Good Afternoon Masters and Fellow Students

In assessing the wine in front me, I see this wine is clear and bright, with a medium intensity. It is ruby-to-garnet in color with little rim variation and a medium-plus viscosity.

The nose is clean with a medium-plus intensity and an aged aroma with baked black cherry, plum, and cinnamon as well as damp tobacco, purple flowers, pepper and dried herbs.

On the palate, the wine is bone dry, full, and confirms the dark fruit and earth on the nose. Tannins, alcohol, acidity, complexity, and length are all medium-high to high.

Based on this my initial conclusion is that this is an Old World wine from a warm climate. It is a granache grape variety from the Southern Rhone region of France, probably from Chateauneuf du Pape, 2006 vintage.

Learning to Blind Taste Wine

This is an example of a four-part analysis required of me and 98 fellow classmates for the Level 1 course for the Court of Master Sommeliers, a two-day intensive overview of wine history, theory, and tasting analysis. The Court is the premier international examinging organization for professionals in the wine industry and there are four levels one must pass to become a Master Sommelier: Introductory, Certified, Advanced, and Master. Achieving the distinction of Master Sommelier takes years of preparation and an unwavering commitment.

Masters are not only required to have an extensive knowledge of wine and a well-honed palate, but they must also be able to flawlessly execute professional wine service. (This includes knowing how to properly open a sparkling wine bottle, knowing to always serve to the right of the customer and then clockwise around the table, and knowing how to open and decant an aged bottle of fine wine without disturbing any sediment in the bottle.)

After a few blind tasting examples in teams, it was time for individuals to stand and volunteer to do a complete deduction alone. Enter Jonathan JR Clark, 37, of Central Market in Houston. This time, the Master Sommeliers were counting for time. (For the Master Sommelier exam, students have 4 minutes to draw a final conclusion)

Though a little nervous, JR managed to meander his way through the significant details of the wine and narrow his selection down to a 2009 Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. He did it in just over 6 minutes.

JR Clark of Central Market Houston drawing a final conclusion on a blind taste

Is this something I see myself doing a few years from now? Probably not–though I haven’t made a final decision yet–but I do want to expand my knowledge of the wine world and the structure and educational guidance from the Court of Master Sommeliers is unmatched. Which is how I found myself in this intensive two-day course furiously taking notes and meticulously reviewing a comprehensive study guide for a 70-question exam.

For JR, it means a little more than that. “As a buyer for Central Market in Houston, Clark started down this track to help make him better at his job. “I owe it to my customers to know as much as I can about wine,” says Clark. “I owe it to myself too if I want to stay in this industry.”

After months of preparation, hours of studying and a few minutes of last minute cramming, we all took our exam. Though I can’t divulge some of the questions we answered, I can say that you had to know a lot more than the fact that Bordeaux is a wine region in France. Following the exam, we adjourned to a private suite where we celebrated with what else? Wine!

The tests were quickly graded and a parade of Master Sommeliers entered the room with a stack of certificates in their hands. Master Sommelier Guy Stout (of Houston) stood at the front of the room calling out names and handing out certificates with an official Court of Master Sommelier pin like he was Santa Claus at Christmas.

Jessica Dupuy (Writer) and Denise Fraser showing off their Level 1 Sommelier certificates

Did I pass? Yes! Although I was one of the last names called grew more and more nervous with each name called before mine. In the end, a few months of hard work paid off. And the seed to move forward to the next level was planted. But for now, I’m thrilled to have a better appreciation for what it takes to be a sommelier. As for JR Clark – he passed too.