Plumpton College
Ditchling Road, Plumpton, Nr Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 3AE
United Kingdom
Tel 01273 890454 Fax 01273 890071
enquiries@plumpton.ac.uk
Dates of part-time Wine Studies programmes 2015 - 2016
Updated 18/2/15
Principles of Vinegrowing (WSD2/15)
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
2/11/15
Evaluating and improving vineyard sites
7/12/15
Selecting vine varietals and winter pruning
11/1/16
Vine propagation and nutrition
29/2/16
Planting and trellising vines
25/4/16
Weed control and sustainable viticulture
16/5/16
Vineyard pest management
20/6/16
Summer in the vineyard
Intensive Principles of Vinegrowing (WSD13/15)
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 1/9/15 – 4/9/15 plus 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. 5/9/15 (Saturday)
Principles of Winemaking (WSD3/15)
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
1/9/15
Preparing for harvest
14/9/15
Grape processing
15/9/15 (Tues.) The alcoholic fermentation
19/10/15
Red wine production
30/11/15
Wine clarification
18/1/16
Wine stability and bottling
15/2/16
Sparkling wine production
Intensive Principles of Winemaking (WSD14/15)
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 7/9/15 – 11/9/15
WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits (WSD10/14 & 15)
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
29/6/15 – 1/7/15. Exam 2/7/15 10 – 11 a.m.
6/7/15 – 8/7/15. Exam 9/7/15, 10 – 11 a.m.
21/3/16 – 23/3/16. Exam 24/3/16, 10 – 11 a.m.
27/6/16 – 29/6/16. Exam 30/6/16, 10 – 11 a.m.
WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and Spirits (WSD5/15)
Extensive Course
1.30 – 4.30 p.m. Fridays
25/9/15 – 11/12/15 and 8/1/16 - 22/1/16
WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits (WSD6/15)
See sheet overleaf entitled ‘The WSET Diploma at Plumpton College’
Made to Measure Wine Courses
Short courses, such as further Intensive Winemaking Workshops, can also be ‘made to
measure’ for groups of over 6 students.
For further details of these, contact Sarah Midgley on sarah.midgley@plumpton.ac.uk
Note: Some of these dates may have to be changed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Please ensure that you are registered with Plumpton College so that we can contact
you if any changes occur.
See also the Wine Industry Training Opportunities on
www.wineskills.co.uk
The WSET Diploma at Plumpton College 2015-16
The WSET Diploma, is integrated into the degrees in Wine at Plumpton College, and forms the
backbone of the Foundation Diploma (FDip) Wine Business:
 The syllabus is taught within modules and delivered to degree students at the same time as
WSET-only students.
 Each of these modules has its own assessments, which can serve as good practice towards the
WSET examinations.
 Students are invited to sit the Diploma examinations as additional qualifications to their main
degree courses.
The coordination between the WSET Diploma and the degrees in Wine is as follows:
WSET
Unit
Corresponding
Plumpton Module
Period of
year taught
1. The
business of
wine
PW104
The wine trade
Feb – June
Year 1
2. Wine
production
PW120
Grape growing
and winemaking
Sept - June
Year 1
3. Light wines
of the world
PW205
Wines of the world
September –
June, year 2
4. Spirits of
the world
PW221
Spirits, beers and
cider
Feb – June,
year 2
5.Sparkling
wines of the
world
6. Fortified
wines of the
world
Total
PW222
Sparkling and
fortified wines
Sept – Feb,
year 2
Day
One
session a
week for 15
weeks
One
session a
week for 30
weeks
One
session a
week for 30
weeks
One
session a
week for 15
weeks
One
session a
week for 15
weeks
Time
Total
hours
WSET
exam
fees1
(£)
2 hours
per
session
30
150
2 hours
per
session
60
65
3 hours
per
session
90
250
2 hours
per
session
30
80
80
2 hours
per
session
Sept year 1 –
June, year 2
30
80
240
705
All Diploma students must also register with the WSET at a one-off cost of £80, which is not included in
Plumpton College fees.
There are several other important differences between the WSET Diploma course delivered at
Plumpton College and that at other WSET Diploma course providers:
 The number of taught hours is often greater at Plumpton. This allows us to spend a greater
amount of time on the syllabus and assist the students more in their learning.
 There is more emphasis on the wine trade and the production parts of the course. This is
because these modules underpin the rest of the course to a great extent. Furthermore, as we
have a working vineyard and winery, we can bring the production part of the course to life with
practical sessions.
1
These figures are subject to changes by the WSET that are beyond our control