L’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux (EVB) is a part of Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), the controlling body of wines in Bordeaux, France. As they are preparing to introduce their courses in India, they came to India with an accreditation program first time around. The idea of the program was to select wine professionals and to certify them as wine trainers for their courses.
As a part of their offerings, EVB offers multiple courses for various needs. They have courses custom-made for different end users called ‘A la carte’ programs. Apart from this, they also have certain fixed courses on offer. This includes a two hour Express Summer Course and Intensive Courses spread over a few days. The courses are practical and extensive including Grand Cru vineyard and Chateau visits.
In order to attract the right crowd, CIVB along with Sopexa India organised a Bordeaux Wine Master Class in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. The session was held on the 23rd of October 2009 at The Oberoi, New Delhi and headed by independent wine trainer, Ms. Wendy Narby. The session was educative and compelling. It covered various aspects of Bordeaux wines: sub-regions, grape varieties, soils, climates, and appellation systems. We also tasted some quality wines from the region in an effort to understand it better. Attendees of this one day master class received a certificate from CIVB and also an opportunity to sit the accreditation program examination. The results of the exams were announced and candidates were called for a panel interview the next morning. With this, Stage One of Indian screening came to a close. The shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a training session in Bordeaux at EVB. Post this session, attendees will have to clear another exam after which they may be certified as wine trainers. With a new breed of sommeliers coming and exploiting the Indian wine market, it will be enticing to see how this initiative turns out to be.