Wine Minds Programme

We launched the Wine Minds Programme in January this year, with the aim of supporting the hospitality stars of the future.

The programme empowers emerging industry talent by creating a network of like-minded individuals, giving them an opportunity to develop their skills and get ahead in their careers. It gives participants an in-depth and unique knowledge on specific topics with a combination of industry events, tastings and masterclasses hosted by experts from around the globe.

The programme is open to all hospitality workers in the UK who are still busy climbing the career ladder, and have a good basic knowledge of wine. Interested in joining? Complete the form below and we will be in touch.

We’ve got some exciting tastings and masterclasses scheduled for the coming months, with topics including Biodynamics in France; The Art of Blending; Fortified Wines; and Mental Health in the drinks industry. Members will receive an invitation to all sessions.

Interested in joining? Please send Christina an email: cschneider@bibendum-plb.com

The Wine Minds Apprenticeship

In addition to this programme, we also have a 12-month apprenticeship scheme, which will give applicants the chance to further advance their careers in the wine industry. This apprenticeship will provide two aspiring individuals the chance to undergo either WSET L2 or L3 training, a bespoke internship with a leading producer, as well as a full calendar of masterclasses and visits to wineries across the world.

Wine Minds Programme members are invited to apply for the apprenticeship and the two candidates will be selected and announced later this year. Take a look here for more information.

What Wine Minds members have to say

“The programme endeavours to bring the vast amounts of knowledge that top sommeliers, vintners and other wine people possess to other sectors of the alcohol industry. I’ve already learned a tremendous amount – it’s amazing how much can be learned from knowledgeable speakers in just a few in-depth masterclasses.”

Sam Ameye, bartender at Bar Swift

“First and foremost, I was really glad to see that the Wine Minds Programme is not some reduced version of a WSET course. Rather than covering basic general wine knowledge, it targets very specific topics or categories and goes really in depth. Most recently we attended a session on sweet wines that dealt with precise matters in much detail, from Tokaji’s history as the wine of kings to Sauterne’s legal minimum potential alcohol levels (on top of actually tasting all the wines). This is great for people like me who want to get really geeky and understand wine in all its aspects. The programme also brings together people with different backgrounds, nationalities and levels of experience but the same curiosity, which always makes for exciting conversations.”

Romain de Courcy, bartender

“Wine Minds has been a discovery for me – the events are not only perfectly organised but the topics always have an unexpected angle to keep them interesting. Team members behind the programme clearly enjoy what they do and this enthusiasm is contagious; I have been an avid attendee from my first session. Oh, do I even need to mention it includes tasting? Yes it does – but it’s a combination of both wine and knowledge, which makes the programme really worthwhile.”

Inga Zubaviciute, training & development for restaurants & bars at the Royal Lancaster London