Wisconsin's first Master Sommelier Candidate

Since August of 2004, I have had a bug. That is when I took the introductory course for the Court of Master Sommeliers and passed it. And I passed it only missing two of the 80ish questions. OMG did I know about wine or what! I thought I knew it all. I only missed two questions!!!

Subsequently, I have applied to take the advanced certification three times. There now exists a certification level that is a requirement to pass and then wait a year before you can even apply for the advanced certification, but I took the first before that was implemented.

The first time I applied for the advanced I was turned down because I hadn’t waited the pre-requisite year, but even knowing that I was crushed. I only missed TWO of the questions! Didn’t they know that?

The second time I applied, I was accepted and I promptly set up shop to study, study, study. And to my credit I really did study. I wrote note cards, filled notebooks with my illegible handwriting with all of the things I though were necessary to study to pass THIS test, only missing two questions. I got to San Francisco in October of 2006 and after the first day of lectures and tastings, I knew I was in big trouble.

First of all to pass this you have to pass theory... this is where you hear the DUH DUH DUH DUH music that indicates that this is by far the hardest part of it. Then there is the service test. This test involves going to three different stations to perform some aspect of service while being grilled about vintages and food pairing and such. There is a decanting station where you get grilled about Bordeaux or Burgundy vintages. A champagne opening station where you get asked about up coming champagne vintages and answer questions about aperitifs. And then a station where you perform banquet style putting down of glasses (correct ones that is) while you get grilled about food pairings. Whew!

You also have to blind taste six wines in front of three Master Sommeliers and deductively (yea sure) guess exactly what they are and where they are from to the pinpointed appellation.

I knew I was sunk. But I valiantly carried on trying to memorize in the few hours between the end of the lecture and the next day, all of the things I barley touched on in all of my studying thinking my knowledge (remember I only missed TWO questions) would be enough. WRONG!

“But now I see our lances are but straws; our strength as weak, our weakness pass compare...that seeming to be most, which we indeed least are....” as the beautiful Kate tells her maidens in the final soliloquy of The Taming of the Shrew. She was of course talking about men and sex but I heard those words loud and clear when I sat down to take the theory, looked at the questions and realized I would probably be leaving allot of questions blank. My lance was so a straw!

OK so the times comes to the individual evaluations after all three sections and then the giving out of the big green pins to those who did indeed study all of the right things. I was told I passed blind tasting and service but obviously I did not study the right things and so subsequently I did not get the big green pin.

The reality is the Court of Master Sommeliers is their club and if you want to be a member you have to follow their rules, and their rules are you must know EVERYTHING, they certainly do. Some of the Masters that taught the classes I found out tried five or six times to pass the Masters level. One of them jokingly said that if you pass the Masters on your first try, you get a special designation called the Krug cup. She said that after the six times she tried to pass, her designation was called the Schlitz cup. But now she is one so who am I to be bitter.

Fast forward to August 6^th - 10^th of 2007. I took it again in Chicago, and passed. This time I knew what I had to know, I had some confidence in the blind tasting because I had passed it before and service, well I am all about service! If I strive to move on, even getting the Schlitz cup will be great with me.

“Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot, and place you hands below you husbands foot. In token of which duty, if he please, my hand is ready, may it do him ease” Then Petruchio spouts “Why there’s a wench - Come on and kiss me Kate!” Ah Shakespeare, she definitely got the cutest guy by doing what she had to do despite her pride. And me, well I got the big green pin becoming the first person in Wisconsin to take and pass the advanced certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers and possibly be the first Master Sommelier in this state.

Santé!