Wine and Spirits Wood Maturation Techniques Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply principles of wood selection and barrel preparation for wine or spirits maturation.
• Analyze the chemical and sensory changes during wood maturation.
• Evaluate the influence of oak type, toast level, and age on the final product.
• Implement monitoring and quality control procedures throughout the maturation process.
• Demonstrate proper handling, filling, topping, and storage of barrels.
• Design a maturation plan that aligns with product style and market requirements.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for cellar workers, production supervisors, quality control staff, and small-scale distillers or winemakers seeking to deepen their practical understanding of wood maturation techniques.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practical sessions allow learners to apply theoretical knowledge through hands-on barrel inspection, sensory evaluation, and blending exercises. These activities reinforce the chemical and sensory principles covered in lectures and develop essential skills for managing wood maturation programmes.

Practical Activities

• Barrel Inspection and Identification — Learners examine different barrel types, measure toast levels, and assess wood grain and cooperage quality. (4h)
• Sensory Evaluation of Maturation Extracts — Learners taste and compare extracts from different wood types, toast levels, and ageing durations. (4h)
• Micro-oxygenation and Blending Exercise — Learners set up micro-oxygenation equipment and blend base wines with oak-treated samples to achieve target profiles. (4h)
• Barrel Management Plan Simulation — Learners create a barrel management plan for a hypothetical winery or distillery, including procurement, tracking, and rotation schedules. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.