SASA Sommelier Practical Course

Course information

This course prepares students for the official South African Sommeliers Association Junior  and Certified Sommelier Certifications practical exam. The curriculum, in line with ASI published international standards, covers the elements of wine service that any hospitality professional in that role would be expected to handle comfortably. It is intended to be a natural progression for any Wine Ambassador wishing to develop their skills. A total of four days is required to complete the certification with 3 days of training and the 4th day reserved for the exam, organised by SASA.

 

Course Pre-requisites

Students are required to have obtained at least equivalent to Level 2 WSET for international wines and CWA Certificate for South Africa wines. We strongly recommend the Sommeliers Academy South African & International Wines Level 2 that has been designed for the SASA Junior Sommelier competencies. For SASA Certified a minimum of WSET L3 is advised. Candidates should have at least some practical experience in wine service in the hospitality industry. We advise personal study before attending this course.

 

Syllabus

• Introduction & Course Aims,
• History & Purpose of Sommellerie
• Service preparation & Setup (glassware, stock, etc.)
• Wine service (tray service, bottle service, presentation, decanting, equipment, wine list etc.)
• Customer service (service étiquette, recommandation, complaints, interaction attitude, etc.)
• Product training (faults, tasting, food and beverage combinations, etc.)

 

Outcome

After three days of intense training and practical exercises, the student can sit for the examination organized by SASA at least twice a year. The course covers the practical skills required for the SASA Junior and the SASA Certified.  The SASA Junior Sommelier exam is divided into two parts:

• Theoretical examination with multiple choice questions on basic wine knowledge not covered in SASA’s Junior Sommelier course, together with hospitality questions covered in the course.
• Practical scenario where the students will be asked to show their ability to handle complex wine service and communicate clearly and accurately with any guest in a hospitality context.

The pass mark for each module is 60%. SASA Junior Sommelier Certification is the path toward becoming a SASA Certified Sommelier & ASI Certification 2.

Successful candidates will receive the official SASA sommelier lapel pin

 

Cost

R9000 (R7826.10 excluding VAT) for the full 3 days of training, excluding the SASA examination fee and membership. We supply all the material for the course, including the SASA student wordbook and the Sommeliers Academy Wines of the World e-book to help you prepare for the theory part of the exam.

 

 

 

SASA PRACTICAL SOMMELIER COURSE CURRICULUM

Course facilitated by Professional Certified Sommeliers

 

 

1. Wine Service – Preparation

1.1. Preparing for Wine Service

1.2. Equipment

1.3. Setup for Wine Service

 

2. Wine Service – Practical

2.1. Roles During Service

2.2. Rules During Service

2.3. Preparing to Serve Wine by the Bottle

2.4. Opening Wine by the Bottle

2.5. Serving Wine by the Bottle

2.6. Managing Wine by the Glass

 

3. Wine Service – Closing Routines

3.1. Procedures After Service

3.2. Preservation of Open Wine

3.3. Preparation Ahead of the Following Service

 

4. Food and Wine in Combination

4.1. Taste and Aroma

4.2. Food Parameters

4.3. Wine Parameters

4.4. Wine Reacting with Food

4.5. Food and Wine Pairing Applied

 

5. Stock Management

5.1. Maturation of Wine

5.2. Stock Control

 

6. Faults in Wine

6.1. Common Wine Faults

6.2. Assessing Faults

6.3. Dealing with Faults

 

7. Wine Assessment

7.1. Tasting Methodology

7.2. Serving Assessment

 

8. Guest Interaction

8.1. Assessing the Guest

8.2. Vocabulary and Language

8.3. Recommending Wine

 

9. Examination Preparation

9.1. Theory Examination

9.2. Practical Examination