Symington Family Estates, the renowned premium port producer in Portugal, has launched an online learning and training program called ‘School of Port‘ in response to the coronavirus lockdown as a way of providing continuing education and training for wine professionals and wine lovers on port and the Douro region.
The new initiative will consist of a series of free digital workshops and online video courses, designed for people working with port in both the on and off trade.
Requests for the first training module, “School of Port – The Essentials”, can be made via www.schoolofport.com. The contents include how port is made, the different styles, serving and pairing suggestions, as well as best practice advice for selling port in both the retail and restaurant environments.
The workshops will be delivered by a professional port wine educator via Zoom, followed by a short test and certificate issued to successful participants.
Wine professionals and lovers can also follow School of Port Instagram account for more behind-the-scene looks, short videos, infographics and live chats with wine experts.
“A big part of our work is educating people about the port category. Often people who don’t know about port become really enthusiastic once they learn more and taste the wines. We do a lot of consumer education through our tours and tastings in Porto and the Douro, but another crucial aspect is training the trade,” says Rob Symington 5th generation port producer at Symington Family Estates.
“People who work in wine shops and restaurants can be great ambassadors for port, if they have sufficient knowledge and an affinity for the category. We are excited to use School of Port to deliver engaging, contemporary and useful port education to wine trade professionals all around the world,” he continues.
In Hong Kong, local wine company Links Concept will be helping with the training sessions here for wine professionals. You can contact Links Concept team or email schoolofport@symington.com for more information.
