Sommelier Exam

Master of wine vs Master sommelier: What's the difference? Matt Stamp MS speaks to Gerard Basset MW MS OBE, one of the very few people in the world to hold both master sommelier and master of wine titles.. MS and MW: how do they compare?

This article was originally published in decanter magazine in 2. Decanter. com editorial team. Awarded an OBE in 2.

· As Somm the movie illustrates, wine tasting gets hard-core during the Master Sommelier exam, but how hard can it really be? The differences of the CMS, WSET, Master Sommelier, & Master of Wine. While the pile of acronyms that come with computers are mind blowing these days, those that come.

Gerard Basset MW MS OBE is the former holder of the Best Sommelier in the World title after winning in 2. Gerard Basset judging as vice- chair at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards.

This year’s judging will be held in Hong Kong in September 2. He is also one of only three people in the world to hold both the Master Sommelier title (acquired in 1. Master of Wine qualification (1. There’s a cloud of mystery surrounding both qualifications,’ he says. Both test candidates on wine knowledge and tasting skills but in a very different way.’SEE ALSO: Which path to choose…‘Inevitably, those in the catering industry will benefit most from the MS and if they work on the floor of a restaurant it should be easier for them to prepare for as it is more linked to what they do every day,’ Basset says.‘For those in the wine trade and with a more academic mind, the MW is a more logical choice.

However, I know many MSs who now work with great brio in the wine trade and a few MWs who operate with success in a restaurant; there’s nothing abnormal about either situation.’The red pins for passing the Master Sommelier exam. Credit: Court of Master Sommeliers. ‘For me, the gap of almost a decade between acquiring the two qualifications is key to my experience. I’d certainly not have passed the MW in 1. I wasn’t ready to take this exam, and my English wasn’t yet good enough,’ Basset adds.‘Indeed, the fact that I left school aged 1.

MW of essay writing, and in English. With the MS, on the other hand, many fear the practical tests, but I was a full- time sommelier then and so didn’t find that too difficult. Obviously if you work in a wine shop instead of a restaurant floor, it would be harder.’‘What is important, is that each plays a crucial part in increasing wine knowledge and tasting skills.

They are superb tools to improve standards and the image of the wine industry. Even talented wine professionals who do not take these exams will indirectly benefit, as they will exchange ideas with candidates and holders of such titles. So it is vital that these qualifications continue to exist, improve and adapt to the inevitable evolution of our industry.’What you need to know for the MS exam. The blind tasting exam. Credit: of Master Sommeliers. Wine laws, must weights and organoleptics: studying for the MSThe nature of the Master Sommelier exam’s actual content remains a guarded secret, and the Court of Master Sommeliers does not release past exam material. Candidates receive only general suggestions of scope: ‘Speak with authority on the wine areas of the world,’ or: ‘Demonstrate courtesy and charm’.

The CMS requires a 7. Mosel: An example of what to learn. Graach Vineyard in Mosel. Credit: Wiki. Commons/Roger Wallstadt.

The following is an example of one wine region – the Mosel in Germany – and some of the information I considered essential in my preparations for the exam: Knowledge of Mosel history, geography, soil and climate. Memorisation of winemaking villages and vineyards. General attributes of Riesling wines from important sites.

Understanding of winemaking techniques and effects of botrytis. Knowing organoleptic differences in kabinett, spätlese, auslese, BA, TBA, trocken, halbtrocken and grosses gewächs Rieslings. Identification of Goldkapsel wines. Solid understanding of German wine law and minimum mustweight requirements.

Solid understanding of the VDP wine association, including both pre- and post- 2. Familiarity with top producers and their individual styles: JJ Prüm, Egon Müller, Zilliken, Dr Loosen, Karthäuserhof, etc. Understanding of vintage character from the 1. General familiarity with German terminology, from einzellage (vineyard site) to anreicherung (chaptalisation)Multiply the above by 1. German anbaugebiete (winegrowing regions) – and repeat for every major winemaking country in the world.

• The Art institute of Vancouver offers a variety of wine and sommelier courses, as well as WSET certification, in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary Canada.
• Welcome to Wines of South Africa Sommelier Cup. From March 2016, Wines of South Africa (WOSA) will be running the third WOSA Sommelier Cup competition.
• Rachael Lowe has crafted wine programs at some of the most distinguished dining establishments in the United States. She holds an advanced sommelier degree from the.
• Overview. In collaboration with the Tea Association of Canada, Seneca College is providing the training to become a Certified TAC TEA SOMMELIER TM/SM professional.

Devote similar attention to spirits, beers and saké, and you will be in good shape for the Master Sommelier exam. Gerard Basset is now co- chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Sommelier Exam Youtube

This was taken from a feature in the March 2. Decanter magazine. Edited for Decanter. Ellie Douglas. Got a question for Decanter’s experts? Email us: editor@decanter. Decanter. More on sommeliers: Find out who won the culinary duel.. Who can pick the best wine - MW or MS?

Some of the names to know.. Who can match the best Australian wine with Asian food? Habits that get under a sommelier's skin.. Can the MWs rescue some pride against the Master Sommeliers? Researchers compared Somms to 'normal' people..

Even the professionals make mistakes.. No day is the same in a restaurant.. What made them love wine..?

The differences of the CMS, WSET, Master Sommelier, & Master of Wine ~ A Wine on VIWhile the pile of acronyms that come with computers are mind blowing these days, those that come with wine have most likely gotten to be of similar annoyance for anyone drinking this fine beverage. Years ago, I was quite baffled by them myself and around 2. I wanted to expand my wine knowledge from what I’d taught myself up to that point. I lived in San Francisco at the time and I started to look in to various programs only to shake my head and not really understand what the hell any of this Wines & Spirits Education Trust or Court of Master Sommeliers groups were let alone the differences between a Master of Wine and a Master Sommelier. I had forgotten about wanting to further my knowledge until two things happened several years ago.

I was on an official trip to a wine region and found that while I kept up with the others, there were some holes in what I knew. The more I looked at these holes, the more they grew. Not only was I seeing them in my writing, I was also starting to see them in others who had pieced their knowledge together through scratching around on the internet like digital chickens. I didn’t want to come across like this anymore and so I started to look in to where to go from the point I was at.

Admittedly, I came at all of this more than a little backwards. How To Make Stuffing. Meatball Bake'>Meatball Bake. As it currently sits, in addition to having written for a number of well- known publications, I’m also a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers.

This is Level 2/4 of their overall program and it really isn’t the typical way to go about this so I’m writing this article in hopes that I can give some guidance and clarify things for people who are in or will be in the same shoes that I was in. The “Normal” Trajectory. There are a number of wine schools out there these days but for me, it came down to doing either the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) track or the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) track. I went with the CMS. My reasons for this are varied but the core difference between WSET and CMS is that the WSET has way more class time while the CMS is much more independent study. The CMS also has a heavy service component to it (thus “sommelier” being in the name) whereas the WSET doesn’t and is more academic.

If one is a wine writer, the WSET would make more sense. If one works in the restaurant trade, the CMS makes more sense. For me, while I’m a wine writer and I don’t work in the restaurant trade, the CMS ultimately made more sense as I talk about wine a lot, do private wine tours from time to time, and just needed more of a public- facing aspect to my wine knowledge. For anyone else, if you’re not really in the restaurant trade, then the proper trajectory would be WSET 1,2,3,4. If you want the sommelier aspect, go for CMS 1 & 2 after WSET 3.

Note that CMS 3 after WSET 4 won’t really do too much for you as the programs really diverge after CMS 2 and WSET 3. It’s important to note that despite being originally founded by the same groups in England, the WSET 1- 4 levels don’t correspond with the CMS 1- 4 as WSET 3 and CMS 2 are more or less the same in theoretical knowledge.

Level 4 of CMS is the Master Sommelier while the Master of Wine would be something like Level 5 in WSET terms. The MW used to be like a Level 6 as there was at one point a Level 5 Honors with the WSET but they’ve done away with that and those who do well in Level 4 will be invited to consider starting the Master of Wine program. It’s also important to note that WSET 4 gets considerably more intense in terms of the science behind wine and as such forms a quite large departure for those looking in to the sommelier path. Like I said, this is all a bit screwy so let me elaborate in more detail on the specific aspects. You can also take a look at this chart that was put out by the WSET & CMS recently. WSETThis is a purely academic program but it’s really designed for those who want to start learning the basics of wine. You don’t have to start at Level 1 or 2 though and can take a test to start at Level 3.

I think most people who know a little about wine would start at Level 2. Those who really want to step in gradually in more casually, the Level 1 was created for you. The levels each get progressively more involved and I’ve heard that the tastings get quite difficult (and are actually harder than the CMS) as you go for the Level 4 Diploma given that how the wine was made is of greater importance than just identifying it. These classes aren’t terribly cheap, but in the wine world you get what you pay for and with the higher levels, a good chunk of that cost is paying for the wines. While in- person classes are usually the preferred way to go about these, there are the online course which are significantly cheaper although you still need to go to the classroom once for the tastings as well as once for the exam.

For the Level 4, you will need to search out wines to taste. This can be hard when not living in a major wine trade city such as London or New York or in say, Istanbul where it’s even trickier due to their ridiculously restrictive alcohol laws at the moment. There are some aspects to the WSET program that can be a turn off. The first time I looked in to doing this was when living in San Francisco. At the time I was writing for a magazine who was going to pay a portion of the fee to write an article about “Becoming a Sommelier” (in hindsight I was pitching great ideas to these idiots way ahead of the curve…) What fit the budget was going to be the WSET 2. The problem is that in passing this level, you can’t call yourself a sommelier.

You can’t call yourself one after Levels 3 or 4, or even the Master of Wine for that matter as this is not a service- oriented program. I didn’t like the interactions that I had with some of the schools putting on the classes. As one of my co- exam sitters for the CMS 2 said, “WSET feels like a sausage factory.” In some ways, it’s true as people who get the certifications can then open up sanctioned franchises of the program. So, there’s something of a pushiness to get you to take the courses. This is a shame as from what I’ve seen and heard, the actual body of material in the course is quite sound and this may just be an aspect that is more “American” than what you find in Europe. But earning these levels is a solid base given that enough people in the wine trade have heard this rather clumsy acronym to know what it is although pronunciation varies a great deal by language.

Here in Spain for instance, they’ve invented the word, “viset” to name it as “doble uve- ese- e- te” is a mouthful of marbles. CMSThe Court of Master Sommeliers has all the knowledge of the WSET but with all the service of that thing we call the, “sommelier”. This term has gotten to be quite sexy in recent years and so a lot of people are opting for this certification as I did. I don’t really need to go on at length about the pedigree that the name of this organization carries. The fact that a film, “Somm” and now a TV series, “Uncorked” have been made to show what people go through to reach the Master Sommelier level says enough.

This is not a course I recommend unless you really want to be in some form of wine service trade. Taking all the levels is mandatory and many people will find them considerably more difficult than they had originally envisioned.

While it may be different in the US, for Europe, the organization really presses you for relevant experience prior to attending the Level 1 & 2 courses. They are not elitist by any means, but this is a vocational certification with a huge degree of knowledge behind it. Despite being a lover of wine for years and a professional for the last few, I only passed the Level 1 on my first go (learn how this works) and had to go back and study to pass the Level 2. The CMS functions primarily as a certifying body and isn’t like the WSET where people take it to follow an academic trajectory.