According to Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara, wine has become a vital component of the hospitality industry, and it is essential for those within the industry to be well educated about the product. That is why McNamara, who serves as the director of fine wine for Premier Beverage Company, recently visited the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida to lend his expertise to the industry\u2019s future leaders.<\/p>\n
McNamara, who is just one of 186 Master Sommeliers in the world, spoke to 49 UCF Rosen College students in Dr. Frank Juge\u2019s Exploring Wines of the World course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWine is an essential part of any hotel, restaurant, or resort operation, and it continues to weave its way in to all aspects of our culture, just as it has been in Europe for thousands of years,\u201d said McNamara. \u201cWine has become much more mainstream, and for those of us in the hospitality industry, we need to continue to learn as much as we can about the wines of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
McNamara, who was named one of the “Best New Sommeliers of 2008” by Wine and Spirits<\/em> magazine, lectured to students about the culture and intricacies of French red wines.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that students took away the depth and breadth of Burgundy and the Rhone Valley,\u201d said McNamara. \u201cThey are both areas that produce wines that require serious thought in order to really figure out what\u2019s going on in the glass.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Juge,\u00a0UCF Rosen College students need a comprehensive understanding of wines and food pairings in order to become effective managers of fine dining establishments.<\/p>\n \u201cApproximately one third of the profit from restaurants comes from wine sales; so if you plan on being successful in fine dining, it is essential to have an appreciation of the product,\u201d said Juge. \u201cAndy [McNamara] is one of the brightest guys in the business, and my students were thrilled to learn from him. We are very fortunate to have him and Premier Beverage Company as supporters of fine wine education at our college.<\/p>\n McNamara provides wine education and training for Premier Beverage Company throughout the State of Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cTeaching is one of my favorite things to do;\u00a0you never know when something you say might light a spark in a student and lead them down a fulfilling and interesting career path,\u201d said McNamara.<\/p>\n UCF\u2019s Rosen College and Premier Beverage Company partnered in 2011 to enhance the college\u2019s fine wine curriculum through a variety of products and guest lecturers. Recently, Premier Beverage Company donated 1,860 bottles of product to allow the college to offer more fine wine courses to accommodate its increasing student body.<\/p>\n Premier Beverage is one of the largest distributors of wines, spirits and other beverages in Florida, representing some of the most valuable and well-known consumer brands in the world. The company\u2019s mission is to be the distributor of choice for its suppliers, customers, associates, industry, and community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"According to Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara, wine has become a vital component of the hospitality industry, and it is essential for those within the industry to be well educated about the product. That is why McNamara, who serves as the director of fine wine for Premier Beverage Company, recently visited the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of…","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":43038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[10720,2211,15,4068],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-43036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","tag-frank-juge","tag-hospitality","tag-hospitality-management","tag-rosen-college-of-hospitality-management"],"yoast_head":"\n