The School of Wine & Spirits Business: passion in 4!

The School of Wine & Spirits Business offers a unique experience in the heart of Burgundy. Four programs combine to create a comprehensive offering around the world of wines and spirits:

• Specialized Master in International Trade of Wines & Spirits
• MBA Wine & Spirits Business
• MSc Wine Management
• Wine Tourism specialization of the Bachelor in Management

Recognized for their academic excellence, the Mastère CIVS, a pioneering program for 30 years, is ranked n°1 in France and n°3 worldwide (Eduniversal 2023) and the MBA Wine & Spirits Business is ranked n°2 of the best international MBAs in France (LE MOCI 2018).

Different in terms of program content and student profiles, all four courses aim to develop a triple skill set for their learners: 

• Technical skills: viticulture, oenology, sensory analysis and tasting
• Management skills: marketing, management, law and finance applied to the wine and spirits business
• Sector-specific skills: knowledge of strategies and key players in the sector, preparation for international professional certification, WSET2 and/or WSET3 included in the programs

Study trips to New York, London, Düsseldorf and Barcelona, and to some of France's most renowned vineyards, round out the on-the-job training.  

Last but not least, the School of Wine & Spirits Business relies on a dynamic within the graduating classes to help build the professional network of nearly 2,000 graduates who are part of the 18,000-strong BSB alumni community.

Frédéric Mercier, Director of the CIVS Specialized Master's  believes, for example, that "the strength of the Master's program lies in its extensive and diversified network of alumni. In fact, they represent 30% of our lecturers. Together, we maintain a very lively collective culture".

For Jacques Thébault, Director of the MBA Wine & Spirits Business , it's the scale of the transformation in students' lives that seals a strong relationship with the school. 

According to Didier Jacquet, Director of the MSc Wine Management : "The strong Indian and Chinese contingents in our student body testify to the attractiveness of a course that combines academic solidity with openness to the diversity of the industry's professionals, to whom up to 40% of the lectures are entrusted." 

Magalie Dubois, the new head of the Wine Tourism specialization in the Bachelor in Management program, puts out a straightforward appeal to the entire community: "We get our students to work on projects submitted by players in the industry. I'm delighted to see that our alumni are getting more and more involved in sharing their problems in areas that fall within our remit".   

Find interviews with the program directors online: Frédéric Mercier | Jacques Thébault | Didier Jacquet | Magalie Dubois