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New Training Dates Autumn 2011

Helen Brotherton — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:41:45 +0000

New Training Dates for WSET® Wine Courses

The end of Summer is in sight and so plans for a full and exciting programme of WSET® Wine & Spirits Courses are now in place.

All details of Course content, syllabus, prices etc can be found on the Training tab of the main FWW website.

We can, of course, offer other dates outside of this programme for bespoke courses on board etc – just ask us for details.

The courses will be held at the FWW HQ in Vence 06140 (French Riviera) unless specified.

WSET® Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Wines (1 DAY)

Monday 26th September 2011
Monday 10th October 2011
Tuesday 18th October 2011 – CROATIA (ask for details)
Thursday 10th November 2011
Friday 25th November 2011

WSET® Level 2 Award in Wines & Spirits (3 DAYS)
(Intermediate)
Weds 28th – Fri 30th September 2011
Weds 12th – Fri 14th October 2011
Weds 19th – Fri 21st October 2011 – CROATIA (ask for details)
Mon 21st – Weds 23rd November 2011

WSET® Level 3 Award in Wines & Spirits (5 DAYS)
(Advanced)
Weds 26th – Fri 28th and Mon 31st Oct & Tues 1st Nov 2011
(inc weekend break)

We are also in the process of putting dates together for Spirits & Cocktail training courses – watch this space!

Helen Brotherton

Yacht Gourmet Croatia – a new alliance!

Helen Brotherton — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:54:06 +0000

Yacht Gourmet Croatia

Your Wine Supply & Provisioning needs in Croatia solved!!! We are delighted to announce that we will be working alongside Yacht Gourmet Croatia (www.yachtgourmetcroatia.com) this season to ensure that you get the best advice, service and, most importantly, WINE & Provisions when you leave the French Riviera and head off to the beautiful Dalmatian coast.

As a small (but perfectly formed!) enterprise and business in an industry that demands such high levels of excellence, we here at FWW have recognised that where we can’t quite stretch geographically in terms of service, a similar sized & focussed company elsewhere in the Med could take over to meet your every need & wine requirement.

So, having known how Alessia & Marin of YGC have been building a loyal and resolute customer basis for a long time in Croatia, we recognise ourselves in them. We can see that, like us, they are a determined young and independent business, whose staff will go so much further to meet your needs on a very personal level and who can offer a real and refreshing alternative to the other “big fish” suppliers here in the Mediterranean.

We do not take a “slice” of their business, but we share knowledge, contacts and goals. Knowing that we probably have more mutual and crossover yachting customers than even we realise, here is an opportunity to make sure that at least some of your charter destinations this Summer will be serviced and looked after smoothly and efficiently. If you are planning to visit Croatia with owners or charterers this season, just let us know: we will then alert Alessia & Marin to your imminent arrival and together we will work really hard to make sure that you get what you want, wine-wise & provisioning and when and where you want it!

Together, the two companies will strive to give you the ultimate in service in both the Riviera and Croatia. We are always here for you!

Advance! Advanced!! – Our 1st Advanced!!!

Helen Brotherton — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:42:47 +0000

Phew! We’ve done it!! And I very much do mean “we” in this instance – our first WSET® Advanced Certificate in Wines & Spirits, with me as Tutor for the 5 Day course, and hubby Nigel, embarking onthe course as a Student. Well, its over now – the last run to the bottle bank under the cover of darkness, (with over 100 bottles opened over the 5 days, not even FWW can pretend this is normal
household consumption as we tip the glass into the recycling bin!).

Our morning ritual is no longer driven by the need to revise furiously (Nigel) nor to put the finishing touches to a lesson plan or double check a Wine fact (Helen) in the magnificent Hugh Johnson “Wine Atlas” or to confirm the ampelography and parentage or synonym of a particular grape variety with Jancis Robinson’s excellent “Vine’s Grapes and Wines”. Nor indeed, is the kitchen a buzz with late night cooking madness that is us setting out to provide a first class lunch for all the students each day as a welcome respite from the intense vinous absorption of knowledge and wine itself. I have to say, though, that the FWW lunches during a Wine Course have become almost legendary as I try and match a menu to the wines we are likely to have opened during that mornings Sessions.

During the Advanced course we dined on a Seafood Lasagne with various dregs of Chablis and Chassagne Montrachet; a classic Coq au Vin with a passable Nuits St Georges and my Sweet and Sour Pork met its match with a selection of Rieslings from Germany, Alsace and Australia. The last day (yup, the “big Exam in the afternoon” day) of the course gave me the dilemma of the last two course work sessions being Fortified (Sherries and Ports etc) and Spirits. Not ideal as a match for Lunch! However, we’d skipped tasting the two Greek wines in a previous session as the WSET had reviewed and revised some of the Wine regions before this new academic year and Greece, alas, had fallen from grace and was no longer part of the mandatory tastings. I had, however, already purchased said wines as the course had originally been planned for earlier this year in June – you have to be one step ahead with sourcing some of the wines for these courses…have you tried picking up Greek wines here in France?? So, a flash of inspiration and the final days “brain food” consisted of a Meze of the usual Taramasolata, Hummous, stuffed Vine Leaves and a particularly garlicky home-made Tzsatziki. Then I griddled some Oregano Marinated Lamb with Olive Oil for a sort of Souvlaki, served with a big, fresh and juicy Greek Salad of Feta, Tomato and Cucumber. The Greek white, a Vilana from the Peloponnese was a bit underwhelming but the Xynomavro from Naoussa hit the spot superbly. I think, having checked the candidate’s Answer Sheets and assessed the Practical Blind Tasting element of the exam, that “a little of taste of Corfu” at lunchtime prepared the students admirably for their arduous 2 hour long exam. The papers themselves were couriered back to London for final marking, so we shall just have to wait with baited breath for the results!

One final “share” with you all: the intriguing results of a little Champagne tasting we did on the penultimate day! You are probably aware by now, that we are the sole representatives of Vilmart champagnes here on the Côte d’Azur and so convinced are of their sheer quality and “wow” factor that we wanted to “blind taste” them head to head with market leaders in their particular category. As we had a room full of Wine Professionals and Yacht Crew, all candidates for the course and as we had to crack open Champagnes anyway as part of the syllabus, we pitted our Vilmart Grand Cellier Brut NV (35€) against the standard Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut NV (also approx RRP of 35€). Only one vote went to the Veuve whereas the Vilmart (or at this stage it was simply Wine B) was otherwise unanimously praised for the finesse of its mousse, the creaminess of its texture and the full on elegance of the liquid in the glass. The second duo was our top of the range premium Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée 2000 (74€) versus the mighty Dom Perignon 2000 (approx 120€) – one would think that the extra Fifty smackers would have leapt out and throttled you in terms of obvious quality and class, but alas, it was a tricky call between the two of them. This time it was Vilmart’s (Wine A this time) energy and freshness which captivated the tasters against a rather vegetal and subdued DP – a bit of a triumph for our “just different” Vilmart wines. Do check out the Vilmart page on the website to get the full story (and place your orders for Christmas, of course!!)

Helen Brotherton
05.10.09

NEW Wine Course Training Dates for 2010

Helen Brotherton — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:50:35 +0000

Always one step ahead of the game, Fine Wine Works have put together a programme for early 2010 covering all 3 Levels of the WSET accredited Wine Courses – check the Training Dates link under the Tab for Training! Although we work very closely with the Yachting industry, our courses are very much open to everyone. If your work schedule doesn’t fit in with any of these NEW dates, please do contact us to discuss your specific requirements. We do have a remit from the WSET to travel outside the Riviera, particularly to the shipyards of Europe to New Build Superyachts so don’t worry if you are not planning on being in the Mediterranean anytime soon.
Helen Brotherton – 21st October 2009

All Aboard!

Helen Brotherton — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:02:08 +0000

All Aboard – Yacht Crew training!
Phew, its been a busy Summer already and yet we’re only halfway through June! Wine Events, Tastings and searching out new and exciting wines certainly keep us busy. We’ve even put our first event for 2010 in the diary – scary, huh? Meanwhile, our Wine Training Courses for Yacht Crew and our new partnership with Cosmo Crew are also booming. So, with that in mind, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to share this glowing customer recommendation with you all – makes it all feel worthwhile!

“While in the shipyard in La Ciotat, a neighboring yacht had organized an all day WSET foundation course onboard, and had an extra space to fill. They were kind enough to invite me along, and I proceeded to have a fun and very informative day tasting a number of different wines and learning a healthy dose of basic wine knowledge from Helen and Nigel of FineWineWorks. I was so impressed with both the knowledge I came away with and the team-building atmosphere of the program, that I immediately booked the three day on-board intermediate course for our own crew. Helen and Nigel were very accommodating and had no problem spending three days in La Ciotat onboard the yacht, even though it was a busy shipyard period with a number of power blackouts, interruptions by carpet cleaners, carpenters and endless phone calls. We managed to have a fabulously good time, some of which could possibly be attributed to the lack of spittoon use after tasting over 50 wines in three days! Helen is a walking encyclopedia and her passion, humour and enthusiasm made even the difficult bits not only interesting but also exciting to learn. If you are a chief stew, or a captain, and are looking for a great way to bring the crew together and give everyone a deeper understanding of a topic that almost any owner or charter guest will be impressed with, do not hesitate to call Helen and her lovely and helpful husband Nigel and book into one of their varied course offerings- you won’t regret it!”

Mackenzie Daggett, Interior Manager
Amorazur Fleet

Hello to Cosmo Crew – a new partnership!

Helen Brotherton — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:34:38 +0000

Building yet further on our Wine & Spirit Education Trust APP status and the booming side of our business in providing Wine Training for Yacht Crew, we have started an exciting new partnership with a dynamic young Crew Placement & Training company, Cosmo Crew based right on the port at Marina Baie des Anges, Villeneuve Loubet.

As usual it was the incredible networking chain down here on the
Riviera that led us to Cosmo – someone saw a posting on Anglo Info about one of our Wine Tasting Events earlier in the year and promptly booked themselves on our inaugural “Fun Wine 4 Women” event in April. Meeting and talking with Sally, led to the discovery that she shares office space with Cosmo and that we “really ought to come down and meet them”. From a totally different direction comes the same “hot tip” and introduction from Anna of The Galley Shop (one our linked Partners) that she had met the Cosmo team at their offices, seen their currently not used basement room, and advised them that it would be the perfect venue for Wine Courses and told them to get in touch with us.
Serendipity indeed!
So down to the Marina and a chat with the delightful Virna Causa of Cosmo Crew and before you know it, a deal was struck and we “test ran” a Level 1 WSET Foundation Course for some Stews on 14th May. It worked brilliantly and the ease of travel arrangements for Yachties, rather than getting them all the way up to us in Vence, was a real bonus! We reckon we can comfortably run courses for up to 6 students at Cosmo and the location on the port for a quick pre-course coffee and a choice of eateries for lunch is excellent. We will continue to offer the incredible FWW flexibility of “on board” at a time and place to suit, but that is obviously directed at existing Crew teams. The great link with Cosmo is that they have a huge pool of Yacht Crew “wannabe’s” and experienced Stews looking for new employment.
Cosmo offer specific Yacht training courses themselves at another classroom site, but have also had enquiries about Wine Courses specifically for Yachts and so the fact that they can now recommend FineWineWorks is a great boon to us. In return we have also proposed that as we are in contact with so many yachts that we refer them to Cosmo whenever it is appropriate. Small businesses working together!
P.S. We had a 100% pass rate for the course that day – so congratulations to all the candidates!
Helen Brotherton 04.05.09

New Wine Courses & Events Dates

Helen Brotherton — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:00:08 +0000

You can find all the details for the following Wine Courses and Forthcoming Events under the relevant sections on this site but as we have such a jam packed Summer & early Autumn ahead I wanted to have the opportunity to shout about it – LOUDLY!

Firstly, our accredited Wine Courses with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Aimed particularly at Yacht Crew here on the Riviera but open to everyone with a lust and thirst for Wine.
As well as hosting these courses here at our villa, we have also linked up with Cosmo Crew to run some courses at their offices in the Marina Baie des Anges in Villeneuve Loubet. We can also run these on board, when required. Call us to discuss your particular requirements.

WSET Foundation Course (Level 1) – 1 Day
Thursday 11th June – venue tbc
Wednesday 1st July – venue tbc
See Training page for all details as to cost, course content etc.

WSET Intermediate Course (Level 2) – 3 Days
25th – 27th June – Vence 06
7th – 9th September – Vence 06
We are also planning to run this as a 9 session Evening Class for Working Wine Lovers who perhaps cannot devote a full 3 Days to the course. From mid-September – see Training Pages for details

WSET Advanced Course (Level 3) – 5 Days
We will be splitting this course over a short period to give students time to absorb the facts and cover all the ground with home study.
Mon 5th – Tue 6th Oct (2 Days)
PLUS
Mon 12th, Tue 13th & Wed 14th Oct (3 Days)
All details on the Training page of this site.

Forthcoming events:
(Details of all these can be found on the Events page under Forthcoming Dates)

Sat 6th June – “Fun Wine 4 Women”, Vence 06
Weds 17th June – “Vin-dezvous” at the Kookaburra, Nice 06
Fri 17th July – Masterclass – Food & Wine Matching, Vence 06
Sat 1st Aug – “Fun Wine 4 Women”, Vence 06
Fri 14th Aug – Masterclass – Food & Wine Matching, Vence 06

Coming soon – details of our big Autumn event to be held in conjunction with Riviera Times plus our Vilmart Champagne Winemaker Dinner – e-mail us at info@finewineworks.com to go on our Mailing List and receive regular FWW Newsletters plus special offers on our Wine List

Helen Brotherton

Wine Appreciation – 9 glorious weeks of quaffing!

Helen Brotherton — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:02:44 +0000

We have been pretty busy so far this Spring, and will be right up to May with our WSET Accredited Wine Courses, mostly for Yacht Crew in the run up to what will no doubt be an interesting Summer season…..but that’s for another Yachtie BLOG! Meanwhile we have been asked continually for a gentler approach to Wine Appreciation, skills and knowledge that might be acquired at a more leisurely pace.

Our WSET Courses tend to be “intensive” 1, 3 or 5 days to fit in with Yacht Crew timescales and their naturally nomadic lifestyles. But there is a wider Anglophone community here on the Riviera, more accustomed to a relaxed way of life, but who are still passionate and fascinated enough by wine to want to know a little bit more. We’ve looked as a starting point at the WSET Intermediate Level 2, which needs no prior Wine Training, just enthusiasm, greed for knowledge and a basic ability to tell the difference between a Red and a White wine. Rather than cram it into 3 days, we opted to run it over 9 consecutive weekly evenings, each around 2 ½ to 3 hours. We would also propose that taking the exam itself on the 9th session is entirely optional – some folk, would prefer not to have the pressure of lots of study and homework but just to enjoy exploring the wines of the world and getting to taste rather a lot of them! We did originally plan to run the course in this format from late Spring, but have found that the urge to learn gets clouded by visiting friends and rellys (it is amazing how popular one becomes in the Summer here on the Cote d’Azur!). We are also finding that the more people who attend our Events (see piccie) and start to understand what we are really about, then express interest in doing a Wine Appreciation course. So, in order to spread the net as wide as possible and give lots of gourmands and wine fans a chance, we have moved the dates to the Autumn and will kick off with the 1st session on Thursday 10th September. The details are all on our Training Page of this website and also show that we’ve managed to reduce the cost and instead of a full price of 750€ TTC, we’d split it into weekly sessions at just 70€ per session (this is if you are wishing to take the exam in Week 9), making a saving of 130€ all told!
There are also a few more tempting peeks into what we will cover in the 9 weeks, on my original BLOG on this course in January 2009. As I usually get a bit carried away with things, we are bound to taste a few more than the 50+ wines you are required to experience throughout the course. I can’t resist pulling another bottle from the rack if I think it will illustrate my point better – wine is such a real, tangible and practical subject, one can only talk about it for so long before the need to taste an example becomes apparent. If you, (or you know and love someone enough to give it them as a pressie), are interested in possibly getting together with like-minded individuals to taste wines and learn about their origins, then get in touch. Roll on Summer then we can start planning a decadent and vinous Autumn – something to really look
forward to!

Wine Course – WSET Intermediate (April – June 09)

Helen Brotherton — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:44:18 +0000

For those of you still getting to know us, as well as fun Wine Events and Tastings around the Riviera for both Corporate and Private clients, we also run accredited Wine Training courses through the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) here on the Cote d’Azur. Whilst these courses are hugely beneficial to anyone working with Wine as part of their job (yacht crew, restaurant and bar staff etc), we have found that there is a keen demand for a structured and formal “wine course” to appeal to enthusiastic amateurs and keen wine buffs who may just wish to expand their knowledge in a practical arena and have fun learning and exploring.

We are delighted to offer the WSET Intermediate (Level 2) course to allcomers as a weekly evening class (Thursdays in Vence) from 23rd April for 9 weeks. The course requires no previous attendance of a Wine Course, (although if anyone is interested in the one day Foundation (Level 1) course, we also run these regularly – check the Training section on the main website for details of forthcoming dates) and merely assumes an interest in the subject and a desire to taste a broad range of International wines.

Once you have grasped Wine Tasting technique (and how to avoid messy dribbling when slurping and “oxidating” your wine) and the skill of analysing grape varieties, regions and quality, we move on to delve into the geography of the wonderful world of wine. Major grape varieties are explored (and tasted) and put into context with region, country, style and quality level plus particularly important wine producing countries are covered more fully. The Intermediate course also covers Sparkling and Sweet wines, Fortified wines and Spirits and Liqueurs – all in all extremely entertaining, educational and enlightening! Of course none of this makes sense without a very practical side to each session when we will taste over 50 wines and spirits across the 9 weeks.

Full details and how to register for the course are on the Training page of our website. Even if you can’t commit to these dates, please do let us know you are keen and we’ll make sure you are kept informed of any future courses.

Don’t forget – “knowledge is thirsty work”!