Plumpton College

Published: 23 July, 2008

When you think of learning about winemaking you think of Bordeaux, UC Davis in California, Geisenheim in Germany, Roseworthy, South Australia.

Plumpton's vital statistics

Vineyard: 6 hectares (14 acres)

Harvest: 20 tonnes total on average

Grape juice yield: 12,000 litres pressed juice

Final wine yield: 11,000 litres (15,000 bottles)

Winery capacity: 50 tonnes, 135,000 bottles

For more information about Plumpton, go to www.plumpton.ac.uk, or contact the college direct:

Plumpton College, Ditchling Road, Nr Lewes,

East Sussex BN7 3AE

Tel: 01273 890 454 Fax: 01273 890 071

Course list:

Full-time:

BSc (Hons) Viticulture & Oenology

Foundation Degree (FdA) in Wine Business

Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Wine Production

Part-time:

EIT Certificate in Wine (Correspondence)

Foundation Degree in Wine Business Studies

Foundation Degree in Wine Production

Plumpton Summer Winemaking Course

Principles of Vinegrowing

Principles of Winemaking

The Sensory Evaluation of Wine

The Vinegrowers Course

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Foundation Certificate in Wines, Level 1

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Intermediate Certificate in Wines & Spirits

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Advanced Certificate in Wines & Spirits

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in Wines & Spirits

The Winemakers Course

The teaching team

Chris Foss, head of wine studies, is half-French and Bordeaux-trained. He has worked in the French wine industry in the Entre-Deux-Mers, St-Emilion and Sauternes, and has visited most winemaking regions in the world

Marianne McKay, course leader, teaches the winemaking and some of the science modules on the Wine Studies course. She has a BSc in Chemistry and Geography from the University of Cape Town and an MSc in Oenology from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Peter Morgan, the winemaker, is a Plumpton graduate. He has a degree in food technology and has run his own boutique winery in France for the past 10 years. He was winemaker at Nyetimber Vineyard, one of the major producers of sparkling wine in the UK

Kevin Sutherland, vineyard instructor, has 13 years' experience in English vineyards. He is originally from New Zealand

James Malone, wine sales coordinator and winery technician, has 8 years' experience in both the on- and off-trades in London, and completed an HND in Wine at Plumpton College

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