Wine education for waiters

Waiters are being invited to learn more about local wine culture and promotion through seminars held by the Marsovin Group in collaboration with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

Called The Wine Experience, the one-day seminars will include visits to the Marsovin Estates, talks on wine making and learning about the aging process in the 400-year-old Marsovin Cellars in Paola.

Participants will be presented with a certificate of attendance.

"The beneficiaries of these meetings will be the waiting staff who are in direct contact with local and foreign clients. Therefore, their selling potential should be improved to sell wine but mostly to participate in the promotion of tourism in general," said Jeremy Cassar, Marsovin's head of group marketing, at the launch of the training scheme on Monday.

Justin Zammit Tabona, MHRA president, said: "The idea was tabled for discussion about three months ago and the MHRA could only but support the initiative, which is another added value to product Malta. This is only the beginning of other educational projects".

Evarist Bartolo, shadow minister for tourism, said such seminars were important steps to improve the level of service in the industry. There was still a long way to go in promoting Malta especially in emerging markets like China and India.

The MHRA will be promoting the initiative among its members. Anyone wishing to participate may contact the Marsovin Group on tel. 2220 3502.