5 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Wine Certification Path

Do you love all things to do with the fruit of the vine? Choose a career path that aligns with your interests and become a sommelier. This is a trained wine professional who specializes in wine selections and pairings for hotels, wine bars and fine restaurants.

Before you sign up for a sommelier course, pour yourself a glass of wine, and read on. These are the 5 key factors to consider when choosing your wine certification path.

1. Do You Need a Certification?

This question has both a short answer and a more realistic answer.

First, the short answer. No, formal certification is not mandatory to be a sommelier. You can choose this career path without it. Now for a dose of realism to go with that glass of wine. Establishments that require the services of a sommelier will usually insist on some type of formal sommelier training.

Certification will strengthen your chances of securing a position at a top restaurant, hotel or resort. So, it is in your best interest to do a wine course with a leading school like Le Cordon Bleu, London.

Their wine courses teach students to work with wine in restaurants, pair wines with meals, canapes and cheeses, and so much more. They also offer diplomas in wine and gastronomy, with internship opportunities. This will give you a competitive edge if you’re interested in making this your career.

2. Your Career Goals

With the knowledge you gain from a professional sommelier course, you can work in many areas of the hospitality sector such as wine bars, restaurants and hotels. But you are in no way limited to that. A sommelier certification is much more versatile than you might think.

You could partner with wine-tasting tour organizers or a wedding event-planning company. You could start a small business offering wine-pairing courses, work for a wine distribution company, or on a cruise ship.

You could also work as an air sommelier for an airline. Indeed, with the right wine certification, the sky’s the limit. If you can’t decide which certification you need, let your career goals guide you in your choice of certification.

3. Careers in the Hospitality Industry

Do you want to delight restaurant patrons and hotel or resort guests with your expertise and help them select the best wines to complement their meals? The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) certification is the best route if you intend to work in the hospitality industry. 

This is the ideal certification for most of the potential careers we mentioned above. However, there are different levels of CMS certification. They are the Introductory Sommelier Certificate, the Certified Sommelier Examination, the Advanced Sommelier Certificate and the highest level, the Master Sommelier Diploma.

Most people settle for the first three, and they will usually suffice for entry into any of the fine dining establishments or top hotel groups. Very few go on to seek the Master Sommelier Diploma, which can take around three years to complete. That said, it will open more doors at the top restaurants and hotels.

4. Teaching Others About Wine

Do you want to share your passion for wine with others? Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certifications focus on various aspects of wine theory and tasting.  And the Certified Wine Educator (CWE) certification is the right certification path if you want to teach people about wine. It is widely recognized and highly regarded.

Such a certification may suit you better at a wine school than a fine restaurant. Fine dining establishments are more likely to look for CMS certification than these certifications. However, it can still help you in the hospitality industry.

As a certified wine educator, you will be able to teach other students. Of course, this will also be advantageous if you intend to offer wine-pairing courses of your own. It will establish you as a qualified teacher in the field.

5. Additional Certifications

Do you want your CV to show your versatility? More and more people are learning how to taste single malt whisky like connoisseurs and pair wine with their meals. However, most people still rely on knowledgeable bar and restaurant staff to recommend the best choices.

You will improve your employability by gaining additional certifications in beers and spirits. Instead of only offering wine pairing expertise you’ll be able to share knowledge about all types of alcoholic beverages. This will allow you to fill multiple roles, or switch roles, at hospitality venues with ease.

By gaining your certification from a school like Le Cordon Bleu, you can learn about more than just wine. You’ll also learn about brewing and distilling. The school is also a leading cookery school, with courses for a wide range of culinary arts.