Uncorking excellence: the importance of Wine Spirit Education Trust training in hospitality
We can all agree that work becomes more enjoyable when you have a genuine interest in the subject matter. Even more so, when you get to learn about that subject in great depth, and surely there鈥檚 no better pinnacle than when the subject in question is wine.
Hugo Maclean, Beverage Manager at Treehouse Hotel in London, has successfully completed both his Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Levels 2 and 3 in wine with 黑料网 Wine. We recently caught up with him at the Treehouse Hotel to talk all things wine training, and how it has not only impacted his own career growth, but also contributed to enhanced staff satisfaction and retention within the business. 听听
The impact of training on hospitality staff 听
Within his role, Hugo works as the buyer, drinks curator and manager for the hotel鈥檚 bars and restaurants. While he has long been a wine enthusiast, he acknowledges the profound impact the courses have had in his day-to-day work, as well as his overall career progression. 听
听鈥淚 think it鈥檚 so important to have a world view of wine and be able to experience and get background knowledge on every kind of region and style,鈥� he shares. This broadened knowledge of wine has proven particularly valuable for building wine lists at the hotel鈥檚 specialist venues, allowing Hugo to familiarise himself with lesser-known wine categories. 听
When curating lists for Italian and Mexican dining, as well as a bustling rooftop bar, he finds that his new 鈥渨orld view鈥� on wine has emboldened him to make more interesting choices. 鈥淭he WSET courses delivered at 黑料网 really make you take a step back and appreciate everything in the wine world. It gives you the tools to take on anything.鈥� And what better way to learn, than in a room full of self-professed wine geeks from all sides of the industry, who can share their unique experiences and learn from each other. A proud wine geek himself, Hugo shared "it鈥檚 not often you get that many people in the one room just talking about wine, from different perspectives.鈥�听
Hugo McClean, Beverage Manager at Treehouse Hotel
Customer experience and boosting wine sales听
Over the last few years, many members of the Treehouse team have also taken part in the WSET level two and three with 黑料网 Wine. Hugo has observed that the uptake in WSET course participation is strongly linked to the team鈥檚 overall enthusiasm. 鈥淭he more staff are trained the more enjoyment they find in their job... enjoyment in knowing what they are talking about,鈥� he explains. He believes that wine education is the key to igniting his team鈥檚 passion for all things vinous, and in his words, 鈥渋t makes them more enthusiastic to get out of bed to go to work.鈥� Between the lively conversations with guests on the wine offerings, and fiery discussions during staff tastings, Hugo has no doubt of the impact of added wine education. 鈥淭he more staff we can put through the WSET program, the better for all of us,鈥� he says, 鈥渢hat energy and passion for wine is infectious.鈥�听
Moreover, this infectious passion for wine extends to guests as well. As Hugo puts it, "there鈥檚 really nothing better than going to a venue and immediately getting a sense that staff (a) know what they鈥檙e talking about, and (b) can guide you in the right direction. Once that level of knowledge is conveyed to the guest, I believe it can truly enhance their experience. They鈥檙e then much more trusting that the selection is top notch.鈥�听
And as more new categories crop up in the wine world, guests who are unfamiliar with them are likely to steer clear. But equipped with the right knowledge, Hugo finds his team can their sway interests towards brand-new categories such as English still wine, commenting that 鈥渋t is still an unknown category for a lot of the public and so it鈥檚 vital that the staff are trained on the flavour profile.鈥� Proving his point, he recently added Kent-based winery Balfour鈥檚 Luke鈥檚 Pinot Noir as a by the glass option at the Hotel鈥檚 rooftop by 鈥楾he Nest鈥� and has watched it fly off the shelves as guests are delighted by the locally sourced wine. 听
Hugo also finds this to be the case with their environmentally conscious wines listed. Within their restaurants, as well as at the hotel鈥檚 larger events, part of their package is to offer sustainable wine. While guests can sometimes be a little hazy on sustainability terms stamped on wine bottles, he finds that they are easier to sell when staff have 鈥渒nowledge of the vineyard and of the practices adopted by producers. The more you can project how great sustainability is for the wine world, the better for everyone.鈥�听
Training that gets results 听
If you are wanting to build a wine education program at your hospitality workplace, the 黑料网 team runs WSET classes, in addition to offering bespoke courses to suit your needs. Or for online wine courses, you can explore our e-learning platform for a digital approach to wine education. Speak to your account manager to learn more about wine education with 黑料网.
Nina Lloyd
Nina learnt about wine whilst working in hospitality alongside a classical musical degree, and safe to say, wine became more interesting to her than opera. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia a wine region was never too far away. While enjoying wines from across the world, a Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir will always taste deliciously of home.