Wine certifications

[Scoop]

The road to a MW is replete with tests at different levels along the way, and the farther you go, the more difficult it gets.

Sponsored through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a UK-based organization, the combination of course work and exams is run through the International Wine Center in NY (headed by Mary Ewing Mulligan, author of the "Wine for Dummies" series). It can also be done in part by correspondence. I don't know if its offered on the Left Coast (maybe in San Fran?). Once you approach the MW, I believe you have to go to the UK for the exams (which can take years to pass!)

The first step is to pass the Higher Certificate course, a 14-week, whirlwind survey of the world's wine regions (with appropriate tastings, of course), along with the learning of (and use of) the WSET tasting "system". One needs a good general knowledge of wine beforehand -- and enthusiasm for the subject -- to take this segment. It's biased toward the British wine market (California, for example, gets short shrift, while Eastern Europe gets equal time), but it is a British outfit after all. The exam consists of 100 (fairly arcane) multiple choice questions and a couple of theoretical tasting notes based on the WSET "way". 70% is passing; above 90% is "with distinction". Those "with distinction" get preference for spots if space is tight for the next level, which goes into much greater depth relative to the wine regions and tastings. The course work takes two years, and the exams consist both of written and tasting segments. And you have to pass them all before you can move on to the MW segment; very few pass all the mid-level exams the first time, particularly on the tasting side.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Scoop