To Test or
Not to Test
As
I near a phase in my life where retirement is drawing closer I look at
what I want to do with my time. I have
several goals and ideas for the 2nd half of my life, like most people do. I love charity & non-profit work, especially
working with kids so I will always continue that. Traveling the world is top on the list, and
of course grandkids and spoiling them to death.
The latter being a ways off.
Lastly I have a few business ideas that I am floating around as
well. All of these ideas have one thread
in common; I need to be really wine smart!
So
how do you get wine smart you might ask? You become a certified sommelier.
I am not sure that I need to actually be
certified to do the things I have in mind but it couldn't hurt. So about a year ago, just after my trip and
wine classes in the Veneto wine regin of Italy, I made the decision to start
my studies.
First I looked up where I would get a
certificate, and found MasterSommeliers.org.
I
then looked at the resources that I needed for the first level
exam. Over the last year I have amassed
and started studying most of these. My
current library contains the following:
Hard Copies
of:
In Transit (all
will be here by late October):
On Kindle:
Books
Subscriptions:
Tasting Note
Books:
Wine Tasting Notebook (like this one the best of the two)
Wine Clubs:
This
is a fantastic wine club. I get 6
bottles a month for $60 (with tasting notes) and a 15% discount at the shop
whenever I go. The wines are from around
the world and so far in the year that I have been with the club I have only not
cared for 3 bottles out of 72 bottles, to be fair I think I still have about 30
bottles in my cellar, still not a bad average.
I
belong to the NoFrills Club (Cost varies per release about $300 a year or $25 a
bottle). A little pricy for "homework" but really good
quality Oregon wines and a super great family with a beautiful winery to hang out at.
6 Bottle Release 2 times a year (Apr & Oct)
Discount of 25% on all Wines
Discount of 30% on Case Purchases
Advance notification of Limited Releases
Complimentary wine tasting for you and 2 other guests
No Release party, but you enjoy a higher discount
6 Bottle Release 2 times a year (Apr & Oct)
Discount of 25% on all Wines
Discount of 30% on Case Purchases
Advance notification of Limited Releases
Complimentary wine tasting for you and 2 other guests
No Release party, but you enjoy a higher discount
So
with all these study materials gathered, (18 books, 2 decks of cards, 2
magazines subscriptions, 2 wine clubs
and 2 types of tasting journals) and with a good share read or started, I ask
myself do I need to take the test as not only is it on wines, it covers
spirits, beer and customer service as well. (oh boy more books to buy) These other items are not of great importance for what I want to do, but
they can't hurt. Then there is also the preferred
requirement that I have 3 years of experience in the wine industry in some fashion.... I don't think that
will happen before the test this next spring.
So I waffle on a daily basis To Test or Not to Test. I guess when April comes around I'll decide. In the meantime I will study and learn and
drink and eat. Oh dang life is so hard.
I
will share my impressions as I go as that is big part of being a sommelier. But wine like food is all a matter of taste,
and everyone has an opinion. I can say
this for sure, a year ago I was an under-educated wine snob. I only drank reds from Italy, France and
Spain. Now I have learned the "idea"
of pairing, not yet the "art" of it, but getting there. The two biggest things that pushed me in this
direction were what I learned from Mario Piccinin of Venice Day Trips:
1. Wine is toothpaste for food, so you have to
find the right wine to cleanse your mouth and prepare it for the next bite.
2. A great pairing is one that brings out the
best notes in both the food and the wine, and they do a lovely dance together
creating a huge party in our mouth and nose while this cleansing happens.
My
first 4 pairings that will follow along in the next day or two are proof of this as
well as proof that my taste is developing and changing to embrace these ideals.
So
for now Cheers & Ciao
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