Wine Yeasts & Fermentation Management
Choose and manage wine yeasts to achieve complete, clean fermentations and the desired aromatic profile.
Programme identification
- 1.1Programme name
- Wine Yeasts & Fermentation Management
- 1.2Type of qualification
- Course
- 1.3Provider / endorsing institution
- Fungaris – International Institute of Mycology, School of Fungal Fermentation & Food Science. A Fungaris programme of its own, not endorsed by a university.
- 1.4Mode of study
- Online, with live sessions in a small group, recordings and a virtual campus.
- 1.5Duration (hours / ECTS credits)
- 3 months (12 weeks) · 72 hours in total · 6 modules of 12 hours · 12 live sessions of 2 hours. ECTS credits: not applicable (Fungaris own programme, not an official university degree).
- 1.6Language
- English
- 1.7Start and end dates / intake
- Next intake: 11 January 2027 to 2 April 2027. Enrolment closes on 4 January 2027. Following intake: 8 March 2027. How intakes work →
Overview
2.1Programme description
A wine's fermentation decides much of its final character, and a stuck or spoiled fermentation can cost a winery an entire vintage. This course gives winemakers and cellar staff a practical understanding of the yeasts present in the vineyard and winery and of the choice between selected cultures and spontaneous fermentation. You will learn to manage nutrients and read fermentation kinetics, to prevent and restart stuck or sluggish fermentations, and to understand how yeasts shape aroma.
Special attention goes to Brettanomyces and other spoilage yeasts, which remain one of the most common quality problems in modern cellars. The tutor, selected for experience in winemaking or oenology, shares the monitoring routines, lab analyses and hygiene practices relied on during harvest. The course suits cellar hands, assistant winemakers and small producers who want to make confident decisions under pressure. Your final project is a fermentation management protocol for a specific wine, covering yeast strategy, nutrient additions, monitoring schedule, intervention thresholds and hygiene measures, written so that it could be used by a cellar team during the next harvest.
2.2Why it matters / what need it meets
It meets a practical need: applied, up-to-date knowledge in fermentation, useful in areas such as winemaking, oenological supplies, beverage quality control.
Mycology is moving fast and good practical training is still scarce. This programme gives you a structured path, taught live by people who work in the field, so you can apply what you learn with judgement and safety.
Objectives and competences
3.1General objective
To finish the programme able to apply its content professionally and with judgement. In short:
Choose and manage wine yeasts to achieve complete, clean fermentations and the desired aromatic profile.
3.2Specific objectives
- Build the foundations: Yeasts in the vineyard and the winery; Selected versus spontaneous fermentations.
- Put them into practice: Nutrient management and fermentation kinetics; Stuck and sluggish fermentations.
- Apply everything to a real case: Aroma, Brettanomyces and spoilage yeasts; Monitoring, lab analysis and cellar hygiene.
- Complete a final project reviewed by your tutor.
3.3Competences you will gain
- Choose between selected and spontaneous fermentation for a given wine.
- Plan nutrient additions using yeast assimilable nitrogen measurements.
- Interpret fermentation curves and spot problems early.
- Restart stuck fermentations using a structured protocol.
- Prevent Brettanomyces and other spoilage through monitoring and hygiene.
Student profile
4.1Who it is for (entry profile)
Winemakers and cellar staff.
4.2Entry requirements
Basic knowledge of winemaking or some cellar experience is recommended. No laboratory equipment is required to follow the course.
4.3Career paths (exit profile)
- Assistant winemaker
- Cellar master or cellar supervisor
- Winery laboratory technician
- Harvest fermentation manager
- Technical sales for oenological products
Outcomes depend on your experience and on your local market.
Study plan
5.1Overall structure (modules and workload)
| Module | Title | Phase | Topics | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Yeasts in the vineyard and the winery | Foundations | 3 | 12 |
| 02 | Selected versus spontaneous fermentations | Foundations | 3 | 12 |
| 03 | Nutrient management and fermentation kinetics | Practice | 3 | 12 |
| 04 | Stuck and sluggish fermentations | Practice | 3 | 12 |
| 05 | Aroma, Brettanomyces and spoilage yeasts | Application & project | 3 | 12 |
| 06 | Monitoring, lab analysis and cellar hygiene | Application & project | 3 | 12 |
| Total | 72 |
6 modules × 12 hours = 72 hours: 24 hours of live sessions, and the rest for campus study, exercises and the final project.
5.2Content by module
Hover or tap a module to follow the path from the first session to the final project. Open a module to see the topics it covers.
- Yeasts on grapes and in the vineyard
- Resident cellar populations
- Succession of yeasts during fermentation
- Commercial yeast strains and their traits
- Spontaneous fermentation: risks and rewards
- Mixed and sequential inoculation
- Yeast assimilable nitrogen
- Timing and type of nutrient additions
- Reading fermentation curves
- Causes of stuck fermentations
- Prevention strategies
- Restart protocols
- Yeast-derived aromas and thiols
- Brettanomyces and volatile phenols
- Other spoilage yeasts and film formers
- Daily monitoring of density and temperature
- Key lab analyses for fermentation
- Cleaning and sanitation in the cellar
5.3Company placement
This programme does not include a company placement. Practice is built into every module through exercises, case studies and the final project.
5.4Final project
Write a fermentation management protocol for a specific wine, ready for use by a cellar team.
Methodology
6.1How it is taught
- Live online sessions, usually weekly, with a working professional and a small group.
- Recordings of every session, so you can catch up if work or time zones get in the way.
- Exercises and real case studies in every module.
- Tutoring: your tutor answers questions and gives feedback on your exercises and project.
6.2Platform and resources
A Moodle virtual campus with session recordings, readings, exercises and forums for each module. You need a computer, an up-to-date browser and a stable connection; a webcam and microphone are recommended.
Technical requirements →6.3Estimated weekly workload
About 6 hours a week for 12 weeks: one 2-hour live session on a weekday evening, plus study and exercises on the campus at your own pace.
Assessment
7.1Assessment system and weighting
Progress is assessed through participation in live sessions and exercises in each module. The tutor reviews the final project and provides individual feedback.
7.2Requirements to pass
- Complete every module, by attending the live sessions or watching the recordings.
- Hand in the module exercises.
- Have your final project approved by your tutor.
Teaching team
8.1Academic direction
At Fungaris, the Fermentation school coordinates the content and quality of this programme. The academic director of each intake is named in the intake guide.
8.2Faculty
Taught by professionals who work in the field. The tutor for each intake is confirmed before the start.
Meet our faculty →Certificate
9.1Certificate awarded
Course Certificate
On completing the programme and its project, Fungaris issues a Course Certificate. Fungaris certificates are the institute's own. Whether an employer, school or authority recognises them depends on that organisation and on local rules in each country.
9.2Issuing body / recognition
Issued by Fungaris (operated by Nexora Generation, S.L.) as a digital certificate. It is a Fungaris certificate of its own: it is not an official university degree and does not award ECTS credits.
About our certificates →Admission and enrolment
10.1Admission process (steps)
- Send your request through the form or write to admissions.
- Admissions reviews your profile and confirms the start date, the session schedule and the fee.
- You secure your place with full payment or a 40% reservation.
- You receive your campus access and welcome guide before the first session.
10.2Documents required
- A valid identity document.
- Contact and billing details (personal or company).
10.3Deadlines
Enrolment for the intake starting on 11 January 2027 is open until 4 January 2027, or until the group is full (maximum 20 students).
10.4Fee and payment options
Fee: £340
- Full payment before the start: £272 (20% reduction).
- 40% reservation (£136) and 3 monthly instalments of £68.
10.5Grants, discounts and funding
Discounts: 10% for Fungaris alumni and 15% for groups of three or more people from the same organisation. Discounts cannot be combined with each other or with the full-payment reduction.
Your employer can pay for the programme and receive the invoice in the company name. Whether a public or employer training budget can cover the fee depends on your country, so check with them.
10.6Cancellation policy
The conditions for cancelling, withdrawing or moving to a later intake are explained in our cancellation policy and in your enrolment confirmation. Nothing there limits your rights under the consumer law that applies to you.
Cancellation and refunds →Additional information
11.1Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience to study Wine Yeasts & Fermentation Management?
Basic knowledge of winemaking or some cellar experience is recommended. No laboratory equipment is required to follow the course.
How is Wine Yeasts & Fermentation Management taught?
Live online, in 6 modules with a working professional, a small group and a final project.
How am I assessed?
Progress is assessed through participation in live sessions and exercises in each module. The tutor reviews the final project and provides individual feedback.
What is the final project?
Write a fermentation management protocol for a specific wine, ready for use by a cellar team.
What certificate do I get?
On completing the programme and its project, Fungaris issues a Course Certificate. Fungaris certificates are the institute's own. Whether an employer, school or authority recognises them depends on that organisation and on local rules in each country.
What can I study after Wine Yeasts & Fermentation Management?
The natural next step is Diploma in Koji & Japanese Fermentation.
11.2Alumni testimonials
We only publish verified testimonials from real students. This programme does not have any published yet; they will appear here once its first intakes finish.
11.3Admissions contact
Write to info@fungaris.institute or use the contact form. Admissions answers in your language.
Read before you start.
FermentationHow to Make Tempeh at Home: Rhizopus, Incubation, SafetyTempeh is one of the easiest mould ferments to master at home. Here is how Rhizopus works, how to incubate it and how to tell good tempeh from bad.Read the article 
FermentationKoji Fermentation Guide: Miso, Shoyu, Amazake and GarumKoji is the mould behind miso, soy sauce and sake. Learn how it works, how to grow it safely at home and how chefs use it today.Read the article Keep branching.
From our species guide.
Join the next intake.
Pay in full with a 20% reduction, or reserve your place with 40% and pay the rest in monthly instalments. All prices are stated in pounds sterling (GBP).