Grape & Grain | Demand for local wine courses reflects growing Chinese interest

Given the growth of wine culture in Asia, it should come as no surprise that wine courses are in huge demand. Education is highly valued in the region, especially Hong Kong.

The WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) is widely considered a global leader in wine education. Last academic year, more than 72,000 people in 70 countries in 19 languages took one of their courses.

The trust began offering courses in China in 2006 and now boasts a network of more than 130 approved programme providers, whose courses are being keenly taken up by students. China is WSET’s largest growth market; with an increase of 38 per cent in the number of candidates last academic year, it overtook the USA as WSET’s second-biggest market, just behind the UK, the Trust’s homeland. Last year, the Trust invested further in our position as its most promising market by choosing Hong Kong as the location to open its first international office outside the UK.

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Ian Harris, WSET chief executive, said, “We have provided WSET qualifications through providers in Hong Kong since the turn of the millennium, and the expansion into and across mainland China over the past 10 years has been phenomenal.”

The vast number of participants is not China’s only impressive statistic the level of knowledge and commitment of the students is also remarkable. The last six winners of the Vintners’ Cup, which is awarded to the graduate who achieves the highest overall marks in its Diploma, were women, and three were from Asia. Move over Caucasian men!