Wine Knowledge 101

 

Knuckles clutched around the arms of my elliptical, I found my heart racing, and not just from the exercise. For the past two days of workouts, I had followed the journey of four guys preparing for the Master Sommelier exam in the 2012 documentary “SOMM.” Commonly referred to as the most difficult exam in the world, the Master Sommelier test is so involved and hard that only 279 people have earned the title since it started in 1969. I was about to find out who, if any, of these men, whom I felt like I now knew, had passed. I could not believe how nervous I was.

              Wine education has been on my mind a lot these days. I recently completed Wine Folly’s Bordeaux 101 course and found myself torn on whether or not to frame my certificate and place it with my WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 1 and 2 certificates. As I contemplated to frame or not to frame, I was inundated with the following questions: Does this Wine Folly course hold up to these more extensive and prestigious classes? Does it matter if it holds up to them or not, education is education? What is my next wine class step? And, most importantly, what is the definition of wine education?

              When it comes to degrees and courses for those looking to get into the wine industry or to simply learn about this crazy wine world, there are endless possibilities. There are college degrees in viticulture, enology, and hospitality. There is a mixture of online and classroom setting courses for those looking to become a sommelier or beverage director. There are fun online tutorials and classes, like the ones on Wine Folly, that break down the wine industry and regions into smaller doses. There are lectures and tastings led by various wine professionals that take a couple of hours to explore a particular grape or region. Then there is the crème de la crème of wine education. The Master Sommelier Exam.

Ran by the Court of Master Sommeliers, this is a three-part exam that focuses on theory, tasting, and service. Those who are interested in becoming a Master Sommelier have to first pass the Introductory Sommelier Course, then the Certified Sommelier Examination, and finally the Advanced Sommelier Course and Examination. Only about 25 percent make it this far. After completing these three steps, a person then applies to be selected to take the Master Sommelier Diploma Examination. If chosen, they have three years to pass all three parts of the test, of which only about 10 percent exceed. This is an incredibly grueling process that produces those folks who can blind taste a wine and name not only the grape and region, but the year in which and the winery that it was made in. Like I said, the crème de la crème.

Knowing that my heart and career interests reside in the world of wine, I have pursued various wine education opportunities, avoiding the Master Sommelier option. Let’s be honest, I do not have the drive or talent to join this small and incredible group of experts. The first two WSET courses were steps number one and two for me. These six-week online classes, followed by a 50-question multiple choice exam, felt like the perfect starting point, as they are designed to help develop the strong fundamentals needed in a wine career such as grape growing, winemaking, top grape varieties and their common regions and characteristics, food and wine pairing, and wine storage and service. I had naturally planned on continuing to the third level, but when the tasting portion of the class got moved from a suburb community to downtown Denver, I decided to look at other options. Driving in that traffic, to most likely get my car stolen, just didn’t sound like fun. This is what caused me to stumble upon Wine Folly’s classes.

Wine Folly has a variety of courses. Some are similar to WSET in that they allow students to learn about the world of wine as a whole, broken down into levels that start at the basics and move up to more in-depth ideologies. Others, the ones that caught my interest, focus on one particular country or region. Starting with the Bordeaux 101 course was a no-brainer, as upon my first taste of a Bordeaux wine, I was hooked. Bold and beautiful, these red blends of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with guest appearances from varietals like Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, have always fascinated me and pleased my taste buds to the fullest. It just made sense to learn everything I could about these wines and where they come from.

Relaxed and informal, this course had seven different sections that covered everything about Bordeaux from the history, to the grapes, to the common aromas and tastes, to how to accurately decipher everything on their labels. Each portion included a small bit of reading, a short video, and a quiz at the end. It finished with a 50-question multiple choice test. The best part? There was no timeline or completion deadline. I could take it at my leisure, revisiting anything I needed, as many times as I needed to, before that final exam.

After I completed the various subjects and reviewed the flashcards I had made for myself throughout the course, I took the test and received a perfect score and a shiny new certificate. More importantly, though, was what I had retained. I was completely surprised by how much of what I had learned from this class instantly stuck with me. When it came to the WSET courses, it took hours and hours of studying during and after the course completions for me to be at the level of understanding I gained from this Wine Folly class. I couldn’t help but wonder why. As I pondered this question, I realized that what I had liked about this course was its relaxed nature and focus on one wine subject. This simple breakdown, taught in a non-demanding way designed to let me learn on my own, was a perfect match to my personality. That’s when it dawned on me. Just like there are different wine styles for different palates, there are different outlets of wine education for different wine lovers.

              As the years have gone by and I have learned more and more about myself, I have discovered that I am not a very social person. This does not mean that I don’t like spending time with friends and loved ones, or that I don’t enjoy a good festival or event, it means that for the most part I like to be left to my own devices. This is especially true when it comes to learning about wine, which is why I have gravitated to online classes. These classes have allowed me to move along at the speed of my choosing. With no teacher starting the next subject when they felt like it, and no student holding the class up with their endless questions, I was able to go at my own pace. If I needed to spend more time on a particular area, I could; if something was being covered that I already had a firm grasp on, I could breeze right through that part. And, best of all, I didn’t have to participate in endless discussions or get called upon when I didn’t want to be. The end result was that I actually gained knowledge. I hadn’t just memorized facts and dates to simply pass the class, I actually knew the material.

              Along with my need to do things on my own and at my own pace, I have also discovered that I do much better when I get to break down my wine learning into regions. When I took the Wine Folly class covering just Bordeaux, not a class on all French wines, I left feeling so much more confident in what I had learned. For example, I can list off the main Bordeaux grape varieties at the drop of a hat and give the reasoning why each is used in the blend, but I still struggle to remember some of the grapes associated with other areas in France that I have learned about. This is because my WSET courses covered all of the major regions throughout the world. The Bordeaux class covered just Bordeaux. Though more time consuming, I personally need to immerse myself into the region to fully understand it. Once immersed, the knowledge becomes infinite for me.

              Along with classes, I feel a lot can be said for personal education through books, podcasts, documentaries, magazines, etc. Though these things may not give me a certificate of completion or a shiny little pin to show off when attending wine functions, I still gain so much knowledge from them. As I have mentioned before, I start most mornings off with a cup of coffee and an article or two from one of my wine magazines. This has helped me to stay up-to-date with this ever-changing wine world. I have an entire shelf of wine books that I have been working my way through, which has helped me to continue building on my wine fundamentals. I listen to the Wine for Normal People podcast, and I am always excited to pop on a new wine show or documentary. These outlets have helped to further expand my knowledge on a variety of subjects and regions, and they have really helped to teach me how some of those crazy French and Portuguese words are pronounced. Each of these things have expanded my wine horizon.

              The point I am trying to make through all of this rambling is that wine education is what you make of it. If you need the structure of a classroom setting and that certificate/diploma, take those classes. If you like to read the back of a wine label and then research the wine, winery, or region, do so. If you want to self-teach yourself through books or documentaries, do it. Do you know how many of the top wines out there were created by someone who loved wine, decided to make wine, and did so by learning along the way, no formal training? All that matters in the end is that you are learning about and enjoying this amazing wine world in the way that is best for you. That is the definition of wine education. As for me, I will continue my mixture of ways and be proud of every step I take. And, you know what? I think I will frame that certificate. I earned it. To all of you out there who are infatuated by the world of wine, I raise a glass to every way in which your wine knowledge grows. Cheers!