Full-time wine courses for students

The Foundation Degree (FdA) in Wine Business combines both practical and theoretical understanding of the wine industry with valuable work experience, including visits to European vineyards. Focusing on marketing, the wine trade and business planning and development, plus modules that correspond to the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma syllabus, this course allows students to gain the WSET Diploma as an additional qualification during their two years at the college. The Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Wine Production is a two-year full-time programme which has a strong practical bias and involves students in producing Plumpton College's award-winning wine, using the college's commercial vineyard and purpose-built winery. Students will be focusing on topics such as tractor driving, vineyard site selection, and vineyard management. They will also complete a period of work experience, which has taken some students to placements such as Greece, South Africa and California. And the BSc (Hons) Viticulture & Oenology will cover wine production and aspects of related biological sciences in depth. Students will also complete a major undergraduate research project around a topic of their choice. The course is studied over three academic years, with all final year students completing a vintage in a commercial winery. Successful graduates will gain an internationally-recognised qualification that will stand them in good stead when developing careers. The teaching team includes Chris Foss, head of Wine Department, Harriet Wright, responsible for the Wine Business course and modules, and Peter Morgan, the Winemaker.