What can you do with a wine Diploma?

There are a range of great career opportunities for our students after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu London, with success stories that include head chefs, business owners, wine producers, chocolatiers, and even cooking show stars, but it may be difficult to decide what path you want to follow. So this series of careers articles will be exploring the wide range of routes that are available to those dedicated and talented people who have gained a Diploma at the world's leading culinary arts, wine and management school!

Today we will be exploring some of the various roles that our Diploma in Wine, Gastronomy and Management students have landed after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu London. Many people assume that the only natural route for someone with a wine Diploma is as a sommelier, but this article will be busting that myth and demonstrating the diverse possibilities available to our alumni, from wine sales and marketing through to restaurant management.

Wine Sales:
A wine sales representative is responsible for selling wines to shops and restaurants. They need to be passionate and knowledgeable about all alcoholic beverages from cheaper varieties to fine wines in order to share this information with their clients. Strong product knowledge helps them sell the product with confidence, and be more successful with the buyers that they are working with, selecting the perfect wines to satisfy their customers’ needs.

Wine Buyer:
Wine buyers usually work for a particular company, and are tasked with sourcing, researching, tasting and purchasing wines. There is lots of travelling involved and they work fairly closely with suppliers and industry partners, cultivating these key relationships. There is a lot of variation between job roles, but the wine buyer may also be responsible for planning, and coordinating wine promotions, and providing wine education when necessary.

Sommelier:
Sommeliers are responsible for all aspects of wine service, and food and wine pairing at restaurants and bars. It is their job to create wine lists, and educate and train other members of staff in all things wine related. Sommeliers work closely with the chefs in their place of work so that they can give recommendations to customers in accordance to food and wine pairing. Their overall aim is to select the perfect wine to satisfy both their guests’ budgets and their palates! Check out our guide on how to become a professional sommelier.

Wine Brand Manager:
The wine brand manager implements a variety of marketing initiatives for the winery in which they are based. Their job is to improve their brand’s exposure, and increase the sales of products through activities which include, but are not limited to, market analysis and strategy, advertising and promotional events, overseeing the design and creation of marketing materials, and managing the marketing budget. This role is made a lot easier with excellent product knowledge.

Restaurant owner:
Our wine Diploma also focusses on business management, giving our alumni a head start in their entrepreneurial careers. A restaurant owner needs extensive product knowledge in food and wine, and is the person who is responsible for maintaining and running their business on a daily basis. A new restaurant owner would generally oversee the ordering and tracking of products, equipment, and all other inventories, and would need to partake in some marketing and finance activities.

If you would like to kick start a career in any of the careers mentioned, why not enroll on our Diploma in Wine, Gastronomy and Management today, and invest in your future success.