🍷 Oenologist

An oenologist (enologist, œnologue) is a trained wine scientist who looks after quality from grape to bottle. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) defines the oenologist as an expert with several years of university-level training, able to cover the vineyard, winemaking, production control and analysis.

The title is protected by law no. 55-308. A decree, 82-681, backs it up. Only holders of the Diplôme National d'Œnologue (DNO) may use the title. The course lasts two years and carries 120 ECTS credits, with a compulsory internship in each year. Students arrive with a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry or agronomy, and the diploma is awarded in Bordeaux, Dijon, Toulouse, Reims and Montpellier.

What the job looks like depends on the employer. On a grower's estate the oenologist advises on varieties and planting, follows fermentation, treatment and bottling, and runs analyses. At a wine merchant the work leans towards blending. During training, future oenologists learn to run physical, chemical and microbiological tests and to read the results, so a fault in the wine often shows up in the lab before it shows up in the glass.

People mix the oenologist up with the cellar master (maître de chai). The cellar master runs the cellar from the arrival of the grapes to bottling and works alongside the oenologist. With the oenologist's diploma he or she can take on the whole process.

So when an oenologist is named next to a wine, you know there is a recognised qualification behind it, and the OIV also expects traceability and food safety to be part of the job. For the drink itself see Wine, for the science see Oenology, and for neighbouring trades see Professions in the world of wine.