SOUTH AFRICAN WINE STEWARD CERTIFICATE 2026

Take your hospitality career to the next level!

 

Course information

If you’re excited about starting a career in the hospitality industry and aspire to be part of wine service, the Wine Steward Certificate is the perfect way to begin. This program utilizes classes and practical exercises to teach you about wine and how to serve it effectively. Upon completing the one-day course, you’ll feel more confident and skilled in your role, impressing your customers. Facilitated by professional sommeliers, this course provides extensive knowledge about wine and service, boosting your confidence to become a skilled wine steward on the floor. Additionally, this course prepares you for the SASA Foundational exam.

 

Course Pre-requisites

You don’t need to already know about wine before taking this course, as it’s covered in the program. However, having a basic understanding could be helpful. It’s good if you’ve worked with customers in places like restaurants, hotels, or other hospitality spots.

 

Syllabus

This course starts by talking a little about the history of wine all over the world. You’ll learn about growing grapes and the simple process of making wine. We’ll pay special attention to South Africa’s climate, the main types of wine they make, and the important types of grapes. This will help you feel confident when you talk to customers about local wines.

Next, we’ll talk about how you should act and behave when working in places like restaurants. We’ll even practice in pretend situations to make sure you understand. After that, you’ll learn how to open and serve wine the right way. We’ll also teach you some basic skills for tasting wine properly at work, including the theory of food pairing. The protocols of service used in the course will follow the internationally accepted ASI Guidelines (asi.info/education)

 

Outcome

After completing the training course, there will be a MCQ questionnaire to test the knowledge the students have gained. Those who pass the exam will get a printed diploma and a metal lapel pin to show off their accomplishment. This certification as a Wine Steward is an important step to sit the SASA Introductory Sommelier exam. Wine Steward certification is the first step to becoming a fully-fledged sommelier. The competencies validated by the Wine Steward certificate allow an experienced candidate to sit the SASA Foundational exam comfortably.

 

Price

R2600 excl VAT for the full day at our Johannesburg or Cape Town campus and includes the final exam. Courses begin at 08.30am promptly and run until approximately 17.00pm. Inclusive price at 15% VAT= R2990 – Harare Campus course fee is USD175 including SAZ Membership.

 

 

 

 

SOUTH AFRICAN WINE STEWARD CERTIFICATE CURRICULUM

One day course on campus

 

 

Session One                                                                                       Session Four

Introduction to the course and facilitator                                        Wine service Alcohol awareness                                                                                                          The 3E’s

What is a wine steward?                                                                                   Mise-en-place

Global wine industry                                                                                             Tools of the wine steward

History of wine                                                                                    Glassware

Geography                                                                          Session Five

Global trade expansion                                                         Service practical

History of wine in South Africa                                         Recap of grape varieties to taste Session Two                                                                                                      Session Six

Why do we use grapes?                                                                   Wine Temperature Fermentation equation                                                                                              Storage temperatures

What is a climate?                                                                                                Service temperatures

Climatic influences                                                            Wine opening demonstrations Climatic influences in South Africa                                                                 Opening still white wine

Warm vs Cool climates                                                                     Opening still red wine

The influence of climate on grapes                                                    What is fizz in sparkling wine?

Wine making                                                                                                       Opening sparkling wine

White wine making                                                               Why do we taste wine?

Red wine making                                                                                  How do we taste wine?

Oak ageing of wine                                                                               Spitting is professional

Food pairing theory

Session Three                                                                                                    Wine tasting method

Wine of origin scheme                                                                                      Tutored wine tasting

Key wine regions of South Africa                                       Session Seven

Key grape varieties and their profiles                                            Course recap Where grapes grow ?                                                                     Final exam

 

 

 

 

T&C valid for the 2026 at our Cape Town Campus Results available within 7 working days.

SASA Foundational Exam (optional) and membership fees must be settled directly with SASA SASA exams are not available in Zimbabwe

However, ASI Exams and SAZ exams are organized by Sommeliers Association of Zimbabwe Exam dates available on www.zimsomms.com and www.sommeliers.org.za