Plumpton invests further in WineSkills initiative

By Lisa Riley

Published: 10 May, 2021

Plumpton Wine Division has announced further investment in its WineSkills Programme by diversifying the range of short courses offered.

Sarah Midgley, Plumpton’s winemaker, will be leading the programme development alongside her Higher Education targeted teaching, as she returns from maternity leave next month.

The development of WineSkills will first see Midgley focus on winery sustainability courses and guidelines, mentoring and targeted development activities for UK winemakers.

The decision to further drive the industry short course was in response to a continued increase in demand for wine industry skills and development, said Plumpton Wine Division.

“As a leading land-based college, Plumpton has always developed programmes specifically to meet the needs of the sector and local employment opportunities,” said Dr Greg Dunn, head of Plumpton Wine Division.

“The vision for WineSkills going forward is to continue to up-skill the UK Wine Industry and provide current and industry relevant short courses and masterclasses. We are delighted to welcome back Sarah and are very much looking forward to driving and developing this arm of our Wine Division,” he said.

Midgley added: “I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into my new role which will also allow me to use my winemaker knowledge and teaching skills.”

WineSkills, which was first developed by Tony Milanowski – a lecturer in oenology and winemaking at Plumpton College for more than 12 years, is a training programme designed to support the UK wine production industry.

It covers the principles of vinegrowing and winemaking in a series of short courses held throughout the year.

In March, Plumpton Wine Division increased the scale of its talks and seminars from producers and industry experts from around the world to cater for online learning with the Covid-19 pandemic.

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