Wine & Champagne Service Skills

What is the difference between a sauvignon blanc and chardonnay? ….. How do I open Champagne?…. How can I recommend a wine to a customer? …. Professional Wine and Champagne Service. No need to be a sommelier and indeed many restaurants do not require that level of knowledge. However, whatever type of restaurant you work in, a base knowledge of wine and champagne and professional service standards will increase your confidence and professionalism and the customer experience. You can use all the modules within this Professional Wine and Champagne Service programme or select just one that fits your needs.

Target Audience

Regardless of whether a restaurant is at the expensive end of hospitality or informal casual dining, customers expect professional standards to be used when opening and pouring the wine or champagne they have ordered. Smeary glasses, white wine which is warm or wine dripped on the table doesn’t create a great impression, a more expensive bottle of champagne and sparkling opened so it froths too much is a waste of the money the customer is paying.

This module looks at preparing the restaurant for wine service where the standards and procedures for stocking wine, the service temperatures of wine, the different types of wine glasses, handling crystal glasses along with polishing and carrying glasses are explored. Some restaurants may not present wine to customer, but guidance is given on holding wine and what to say. Screw top wine should have just as much attention paid to opening as using the traditional waiters friend and we give you a great tip! Learn the tricks of using a corkscrew but also what to do if the cork breaks (as it can do!). Learn how to deal with sediment, the decanting procedure and letting wine breathe before looking at a step to step guide to opening champagne and sparkling wines … carefully! If your business uses a cloth when serving wine, due regard is given to this, followed by tips on pouring wine smoothly, how many glasses to get from a bottle, refilling glasses at the table and serving wine from a tray. Finish off by learning to recognise and deal with 4 common problems that may be found with wine.

This module is fully interactive using videos, questions and activities designed to develop knowledge and understanding. Full colour images illustrate examples and key points.

If you are undertaking any of the food and drink pathways in the Level 2 Hospitality Team Member apprenticeship, this module will contribute to the required off training hours.

End quiz:
An end quiz ensures that key points are both remembered and understood and using 30 questions covers key aspects of the module content and objectives. The pass mark is 80% and on successful completion the certificate endorsed by the Institute of Hospitality is automatically available to be downloaded using the icon on the top bar (looks like a bell!).

Questions are in the same style as within the learning part of the module, ie: drag and drop, single choice and multiple choice and there is an opportunity to review the key points before starting the quiz. If needed, incorrect answers can be reviewed before retaking the quiz as many times as needed.

Post course
There is an action plan that can be downloaded from the ‘Links for further information’ button in the player which will help you apply the information to your own workplace. Your Manager may discuss this with you to determine additional training needs or additional information to keep your skills updated.