Rosen toasts to new partnership

Hospitality students will get a taste of exceptional drinks with the Rosen College of Hospitality Management's new partnership with the Premier Beverage Company of Florida.

The affiliation will further provide students with a quality approach to learning about the art of fine dining.

Premier Beverage Company is one of the largest distributors of fine wines and spirits in Florida. It also hosts training seminars to provide customers with knowledge concerning product brands, selling tips and the art of food and wine pairing.

"[The partnership] began with bringing in guest lectures and sample wines for the classes," said Dr. Joe Hutchinson, chair of Rosen's Department of Foodservice & Lodging Management. "The idea was to build a partnership through education by letting students sample the wines Premier represents."

Dr. Frank Juge and Robert Ashley are two of Rosen's professors who use Premier's wine in their courses.

"This gives students a chance to learn about wines that, in a fine restaurant, they would be responsible for buying, selling and serving," Juge said. "Many of our students conduct events such as conventions, wedding parties or charity events where having knowledge of the fine wines that are out there is a real asset."

Allyssa Anderson, a senior event management major who is enrolled in Juge's history and culture of wine class, is grateful for the partnership.

"I think the gifts that Premier brought us lets us taste the best wines that are out there," Anderson said. "We get the chance to taste the best of each individual kind."

Each semester, 142 bottles of the 71 varying wines that Premier provides is needed for the 200 students who are taking wine courses at the Rosen College.

"Mr. Pfeil, who is the senior vice president with Premier, offered to provide most, if not all of the wines we use in our wine courses," Juge said. "The quality of wine is much better then what we had before. We can't afford premium wines, but their wines are all premium or premium plus."

Figures show that wine sales are essential to any high-class restaurant. Students learn which drinks are best paired with which dishes in order to better the dining experience.

"Roughly [a] third of a profit for a restaurant that offers wine is based off of wine sales. For one that sells premium wines, that's 50 percent of the profit," Juge said.

Premier's partnership with Rosen not only allows the company to provide fine wines for the students, but it allows for an education concerning the specific brands the company brings as well. Guest lecturers will visit the classes to discuss the regional differences between wines, as well as the cultivation and winemaking processes of various brands.

Juge said that Al Beck, Premier's director of education, is responsible for the company's educational programs. Premier Beverage trains its wine sellers and other companies that buy its wines. Juge said that no one knows the wines better than Beck.

"One of the most interesting things I've learned through the wines they've sent us is how much the area where the wine has come from effects the flavor," Anderson said. "Wines from different parts of the world all taste completely different from each other."

"They have a commitment to wine education," Hutchinson said. "It's a great experience for students to taste a greater variety of wines they otherwise wouldn't be able to experience. Our students' fees are able to provide only so much wine for each semester, so this allowed us to expand the opportunities they have in the class."

The class provides students with an opportunity to expand their knowledge based off of the wines Premier has provided for tasting.

"If they're in the wine business, it broadens their knowledge of high quality wines. It's hard to buy for customers if they had no experience with these wines," Juge said. "The students were amazed with how many different origins of wine there are out there. There are so many different styles; they were blown away by it."

Brianne Chrisenberry, a junior event management major, is another student who has been affected by Rosen's association with Premier.

"The partnership has allowed me to try many new wines that I've never been able to try before. We've learned the process of how the wines are made, where they originated and how they are stored over the years," Chrisenberry said. "I think it's amazing that Premier has given us this opportunity; I've been able to apply it to my personal life and career."