs, and cavistes.
