The next round of Mentoring Visits will be taking place in July – September 2012, says Plumpton college-based WineSkills.
The aim of the mentoring scheme is to encourage the UK wine production industry to benefit from the expertise and guidance of top consultants in order to support its development and its ability to compete in the national and international marketplace. The main beneficiary of the mentoring scheme will be the UK wine production industry as a whole.
Each mentor will carry out visits, upon request, to UK wine producers. The costs (fees and expenses) of these visits will be supported by the WineSkills project at a rate of 90%, but participating producers will be invoiced for the remaining 10% on a pro-rata basis. The cost to the producer for a Mentor visit is on average £65.
The Mentors will spend about three hours with each participating producer and identify their current strengths and potential areas for improvement and make recommendations. This information will be related directly to each individual participating producer in the form of a confidential report. By consulting to a range of UK wine producers, the mentors will then be able to generate general biannual reports for the whole industry, relating their findings (with participating wine producers remaining anonymous).
The college is offering visits from David Cowderoy (Still Wine Production Mentor), Michel Salgues (Sparkling Wine Production Mentor), Peter Hayes (Vineyard Management & Grape Growing Mentor), Mike Paul (Wine Business & Marketing Mentor) and Al MacDonald (Sustainable Wine Production Mentor).
Dates for the Mentors availability are as follows:
1. Business management and marketing Mike Paul 9th – 13th July
2. Still wine production David Cowderoy 13th – 17th August
3. Grapegrowing and vineyard management Peter Hayes 20th – 24th August
4. Sparkling wine production Dr. Michel Salques 24th – 28th September
5. Sustainable wine production Al MacDonald August – September. Exact dates TBC
A request for a mentor visit must be made by June 15. Further details about the mentoring scheme can be found on the WineSkills website here.
