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Drink to Success With a Wine Schools Education

by Elise Zito

"I've always loved learning. That is one of the things that attracts me to wine -- there is no end to the learning process," shares Bob Kelly, sommelier for Valentino Las Vegas, a fine dining establishment in the Venetian Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. "Sommeliers really are geeks. They spend a lot of time reading, tasting and talking to each other about wine and food."

A sommelier's main duties, he adds, are organizing wine lists, educating the staff, tasting various wines and knowing the chef's style. Part of his job is to communicate to the guests, as well as the staff, what the best wines are for which foods and why. This makes it extremely important that his knowledge of wines is reliable and ever-increasing.

Although he did go to college, Kelly didn't have the opportunity to attend

Wine schools

. He actually attended four colleges in both New York and California, but never found what he was looking for as far as a major goes. "I could never really decide between the humanities and the sciences," he says. "Again, this attracts me to wine as there is a great combination of art, chemistry, history, geography, sociology and business -- you have to know a lot about a lot of things."

For those of you who are interested in furthering your education and career prospects through wine schools, Kelly shares what he wishes he had done while in college. "If I were younger and trying to start over, I would major in business and try to learn several languages -- French and either Italian or German," he shares. "Once I graduated, I'd move to wine country -- learn what it is really about, see the grapes grow [and] taste them as they get closer to harvest."

As with most other industries, hands-on learning is key to a successful and rewarding career in wine in the wine industry. Fortunately, most wine schools offer top-notch classroom and real world educational opportunities designed to equip you with all the skills and knowledge you need to succeed. Start your search for wine schools today!