Every year, The Court of Master Sommeliers holds exams throughout the US and the UK. There are 4 levels of exams: the Introductory course, the Certified exam, Advanced exam and finally the Master Sommelier exam (by invitation only). I started my journey with the Court last year in April when I attended the Intro course in San Diego and took the 1st exam. It was a wonderful couple of days meeting other wine professionals, tasting a lot of wines blind and learning from 3 Master Sommeliers. That exam was multiple choice and covered theory, wine service and spirits. A 60% pass rate is all that is needed to go on to the next level so it’s hard to fail if you have done any kind of studying at all. Or paid attention to any of the lectures the day prior. Even still, my heart pounded as they were reading the names of the list of people who had passed and received a Court pin (I so wanted that pin). There was no way I could fail, right? That would be embarrassing.
I passed. That’s my pin, right up there. In March, I will take the Certified Sommelier exam and it doesn’t hurt that I will be taking said exam at the Bellagio in Vegas. Not bad. Not bad at all. After I pass, I can then officially call myself a sommelier. But, to be honest, you don’t need a certificate or pin that says you are a sommelier to work in this business or be a sommelier. Just like you wouldn’t need a hospitality management degree to work in the food/wine industry. You just need to know your stuff. But I view it as a rite of passage and a great challenge. The worst thing that could come out of it is me learning more.
The one-day exam is in 3 parts; written theory, a blind tasting of 2 wines and practical service. Over the next few months, I will take you with me on my studying adventure. I’ll be blind tasting as much as possible, doing a lot of reading and perfecting my champagne-opening and wine-decanting skills. In addition to learning how to count cards. Viva Las Vegas!
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