Bekaa Valley, Lebanon: Under the Patronage of his Excellency Mr. AkramChehayeb, Minister of Agriculture, represented by Mr. Anwar Daou,ChâteauKsara, Lebanon’s oldest winery, and Wine& Spirit Education Trust (WSET) announced on May 10th that the internationally recognizedWSET qualificationswould be available in Lebanon.
Speaking at a reception at the Château Ksara, the home of the Lebanese wine, Mr. ZaferChaoui, Chairman of Château Ksara, introduced the project: “Château Ksara believes it is important, not only to make wine but to play a role in training the wine professionals of the future and creating a wine culture based on solid knowledge. The WSET is our partner in making this happen”.
Mr. Ian Harris, Chief Executive of WSET explained the global impact of the qualifications:“The WSET is a truly international organisation and recently received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in recognition of our work in wine and spirit education around the world. This is made possible through our global network of Approved Programme Providers, of which Château Ksara is the first in Lebanon. We are delighted to be supporting them as they launch the first ever WSET courses in the country”.
Finally, the representative of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Anwar Daou concluded: “This cooperation should be commended, as it helps us to keep abreast of all the latest developments in the wine industry, making us even more proud of our heritage in this field”.
There then followed a tour of Château Ksara’s historic Roman caves and a lunch overlooking just some of the winery’s vineyards where over a dozen international varieties of grapes are grown.
The WSET was founded in 1969 to promote, provide and develop high-quality education and training in wines and spirits. It has grown into the foremost global provider of education and examinations in the field of wines and spirits. Lebanon, with the support of Château Ksara, is now part of this distinguished global program, available in 18 different languages and 62 countries.
The WSET gives four levels of wine qualifications. Initially the first two will be offered in Lebanon on a twice a year basis. Level 3 will be offered at a later stage to those who have passed Level 2.
Level 1is offered to those who are new to the world of wine. It is ideal forthose beginning work in the wine industry as well as wine amateurs and in Lebanon is offered in English and French.The French session took place on Monday, May 11 and in English onTuesday May 12.
Level 2is more thorough and aimed at trade professionals and consumers alike. The course was heldin English from Wednesday May 13to Friday May 15.
Both levels were taught at the SagesseUniversityby Mr. Matthew Stubbs MW, Owner and Director of Vinicole –France.