Photo by Ian McCausland
By Gary Hewitt , Sommelier ( ISG , CMS ), CWE
gary ’ s corner
Napa Valley is a mature wine region with established wine styles ; regional agricultural and food specialties ; and thriving hotel , hospitality , and support industries . Maturation came quickly . Only forty years ago , visionary Robert Mondavi built his ground-breaking winery at Oakville , the first large-scale winery built in California since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 .
Mondavi ’ s vision embraced education as a pillar of wine culture , but he was not the first visionary . Consider that the University of California established a dedicated viticulture and enology program in 1880 and the University Farm at Davis in 1906 . Davis graduates rode the first wave of the modern California wine explosion to help establish regions such as Napa Valley .
But technology alone cannot ensure the blossoming of wine culture . The wine trade and hospitality industry must truly understand wine in order to appreciate the efforts of the winemakers , and , of utmost importance , to sell wine to customers . To this end , Napa Valley boasts the Culinary Institute of America ( CIA ), which offers outstanding programs in culinary and wine education .
Yet a third level of education is needed to create wine culture : appreciative consumers . While wine is naturally yummy , the complexity and diversity of wine lends itself to study either formally or just for fun . Again , following Robert Mondavi ’ s lead , many wineries implemented educational programs to help visitors understand the connection between how grapes grow and how wine is made . Tasting rooms proliferated , allowing visitors to talk with individuals who know the wines . Furthermore , public wine appreciation programs and specialty magazines such as Wine Spectator helped create knowledgeable consumers .
The combination of educated producers , marketers , publishers , and consumers created a self-perpetuating cycle of world-class wines and a mature wine culture in Napa Valley . All of which brings us to wine culture in Winnipeg and Canada .
Maybe we cannot grow grapes in Manitoba — well at least not yet and certainly in no significant quantity . But we can create the other levels of wine knowledge to enrich our lives . To this end , we have evolving college culinary-hospitality programs . Assiniboine Community College in Brandon has recently expanded programs in their contemporary new Culinary Arts facility by adding emphasis on beverage service . Red River College recently announced the expansion of their Culinary Arts programs to coincide with the opening of a new downtown facility in the Union Bank Tower in 2011 .
We also have wine education programs for wine trade and consumers . The emphasis at Banville & Jones is so strong that the facility is more akin to a community centre than a store . In addition to providing a range of light to in-depth programs for public consumption , Banville & Jones has graduated 20 fully trained Sommeliers from the International Sommelier Guild program . In addition , our own local wine magazine hit the shelves this year — it ’ s called The Cellar Door ( wink , wink ). And finally , a new wine festival debuted this fall when the Independent Specialty Wine Stores launched Wine Stage Manitoba in affiliation with Manitoba Theatre Centre .
Maybe we lack a local wine region , but we could adopt Niagara Peninsula or Okanagan Valley and be proud of their developing culture . Let ’ s get on with our love of wine ; most of the pieces are in place . We may live in the frozen North but we can happily drink more than frozen daiquiris . �
WINE EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
International Sommelier Guild An internationally recognized comprehensive hospitalityoriented three-level program with in-class instruction leading to the Sommelier designation
Wine & Spirits Education Trust Based in England but with high-profile international recognition , with hundreds of approved schools outside the UK , there are four levels of wine business and tradeoriented in-class programs that lead to the ultimate ( fifth-level ) designation of Master of Wine
Society of Wine Educators A USA-based association with a two-tier accreditation , Certified Specialist in Wine and Certified Wine Educator , and an outstanding annual conference
Brock University Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute A university program for indepth study in the science and technology of grape growing and winemaking ( Mom , I ’ m leaving home …)
Banville & Jones Wine Institute Winnipeg ’ s leader in wine education offers many of the programs noted above in addition to offering noncertification programs called Wine Basics , Levels 1 and 2
See pages 48 – 49 for more information on the Banville & Jones Wine Institute offerings and schedules .
30 www . banvilleandjones . com