In an already crowded field of certifications for wine knowledge, add one more: the Parker & Zraly Wine Certification courtesy of Robert Parker and Kevin Zraly. While no doubt well intentioned and likely to be filled with good questions (Kevin Zraly is a renowned wine educator) it’s hard not to see this as more than yet another revenue stream in the Robert Parker empire.

Did the world need another wine certification? I’d argue no, but who knows. Perhaps people will flock to this one, especially considering the barrier to entry is so low. The first set of eight exams costs $30 apiece, or $195 if purchased together. The second level single exam is $150, and we don’t know what the third level exam will cost.

The first two levels of these exams are given entirely online which raises some interesting questions. While they are timed exams, they have no oversight. So there seems to be nothing stopping someone from taking one of these exams with a stack of books next to them to reference. Or more likely, the web version of the Oxford Companion to Wine. Undoubtedly, some people eager to have bragging rights will cheat.

Given that the third level includes a blind tasting exam with Parker and Zraly (and presumably costs more than the previous ones) we won’t have a lot of Parker & Zraly Wine Experts™ running around who don’t actually know anything about wine, but I’ll bet there will be a lot of first and second level dilettantes who will be happy to take these exams pretty much in the same way that I took the last online traffic school I attended.

It also bears mentioning that the only people who can sign up for these exams at the moment are current subscribers to Parker’s web site.

The current players in the world of wine certification include the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust, the Court of Master Sommeliers, and theInstitute of Masters of Wine. Each of these certification programs involves much more time, energy, and money to earn the right to their particular title. In the case of the MW certification I’ve heard of people spending more than $10,000 and taking several years to get there.

It will be interesting to see how, where, and when people start showing up with the initials PZWA or PZWC after their names. Will Doug Frost, Ronn Wiegand, and Gerard Basset all complete the certification to retain their titles as the most certified wine professionals in the world? (Those three are the only individuals to hold both the Master Sommelier and Master of Wine titles).

More likely a lot of Parker disciples and subscribers will simply see this as an opportunity to test their knowledge for the fun of it. Which presumably is just what Parker and Zraly had in mind.

Article credits to vinography.com

Recently read a article on great website “mybangalore.com”, an article regarding a wine tasting course. i wish readers would love to read it.

Hotel Management department of Christ University announces a Diploma in wine tasting. Not many would know the difference between Zinfandel and Chardonnay. For those connoisseurs, to whom there is much more to a sparkling glass wine, there is news to chew on. With the initiative of Christ University and United Vintners Limited (UB Group) there is now a year long diploma in wine tasting for the first time in India.

The course consists of three phases, foundation, intermediate and advanced levels. International experts and professors from the Hotel Management department of Christ University would be conducting the course. Jayakumar V, senior lecturer of Christ University hotel management department said, “We are looking at educating people on the subject through this course. On attaining this diploma, one would be at par with some of the best in the field.” The fee for the diploma course is Rs. 1 Lakh which is inclusive of tasting approximately 120-130 varieties of world class wine. Coupled with it all, one also gets to visit the Four Seasons Winery in Rotti village, Baramati, Pune.

complete article click here

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ISS International, one of the leading higher education service providers in South Africa, will be breaking new ground yet again when they launch the Advanced Wine Studies course in July this year. Apart from being the only University in South Africa to offer a B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) degree in hospitality management, this institution will now add this unique course to the myriad of opportunities currently on offer.

Students will be given the chance to meet wine makers and industry experts, attend wine tastings and visit winelands. “For this particular course we have forged a partnership with the prestigious Cape Wine Academy and students graduating from the course will be steered towards a professional Wine Masters qualification,” said Professor Donald Craig, senior lecturer at EISS International.

This prestigious B. Com degree at EISS International incorporates various disciplines and the students are exposed to a variety of modules and practical training sessions adequately preparing them for the working world. It is for these very reasons that the university has been praised for the high quality of students graduating from the institution.

“The Advanced Wine Studies will further their current knowledge, increase their expertise and professionalism as well as complement the training that the students receive during the three year degree course at EISS International,” said Professor Craig.

For further information contact:
Lindy Hulley
Lindy.Hulley@chnportalfred.com

www.eiss.co.za

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Viticulture ( Derived Latin word for vine) is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used forwinemaking, it is also known as viniculture. It is one branch of the science of horticulture.History of viticulture is closely related to the history of wine with evidence of man cultivating wild grapes to make wine

Viticulture  Aspects affecting wine production
 
Natural factors make wine from a particular region unique, known in the wine industry as terroir, these factors include local climate (temperature, rainfall, and sunlight), location of grapevines (altitude and slope) and soil (structure, composition, and water drainage). In general, a grapevine produces the best fruit when the moderate climate provides much sunshine and cool nights without frost or hailstorms and the soil is well drained. Grapevines grow best in sandy, chalky, or rocky soils.

A wine’s character is strongly affected by vine growing, or viticultural practices such as training, trellising, harvesting, and pruning. Training and trellising enable the viticulturalist to control the sun exposure to ensure the grapes ripen evenly. Grapes harvested when they are not ripe may be low in sugar and may not ferment properly. Overly ripe grapes have very high sugar content and produce wine high in alcohol. Tropical vines  do not show  high dormant, the viticulturalist prunes the vines  twice a year. First pruning is carried out  during first fortnight of April every year to induce vegetative  growth and in this phase fruit bud formations occur in mature canes. The second pruning of  matured canes is done  during late September or early October to obtain fruits. As most of the wine varieties have basal fruitfulness of the canes,  pruning level is normally  kept low between 4-7 buds from the base depending upon varieties.   Pruning enables the grower to control the size and shape of the vines, as well as the number of buds that will develop the next year. Too many buds on a vine may stress nutrient availability, reducing the quality of the future harvest.

Grapevines have many natural enemies: insects, molds, bacteria, fungi, viruses and animals such as  birds that eat the sweet grapes. Certain soil-borne pests, such as nematodes, phylloxera(wasp), phytophthora (fungus) etc may destroy the roots of  grapevines. To counter this problem, vineyards use the rootstocks from resistant American vines .(Vitis champini, V.riparia, V.berlandieri, V.rupestris and their interspecific hybrids etc.) and the scion  cultivars from European species (V. vinifera).

Climate & Soil
 
Overall performance  in terms of growth, yield and quality of grapes  for wine making  is greatly influenced by climate & soils.
  I . Climate –
 It is the summation of weather conditions throughout the year.
                    Factors : i)  Temperature
                                   ii)   Solar radiation, sunshine hours
                                   iii)  Rainfall,  Relative humidity
                                   iv)  Wind, Evaporation etc.
Vitis vinifera grape varieties grow under wide range of climatic   conditions.

If you like what i am writing let me know… next part of this will be posted soon Kunal

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