Program Overview

University Microcredential in Wine Expert: Tasting, Service, and Pairing

Presentation

Wine is the most profitable product of a restaurant, with a wide variety available in the global market and an increasingly demanding and educated clientele. This course covers wine production, tasting, and service, as well as pairing and management of a winery.

Objectives

• Study and learn wine production
• Acquire knowledge about the science of wine, yeasts, and alcoholic fermentations
• Study aromas for tastings
• Learn wine service, temperatures, and maintenance
• Learn pairings and create different pairing possibilities
• Study the management of a winery

Competences

General Competencies

• Students will acquire knowledge about alcoholic fermentation.
• The student body will be able to write the descriptions of the wines for the menu of a restaurant, according to their organoleptic tasting.

Specific Competences

• The student body will acquire the ability to create a tasting sheet.
• Students will acquire knowledge about the chemistry of wine.
• The student body will acquire knowledge about the aromas and defects of wine.
• The students will be able to create a pairing for the different wines that are studied.
• The students will acquire the knowledge about the protocol and service of the wine and will be able to apply them in the gastronomic company.

Programme

Block I. Viticulture

• Subject 1. The vine.
• Unit 2. The importance of terroir.
• Subject 3. Viticultural zones of Spain and varieties.
• Subject 4. Basic concepts of viticulture

Block II. Winery and Winemaking

• Subject 1. Entry of grapes into the winery and industrial processes.
• Subject 2. Microorganism and metabolism. The science of wine.
• Subject 3. Elaborations and typology of wines
• Subject 4. Parenting
• Unit 5. Warehouse management.
• Unit 6. The origin of aromas

Block III. Service and Restoration

• Subject 1. Selection of wines and elaboration of letters. Storage and conservation.
• Subject 2. Service according to the type of wine.
• Subject 3. Types of pairings.
• Subject 4. Costs and profitability of references
• Subject 5. Preparation of tasting sheets

Block IV. Tastings and Pairings

• Unit 1. Wine and the senses.
• Subject 2. 5 National regions
• Unit 3. 5 International regions

Recipients

Access Requirements

• Entrepreneurs and future food business owners who want to develop their projects reliably and are looking for training tailored to their needs.
• Professionals from the gastronomic sector with training and experience who want to update their training or specialize in a specific area of knowledge.
• Professionals in the gastronomic sector without prior training who want to support their work experience with a degree or update their knowledge to improve their professional profile.
• Professionals from other sectors who want to update themselves and apply their profile to the gastronomic sector.
• Directors, managers, administrators of gastronomic businesses that need to update their skills.
• Students and recent graduates, both in Vocational Training, as well as in Degrees and Postgraduates, in Gastronomy or any branch of study, who wish to develop their profession in gastronomy.

No university degree is necessary.

Selection Criteria

• 40% Curriculum Vitae related to gastronomy, biology, or food technology
• 40% Hospitality degree.
• 20% Curricular experience in warehouses or restaurants

Academic Management and Faculty

Academic Co-direction

• Dr. Sonia Morante Zarcero
• Dr. María Isabel Sierra Alonso

Faculty

• Dr. Emma Barahona Martín
• Dr. Natalia Casado Navas
• Dr. Jorge Cuellar Perez
• Paco Paton
• Sonia Valero Garcia
• Maria Morales Martinez
• Gerardo Jimenez Jimenez

Duration and Development

• Modality: Blended
• Number of credits: 10
• Contact hours: 40
• Place of delivery: URJC Virtual Classroom and URJC Classrooms Aranjuez Campus
• Start and end date: September 15 – December 16, 2025

Reservation of Place and Enrollment

• Pre-registration period: until August 31, 2025
• Enrollment deadline: September 1-7, 2025
• Title price: 820.00€
• Possibility of scholarship: yes

The start of the course is conditioned to the minimum number of students enrolled.

Documentation to Attach, Forms, and Place of Delivery

The applicant will present all the scanned documentation in the allowed formats. The documentation required includes:

• National Identity Document or equivalent
• University degree of the studies that give access to the requested postgraduate degree.
• Curriculum vitae
• Responsible declaration of veracity of the data provided in digital format
• Any other document required by the Academic Department of Continuing Education for acceptance.

For students with foreign qualifications, additional documentation may be required, including a passport or residence card, foreign higher education degree, and more.