Sommelier!

I just returned from taking the Introductory Sommelier Course with the Court of Master Sommeliers up in Minneapolis.  This was a 2 day course which included lectures on deductive tasting, viticulture, all the major wine region in the world, food and wine pairing, and ended with wine service.  It was given by three Master Sommeliers, one of which was from Tucson!  At the end of two days of lighting speed lectures and twenty-two blind wine tastings, a seventy question multiple choice exam is given.  Taking this course and passing this exam is the first major step in becoming a sommelier.  

By the grace of God I passed and am now able to begin study for level two, certified sommelier which I hope to achieve through the Court.  I studied hard for about three months to take the level 1 exam but expect to be studying for at  the very least 2 years (and probably more) to take the level 2 exam which is much more difficult. 

For those of you who are wondering how best to prepare I will share with you how I prepared.  And let me make this clear at the beginning: you cannot register for this course, thinking that because you get two days of lectures before you take the test that you do not need to prepare yourself.  And working in the wine industry in some capacity will not be sufficient for you to take this course and pass the exam.  The fact of the matter is though you receive two days of instruction from Master Sommeliers they do not actually teach you very much at all.  You must treat this class as a review before your test and be thankful to have it!  You must really prepare yourself beforehand by much reading and if you can find a study group that will help too.

I used a number of resources to prepare.  First of all I work at a wine store.  This is very helpful in knowing many wines and where they come from (who makes what from where).  I also get to taste many wines at work and at trade shows.  I listened to the podcast called "Wine for Normal People" continually.  This is where wine really started making sense to me.  I used many books, the two most important ones being Karen MacNeil's "Wine Bible" and Kevin Zraly's "Comeplete Wine Course."  I met regularly with a wine study group where we studied a wine region each week and tasted and discussed wines together from each region.  I printed out the entire course guide (over 200 pages) from the Court of Masters which is given to you upon your registration for the course.  The most important and helpful thing I did to prepare was to make a HUGE stack of flash cards from the course guide and reviewed them over and over until I could take no more!  All of this contributed to my being able to pass the broad exam,  Praise God!  

Upon my return from the course my loving husband, who has most  graciously  put up with non-stop wine talk over the past few months, gave me a very special gift in celebration of my passing the course.  He gave me a Chateau Laguiole wine opener.  It is made in France using the wood of old wine barrels!  It's gorgeous and tough (I immediaetly used it to open my celebratory bottle of Souverain!).  It came in a leather case so I can wear it on my belt for easy access.  He also had it engraved for me in Latin," Christ always faithful."

I am so thankful to be done with this first exam and to have passed it.  I look forward to continuing my study of wine and blessing others with what I learn!

Studying

I have been spending the last week with a stack of a couple hundred flashcards and Kevin Zraly's Complete Wine Course book.  I will press on for the next 7 days until I take my sommelier level 1 exam one week from today.  As much as I love reading about and learning about wine I am sick to death of studying and can't wait for this test to be over so I can spend my time how I want  instead of under the gun of constant study.  I will of course continue to study wine but at a more enjoyable and sustainable pace as I pursue level 2 in the future.  This Zraly book was a last minute buy that has helped me out a great deal. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about wine.  It is especially practical in the area of helping the reader to pick out wine. 

Sommelier Study Group

Every Friday I meet with 2 ladies to study wine.  Their names are  Barbara and Ruth.  Barbara is the first sommelier I ever met.  She came into the wine store I work at just after it opened to introduce herself and offer her services (she owns a wine consulting company called Pairing to Perfection).  She told me about a wine study group.  At the time I didn't quite understand what she was talking about.  Once I got the wine bug I remembered her and contacted her about the study group and we began meeting together for study  Barbara has already passed her level 1 sommelier exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers and is studying to take her level 2 exam in April. She acts like she is my peer but she is really my wine mentor!  Ruth is the dining captain at a country club and she is going to take the level 1 exam with me next month.  She also knows a great deal about wine from all her experience in the restaurant industry.  I am very grateful God has brought these ladies into my life to walk alongside me on my road to sommelier.  They are both very knowledgeable, gracious, and fun.  

A typical study session sees the three of us discussing a particular region we have studied for the week and tasting a few wines from that region.  Our last session was extra special as we had a delicious lunch together.  Barbara cooked a lamb stew topped with lemon and cilantro.  I baked some fresh breads and Ruth brought a fresh fruit salad made of the fruit flavors you typically find in red wines.  This study session was on California and we enjoyed studying three Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa and Sonoma with our stew.   Matt was able to join us for this session since he didn't have to work until the afternoon.

Barbara's amazing lamb stew

Ruth, me and Matt

the 3 Cabernet Sauvignons

Washington State Trade Show

Earlier this week I attended the Washington State Trade Wine Show up in Minneapolis with the 2 ladies who are in my sommelier study group.  There were over 25 different Washington winerys present with a slew of wines.  I have been getting into Rieslings lately so I made sure to taste every Riesling they had.  The most interesting one was Snoqualmie Naked Riesling 2010 out of Horse Heaven Hills in Colombia Valley.   It had a very interesting petro note to it that set it apart from all the other Rieslings I tried that day.  It retails for around $12 a bottle, is made from organically grown grapes, and is off-dry in style.  Yum.

The show was filled with many good wines as Washington is known for it's skill with Cabernets Sauvingons, Merlots, Red Blends, and Rieslings.  But the only wine that really stood out to me as exceptional was a Petite Sirah by Dusted Valley Wines.  I liked it so much I went back for a second taste before we left.  Unfortunately it retails for around $42 a bottle so I don't see myself buying it anytime soon.  But if you want to treat yourself to an ultra smooth and luscious Petite Sirah this is surely one to consider.

The day after the wine show my study buddy sent me this quick little video which was made at the show...

Wine Merchants Trade Show: Italian Extravaganza

There are many benefits for the wine lover working in the wine field such as attending trade shows.  Today I  attended such a show put on by the distributor Wine Merchants at the Westin Minneapolis.  Distributors generally do trade shows quarterly as they want to showcase new products.  The theme of today's trade show was "Italian Extravaganza" and there were over 100 wines and spirits to taste.  Upon arrival you are given a list of all the products with pricing as well as a wine glass.  Then you make your way slowly through each of the 7 tables, starting with the white wines, moving to red wines, then the sparkling and dessert wines and finally ending up at the last table containing spirits.  There are about 15 different bottles on each table to choose from and you are allowed to taste as many or as few as you want.  In the middle of the room there is a table of finger foods to help you cleanse your palette and to help you make it through standing!

Italian wines have been a favorite of mine (particularly Chiantis) since I started drinking wine in Europe so I was excited to try a few I have only read about. And since I cannot taste anywhere near 100 wines I concentrated mostly on wines I had never had. Some that I tasted for the first time today were Dolcetto, Amarone, Soave, Vin  Santo, Montepulciano D'Abbruzzo, Franciacorta and Brunnelo.  I had very high expectations for the Brunello, thinking it would surely blow my mind.  I tried two different ones (one of which retails for around $105 a bottle!) and, don't get me wrong, they were good but the wine that took the cake for me was the Berlucchi 61 Brut Franciacorta.  This is a sparkling wine made in the traditional champagne style, using 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir.  It retails for about $36 a bottle.  Now let me say there are sparkling wines and then there are sparkling wines made in the Champagne style- these are mind blowing.  The depth of flavor is fascinating!  I hope to get my hands on a bottle of this Berlucchi to enjoy at home and then I can tell you more about it.  Suffice it to say Franciacorta is Italy's premier sparkling wine and is definitely worth the small splurge.

The next trade show is right around the corner featuring the wines of Washington state. Until then...

Countdown to Exam

Two months from today I will be taking my level 1 sommelier exam... GULP!!

Testing