Accountabilibuddies

As the French say, coucou y’all.

First, a happy announcement:

I was recently awarded a Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) scholarship by the Gérard Basset Foundation.

Gérard Basset MW MS OBE is one of four people in the world to become both a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine. Considering—as of last year—there are only 269 Master Sommeliers and 496 Masters of Wine, we can safely consider that this achievement alone places him in the realm of unicorns.

Although he has passed, Gérard’s legacy and generosity are continued by his family and foundation, to whom I am most grateful for supporting me with this opportunity. My thanks also go to the judges:

• Nina Basset FIH

• Rajat Parr

• Clement Robert MW

• Jancis Robinson OBE MW

• Angela Scott

If you are a wine student looking for financial support, please visit their scholarships page for more information.

Today I’m going to talk about choosing WSG’s French Wine Scholar program, bestow Accountabilibuddy-hood upon thee, then dive into how to pick and plan your wine studies. Buckle up, it’s going to be a long (but useful) post.

If you know someone who could benefit from this information, please share it with them.

Accountabilibuddies

As hinted at above, I decided to allocate the Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild scholarship funds toward WSG’s French Wine Scholar (FWS) program.

Why WSG?

In brief, it makes sense at this stage in my studies to dive deeper into specific wine countries, and WSG curricula focus specifically on the top three producers: France, Italy and Spain.

Why FWS?

France is fundamentally the most important country in the world of wine. This is not a matter of my opinion.

It’s a matter of cultural and historical influence, propagated by high-caliber native varieties widely considered “international” (think: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Syrah…).

It’s a matter of the market, bolstered by high export values and premiums commanded by investment grade fine wines.

It’s a matter of quality, demonstrated by the fact that the world continues to look to France as a benchmark for the growth and production of wine.

In order to be a certified “French Wine Scholar” I have to pass the exam in one year, which sounds like a lot of time but it’s kind of really not. At least, not for someone who isn’t a full-time student. My day job, Third Place Wine and striving to maintain some sort of healthy balance all demand time away from studying.

So, as I embark on FWS, I could use all the support I can get, including yours as my Third Place accountability buddies—or accountabilibuddies (I do love a corny portmanteau!). My goal is to complete it on time and with high marks, which has nothing to do with having a Chinese mom. Promise.

By the way, FWS covers 14 wine regions, and I’ll have to source my own bottles for each to taste, which is a project in and of itself. Sounds like Flight Club material right there.

Want to study wine but don’t know where to start?

A little context for those new to me: I’m 39, with a day job in not-wine. I started studying in 2020 because I was always curious and realized I was probably not going to be able to take a sabbatical to do so. (You can read my full story here.) That said, this advice can apply to almost anyone interested in studying wine.

This is where I am in my wine studying journey:

Now that I’ve started FWS, conversations about studying have begun anew. Usually, they start with people thinking that studying wine = becoming a sommelier:

ME: I’m studying wine.

THEM: No way! You’re going to be a sommelier?!

ME: No, although that’s one path to take. I’m taking a path that’s more commercial. Somms follow a path that is focused on service and requires experience on the floor. Mine doesn’t require that.

THEM: That’s so cool! So, you’re going to be like those guys in that documentary…

ME: SOMM?

THEM: Yeah! Those guys are crazy!

ME: Yeah, that exam is nuts. No, those guys are sommeliers. I’m doing something different.

Eventually, when we pass that initial bit, I lay out what’s below, a “how to” on picking which study path to take. Or at least, it’s the process I followed.

I hope that my documented experience will be a useful resource for people to refer to. I’ll also expand a bit more by adding what to take and when, and structure it in three questions to ask yourself. Beginning with…

How seriously do I want to study wine?

There are a lot of courses out there and it makes a difference what your goals are.

For me, I figured that if I was going to spend the time and money, I might as well go with what’s recognized in the industry as legit.

If you are not as crazy as I am, then you can stop reading here and find something on Google.

If you are, then you have two paths: one that eventually leads to Master Sommelier (MS), the other that eventually leads to Master of Wine (MW).

Do I want to be a sommelier or not-a-sommelier?

What’s the difference?

Both MS and MW test candidates on wine knowledge and tasting skills but in a very different way and to different degrees. You don’t have to go all the way to the end of either path, but it’s instructive to know their objectives since they inform what you study along the way.

Sommelier

Generally speaking, the MS track is more practical and focused on tasting, theory and service. It also requires you to have practical wine serving experience. You would take this track if you want to become a sommelier.

It’s like when I worked in fashion. I went to trade school to learn apparel manufacturing and worked for a designer in production. I had also previously worked in retail and at a designer showroom. For those experiences I was deep in the weeds. I had to understand the nuts-and-bolts of the apparel business from various angles in order to do well because I worked where the rubber meets the road both in terms of how the sausage was made and selling said sausage to customers.

Not-a-sommelier

By contrast, the MW track is more academic and open to anyone in wine-related professions, including sommeliers. MWs know more about viticulture, wine production, marketing and the business of wine. MWs do also train to taste blind and while there is overlap in knowledge and skills with the somm track, ultimately it makes sense to take this track if you want to be not-a-sommelier.

Going back to my fashion example, the MW track is comparable to when I later moved on to international merchandising and co-founding a fashion startup before going to business school and working for Amazon Fashion.

While my success in these roles built upon and benefited significantly from my previous, “hands on” experiences, it wasn’t totally dependent on them since these later roles were more commercially-oriented. I was working in the realm of numbers and concepts and less in the realm of creating tangible products or interacting with the final customer.

Unless you’re a unicorn like Mr. Basset (who started as an MS then went for MW), I think you’d be a glutton for punishment if you go for both MS and MW. Pick one.

In my case, I knew I wasn’t going to quit my job to get service experience in order to study. I opted for the MW path.

Where do I begin?

You know how serious you are, and now you’ve decided which path to take, MS or MW. Here is some information to get you going on next steps.

MS path

The certifying body is the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS).

I don’t have a lot of experience with this track since it’s not what I followed, but if being a sommelier is what you’re interested in, I would start by looking at the CMS website.

I would mention also that I have heard studying is supplemented with materials from organizations like GuildSomm and WSG. Getting the WSET Level 4 Diploma is also supposedly not uncommon before attempting MS.

Your first step

• Ask your local trusty somm their advice as to the best study plan

• Register for your first CMS course (TBC with your trusty somm)

MW path

The certifying body is the Institute of Masters of Wine.

Working backwards, before you can apply to the MW program, you need to meet a few criteria, including a WSET Level 4 Diploma (or demonstrate equivalency).

In my case, as a non-wine professional and non-wine master’s holder (I’m assuming if you’re reading this that this is also your situation), my journey is necessarily through WSET:

• WSET Level 1—I skipped this. You can, too.

• WSET Level 2

  • No prerequisite.

  • Covers some basics about serving wine, pairing principles and the vine’s needs, among other topics.

  • The majority of the material is on the main grape varieties.

  • Teaches you a standardized way of evaluating wine.

  • You’ll taste anywhere between 8 - 30 wines of varying quality depending on your class format (online/in person).

  • You can read your text book along with class sessions, if needed.

  • Depending on your class format, you’ll be done in a few days to a few weeks.

  • Your classmates will be a mix of enthusiasts and professionals, with the weight more toward enthusiasts.

  • Pretty high pass rate.

• WSET Level 3

  • Prerequisite: WSET 2.

  • Elaborates on the lifecycle of the vine and some vineyard management, among other topics.

  • The majority of the material is on the major wine regions of the world and their respective laws.

  • Expands on the wine evaluation methodology introduced in Level 2.

  • You’ll taste upwards of 70 wines of increasing quality if you attend in-person.

  • You need to have gone through the materials before you start class. Whatever amount of private study time they say, realistically you need to double if not triple it.

  • You will blind taste as part of the exam.

  • You can expect to allocate about 2 intense months to this.

  • Your classmates will be a mix of enthusiasts and professionals, with the weight starting to lean more toward professionals.

  • About 50/50 pass rate.

  • Once you pass WSET Level 3, start WSG Wine Scholar Programs.

• WSET Level 4 Diploma (“DipWSET”)

  • Prerequisite: WSET 3.

  • A whole lot more stuff and a research paper.

  • This takes about 18 - 24 months to complete, a lot more to all of your free time and a lot more money.

  • Not surprisingly, a lot of enthusiasts drop off here. Wine professionals have greater chances to find employer or other support (time off work, scholarships, etc) which make pursuing a diploma more accessible.

  • No idea what the pass rate is. I’m not there yet. Yes, there is blind tasting involved.

  • When you pass you will get to be fancy and use the post-nominal “DipWSET”.

  • Once you are a DipWSET, you can try for MW.

  • It’s not required, but it would be advantageous to have finished the WSG Wine Scholar Programs and Master Programs before going for MW.

Your first step

• Register for WSET 2. To the extent possible, do all your classes in person. You will get to try more wines that way and will be more motivated.

Where does WSG fit in?

MS path

Again, check with your local trusty somm, but according to WSG’s handy chart below, you’re looking at getting serious with Wine Scholar Programs between Certified and Advanced Sommelier levels.

You’ll notice a third tier below WSET and CMS qualifications, those of the Society of Wine Educators (SWE). I have deliberately omitted them from the study path picking process because WSET already has you covered if you want to be a wine educator, and DipWSET satisfies a prerequisite for MW, should you choose to go there.

MW path

Various WSG Continuing Education options (in red) fit in nicely throughout the different levels of WSET.

It is recommended to have completed WSET Level 3 before diving into any one of WSG’s three country Wine Scholar Programs (in blue), such as FWS. That’s because WSET Level 3 provides a good foundation for the material that those country programs cover.

The Wine Scholar deep dives are also useful in preparation for WSET Level 4, because there is a pretty big gap between WSET Levels 3 and 4. Like, exponential. Yuge.

As for the green bits, the Master-Level Programs (MLP), those are deep dives into specific wine regions in France only (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire). They don’t have to be done after all (or any) of the WSPs, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to have finished FWS first.

Basically, don’t stress too much about WSG until after WSET Level 3.

In the diagram above, WSG shows all of the courses (red, blue, green) are helpful at WSET Level 4, but I have a hard time imagining a diploma candidate would have time to take on additional courses in parallel outside of one-off webinars. Therefore, I would aim to get any Wine Scholar and Master-Level programs done before taking on Level 4.

Thanks for sticking with me this far. It was a long post but I hope it is helpful to you and if someone you know might benefit from it, please consider sharing!