UC Irvine Extension Offers New Wine Course

The University of California, Irvine Extension recently announced a new “Wine Service Techniques for Food and Beverage Professionals” three-week course every Monday from 7-10 p.m. PST starting Jan. 23. As the first course in the new Specialized Studies in Wine Management launching this spring, course participants will further their industry knowledge by practicing professional standards of wine excellence. Targeted toward servers, bartenders, sommeliers, restaurant managers, hoteliers and caterers, instructor Chris E. Coon, B.A. will help course participants explore all aspects of wine service, with an emphasis on food and wine pairing, wine list structure and inventory control, storage and service temperatures, decanting and aerating, and sabering. Wine Service Techniques for Food and Beverage Professionals will be offered this winter at the UC Irvine campus and offered online thereafter.

“Wine Service Techniques for Food and Beverage Professionals”

“Course participants will gain hands-on experience and knowledge about wine service excellence from Chris Coon that will be invaluable to their professional development,” said Kirwan Rockefeller, Ph.D., program director of the UC Irvine Extension wine studies program. “As an Advanced Sommelier with 15 years of experience, Chris will assist course participants in identifying and practicing professional standards of wine service through wine tastings, technique demonstrations and service practices in a mock professional environment.”

Christopher E. Coon, B.A., is an Advanced Sommelier certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers. Over the past 15 years he has worked with two Wine Spectator Grand Award winning wine lists and developed wine programs at Montage Resort & Spa, Phoenician Resort & Spa, St. Regis Resort & Spa, and Charlie Palmer/Bloomingdales. In 2006, Coon was awarded the prestigious John Ungar Master Sommelier Candidate Scholarship.

The fully-online Specialized Studies in Wine Management program launching this spring offers a practical content-based and comprehensive educational learning pathway appropriate for individuals seeking a career change or advancement within the food and wine business, hospitality, wine sales and retail trade industries. The program is designed for professionals seeking to develop and increase their wine comprehension preparing them to sit for the two major wine certification credentials: Certified Wine Specialist (CSW), offered by The Society of Wine Educators, and Master Sommelier, offered by The Court of Master Sommeliers.

Other wine courses offered this winter include:

• Anything But Chardonnay: The "Other" White Wine, Feb. 21 and Feb. 28
  Course participants will discover some of the world’s lesser known white wines, their place in history and their place on the dinner table.

• Introduction to Wines of the World, weekly meetings Jan. 11 to Feb. 15
  Through lectures, tasting and discussion, participants will explore the legendary regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and Tuscany and discover and taste new and amazing wines emerging from Spain, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Chile and more.

To learn more about UC Irvine Extension’s winter course offerings, please visit www.unex.uci.edu/courses. To register for the new course, call 949-824-6335 or email UnexArts@uci.edu.


Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Reader Comments:

Be the first to leave a comment for this article

Tweet