The Wine Professional Program at Kendall College is an excellent option for sommelier certification. Only a handful of sommelier schools offer independent and accredited programs, and Kendall is one. The programming is typically intuitive, deep, and well-organized for independent schools. This is a welcome change from the cookie-cutter approach that often plagues WSET-franchise schools.
They offer Wine Apprentice (Level One), Wine Steward (Levels Two & Three), and Sommelier (Level Four) wine certifications. These sommelier programs are not affiliated with the National Wine School, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, or the Court of Master Sommeliers.
If you enjoy cultivating an expert knowledge of wine and fine dining, you’ll make a first-rate wine sommelier upon graduation from Kendall. When you forge a career as a wine sommelier you create wine lists for restaurants, train employees, and maintain a wine inventory. Sommeliers are experts on vintages, regions for best grapes, and what wines complement particular dishes.
Kendall College
They offer a professional wine program designed for professionals who are seeking certification and wish to solidify their wine knowledge and skills. As part of their training, participants are challenged to acquire a complex skill set that they can apply through exercises and exhaustive tastings. In addition, a food pairing component is included at each level to expand participants’ knowledge and skills about pairing wine with food.
Their wine programs are structured similarly to the National Wine School and the Court of Master Sommeliers.
L1 – Wine Apprentice
Also known as the Foundation Level. Through an exploration of history, sensory analysis, vinification, wine styles, pairing, and service techniques, this course takes learners on an intriguing journey throughout the vast world of wine. The Program explores the technical aspects of wine while providing the necessary knowledge and skill required for operating in various service capacities. The Wine Apprentice program is designed for those in the hospitality industry or those interested in a career in food and beverage management.
The Wine Apprentice program is a six-week course for 25 hours of education and exams.
L2 – Wine Steward
To build upon the students’ introductory knowledge and skills of wine, this intermediate course focuses on sensory analysis, food pairing, sparkling wine, and fortified wine while immersing them in the world’s most famous wine regions.
This course focuses on New World and Old World wine regions by analyzing geological events, geology, climate, and winemaking techniques. This L2 Program is designed for students who have completed all requirements from the Wine Apprentice L1 course.
L3 – Sommelier
The course develops the students through an intensive study of the significant wine-producing regions of the New and Old Worlds, sensory wine analysis, traditional wine pairings, and immersion into other beverages (beer, spirits, cider, sake) ‘ knowledge in wine. This Program is focused on the restaurant trade: The Program includes traditional French restaurant service, including decanting. Additionally, students will learn how to procure, purchase, receive, cellar, and promote beverages. Finally, students develop a restaurant concept and food and beverage menu(s) that support the target market.
This L3 Sommelier Certificate course is a 9-week program with 45 classroom and exam hours included. It is the top certification available in the Wine Professional Program at Kendall College.
John Peter Laloganes is the Director of Beverage Management and Assistant Professor at National Louis University (NLU) at Kendall College in Chicago, IL. In 2015, he founded this Wine Professional Program, an accelerated 3-tiered sommelier educational track designed for industry professionals and hard-core wine enthusiasts.
He has authored several highly acclaimed books: The Beverage Manager’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits – 4th Ed in 2017; The Beverage Manager’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits – 3rd Ed (awarded the “Best Wine Book for Professionals in the United States” in 2013 by the Gourmand International Book Awards); and The Essentials of Wine with Food Pairing Techniques (Amazon #1 Best Seller in Wine Pairing)
The Wine Professional Program is one of the best wine certification programs due to its accreditation. In addition, unlike most sommelier programs, this certificate program is underwritten by a regional university, which is the gold standard for all higher education. The Program is part of the Kendall College course catalog.
Kendall College is one of many wine schools in Chicago, becoming a major center for wine education. Other schools include the original Chicago Wine School, the Wine & Sommelier School, and the American Wine School.
