Fellow wine enthusiasts, how well do you know wine? Think you can tell the difference between a California Pinot Noir from one made in the Burgundy region of France? Are you able to list the major grapes of the Piedmont region in Italy? What wine is primarily associated with Hungary? Don’t worry, this isn’t a pop quiz. Rarely in life would you be expected to know this level of detail.

Unless, of course, you were a sommelier. And certainly if you were a Master Sommelier. But achieving a Master Sommelier status is no easy task. Before reaching this level, you have to pass the Introductory, Certified, and Advanced level exams from the Court of Master Sommeliers, the premier international examining organization for professionals in the wine service industry.

It’s no easy task. In fact, there are only 180 Master Sommeliers in the world and until two weeks ago, there were only four in the state of Texas: Guy Stout of Glazer’s Distributors; Drew Hendricks of Pappas Brothers in Houston; Barbara Werley of Pappas Brothers; and James Tidwell of the Four Seasons Las Colinas in Dallas.

As of July 31, Texas has welcomed two new Master Sommeliers to the table, Devon Broglie, the Specialty Coordinator for the Southwest Region of Whole Foods Market and Craig Collins, Regional Manager for Glazer’s Distributors. Both Broglie, 37, and Collins , 35, are from Austin.

The two joined 63 fellow wine professionals (by invitation only) in Las Vegas to take the three-part exam (Theory, Service, Tasting) for a Master Sommelier Diploma. Of the 63, only six passed, and two of those six were Broglie and Collins.

But getting to his point was no easy task for Broglie and Collins. Beginning in 2005, having already passed the Introductory level exam, the two committed to a rigorous study schedule every Monday morning, and often on weekends, to prepare for the Certified, Advanced, and Master levels. The Master level alone took them three years to pass. In 2009, they completed the Theory portion of the exam, which requires a mastery knowledge of wine origin, history, and production, but failed the Service and Tasting portions. In 2010, they returned only to nab the Service portion of the exam after having rigorously practiced restaurant service at Austin’s Paggi House in their spare time.

Craig Collins, Master Sommelier

“The tasting portion may be the most difficult because it boils down to not only a proper sensory analysis of wine but determining what your tasting through applying the theory you’ve learned,” says Collins. “Prepping for service was a big challenge as well, but it’s a really important part of being a sommelier because it’s about knowing how to convey a respect for the vineyards, the wine, and the hands that make it before pouring it in a patron’s glass.”

This year, they conquered the Tasting portion of the exam and gratefully received their hard-fought diploma.

“This was our third and final attempt to complete the exam. You only have three years to complete the Master level and if we didn’t pass, we would have had to start all over again,” says Broglie, who admits the Tasting part was the most challenging for him as well but that using a specific wine tasting grid helped him conquer this section. “It’s like learning music scales. You don’t have to use scales to play music, but it helps you understand the nuts and bolts of music better if you do. The same is true for the wine tasting grid, it helps you deconstruct the wine and, through deductive reasoning, determine what wine it is that you’re tasting.”

Three years to pass the tasting portion,” you ask. What’s so difficult about it? Here’s the break down of requirements: 6 wines; 3 red, 3 white. Sommeliers are required to analyze each individual wine based on sight, nose/smell, and taste to determine:

- The grape variety

- The country of origin

- The district and appellation of origin

- The vintage (year the wine grapes were harvested.)

Devon Broglie, Master Sommelier

It’s not exactly a multiple-choice, walk-in-the-park type of test. It requires a significant amount of familiarity with wine history as well as an extremely sensitive palate. Based on the tasting portion alone, it’s easy to see why there are only six Master Sommeliers in the state, and why Collins and Broglie deserve a Texas-sized pat on the back for their great accomplishment!

Collins and Broglie will join fellow Master Sommeliers Guy Stout, Drew Hendricks, and James Tidwell this weekend, August 13-15, for the 7th Annual Texas Sommelier (TEXSOM) Conference at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas near Dallas. The conference is a premier wine education symposium attracting leading wine professionals and connoisseurs from across the country.

“TEXSOM is an opportunity for beverage professionals in Texas to network with people from all parts of the industry and the country,” says James Tidwell, who along with Drew Hendricks co-founded TEXSOM. “It is also an opportunity to learn what is happening in the larger world of beverages; and, to show the dynamic culture of beverage service that we have in the state. Over the years, it has become a conference with national influence beyond its physical size.”

Prior to the conference, the Texas Master Sommeliers along with Melissa Monosoff, Serafin Alvarado, Larry Stone and Fred Dame will also administer the Level 1 Introductory course for the Court of Master Sommeliers and yours truly will have a front row seat as I try my hand, err palate, at the first stage of this thorough wine education endeavor. I’ll post details on the experience once I’ve completed the exam—Wish me luck!

Tagged: Barbara Werley, Court of Master Sommeliers, Craig Collins, Devon Broglie, Drew Hendricks, Guy Stout, James Tidwell, Jessica Dupuy, TexSom