Chris Foss, Head of Wine Department at Plumpton College, has over 15 years of vineyard management experience, and has been regularly teaching vine protection in the UK since 1988. He inherited his passion for wine from his mothers family who were wine producers in Bordeaux for many years. After completing a Microbiology degree in the UK, he moved to Bordeaux to study winemaking and manage the family vineyard. During this period he worked at Chateau dYquem in Sauternes, Chateau Rozier in St Emilion and then became vineyard manager/winemaker of the GFA Leclerc vineyards, producing half a million bottles of wine a year. On his return to England, Chris became interested in education and established the Wine Department at Plumpton College. This Department now consists of 10 members of staff, offers 3 undergraduate courses, runs the WineSkills project and manages over 8 hectares of vineyards and a commercial winery. These provide education and training to around 140 full-time and over a thousand part-time students a year.