Any of you out there?

I know level 1 is supposedly pretty easy, and becoming a Master Sommelier is extremely difficult.

My wife and I love wine, and have a growing wine collection. Any feedback on whether or not it's worth it to take the classes, etc. and become a level 1 or 2 sommelier?

There is a doc online about it. It's brutally hard.

I've seen Somm and Somm 2 on Netflix.

Somm is about becoming a Master Sommelier, which is the highest level and extremely difficult. I will never have the ambition or ability to do that. The lower levels of becoming a Sommelier aren't nearly as difficult from what I've heard.

Somm 2 is more about wine itself, and includes interviews with Master Sommeliers and other experts.

I enjoyed the second more than the first, FYI

I know of a few on this board that could pass some of the entry level somm tests with little prep. I say go for it!

Definitely nothing wrong with taking classes and expanding your knowledge base. That said, if that's your main goal, not sure the Level 1 is the best value to do so. My understanding is it's pretty expensive and it's mainly on you to learn the materials anyway.

Any reason for taking it to get the certification vs just attending local wine classes?

It'd be worth exploring. If for nothing else than for the sensory training to determine at what ppm you can detect certain flavors, good or bad.

Inspector Spacetime said:

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IMO, becoming a sommelier doesn't make much sense if you're not planning on working in that field. You won't be a very good somm if you're not regularly working a restaurant floor or wine bar, running a shop, doing distributor sales/brand representation or otherwise educating/helping people regularly. Similar to a doctor who only has a license but does not practice or keep up on new methods.

That said, if you want the title, level 1 is certainly a test you could pass without extreme effort, and the actual certified level 2 is not out of reach. It will just be a title, though. (And only if you get to level 2)

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I've thought about doing this similar to the OP. But your point is why I never pursued it. I'm not actually going to use it.

I question whether someone who can accurately go through the grid is really able to enjoy wine.

I could navigate small portions of the grid, and recognizing some of those elements in wine is absolutely annoying to me.

And at some point in the Somm process, you have to be active in food service. That may be advanced somm level. I believe there is a somm designation for cellar management. May want to investigate that.

RK said:

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Quote:

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I am sad to admit that my wine pallet is pretty binary. It is either
"Yeah, I'll drink this"
Or
"Meh."

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you shouldn't be sad about being able to enjoy a drink rather than having a million things running through your mind about what you should be tasting/thinking about it.

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chipotle said:

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RK said:

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Quote:

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I am sad to admit that my wine pallet is pretty binary. It is either
"Yeah, I'll drink this"
Or
"Meh."

---

you shouldn't be sad about being able to enjoy a drink rather than having a million things running through your mind about what you should be tasting/thinking about it.

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Panty droppers

What Spacetime said is pretty spot on. I actually helped some people with their level one but wound up going a different direction career-wise so didn't see the need to do it myself.

I would also add that the Somm arena has gotten pretty saturated now compared to even just a few years ago. Seems like a lot of people "pursued their passion" which is great but sometimes it feels like there is more level one somms than actual wine jobs available. Which could explain why you now see people working at your local HEB/Kroger wine section with little pins on their shirt.

I have looked into it as well, but the only deterrent for me is that you can not really "claim being a SOMM" until level two. I have always enjoyed wine and want to learn as much as I can, but I have zero interest in learning the service portion which is needed to pass any of the other levels than 1. The introductory class is $500 dollars so in my mind I figured I would enjoy drinking wine and self teaching than spending it on a test that I with all most 100% certainty not attempt to go above.

That being said SOMM 1 is the best followed by SOMM 3. SOMM 2 is a snore.... got the new tasting game and is a lot of fun!

SOMM 3 has been released and is available for streaming. Liked it a lot. Featured three icons in the wine world who took different paths. Also did a mini-recreation of the Judgment of Paris wine tasting. If you liked the first two, I think you'll like this one.

Freshly cut garden hose

I highly recommend reading "Judgment of Paris: California vs. France" if you have not already. Required reading for anyone into wine. And no, while "Bottleshock" is a cute movie and all it doesn't count, read the book.

I'm reminded of a cartoon I saw one time that I wish I could find again. It was an adult making small talk with a kid and asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. The kid replied, "I want to be a bon vivant. A connoisseur of fine wines and a master teller of tales."

Somm: Into the bottle is Somm 2 right? I'm not seeing Somm 3 on netflix.

Watching Into the bottle now. Wow these guy's think their s*** doesn't smell.

chipotle said:

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Somm: Into the bottle is Somm 2 right? I'm not seeing Somm 3 on netflix.

Watching Into the bottle now. Wow these guy's think their s*** doesn't smell.

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Sorry, should have specified that I streamed it (rental) off of iTunes. It's not on Netflix...yet.

Many have said it is bunk. Here's one article.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis

Caveat: as to tasting, not history, etc

CoachRTM said:

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Any of you out there?

I know level 1 is supposedly pretty easy, and becoming a Master Sommelier is extremely difficult.

My wife and I love wine, and have a growing wine collection. Any feedback on whether or not it's worth it to take the classes, etc. and become a level 1 or 2 sommelier?

---

Took the level 1 exam about three years ago. Pretty easy exam. I think we had to score a minimum of 55 or 65. to pass. Passing that gets you an Introductory Sommelier certificate. Level 2 is much harder with three different exams. Theory, Tasting, & Service. You must pass all three to become a certified Sommelier.
If you're wanting do this for fun, Level 1 is certainly obtainable. Also check out Society of Wine Educators (CSS/CSW/CWE) and Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Both of those organizations also offer certifications for people in & out of the service industry. The Court of Master Sommeliers is "typically" geared to those who work in the Service Industry.



Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.

My wife and I did attended a wine & cheese pairing class at the Texas Wine School in Houston a few years back. They offer all sorts of classes and certifications.

https://thetexaswineschool.com/all-wine-classes-houston/
https://thetexaswineschool.com/certification-classes/

"You should try an old-world merlot with a decent cut of beef."

"Is that what I should do, you fancy alcoholic? Why don't you stop swirling that glass and call your kids..."

There's a whiskey sommelier school here in Austin. I looked into doing it. The price to do the first level was ridiculous. I quickly realized all you're paying for is for those guys to stock their whiskey bar with more $$$ bottles. No thanks.

Quote:

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If you're wanting do this for fun, Level 1 is certainly obtainable. Also check out Society of Wine Educators (CSS/CSW/CWE) and Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Both of those organizations also offer certifications for people in & out of the service industry. The Court of Master Sommeliers is "typically" geared to those who work in the Service Industry.

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This. I passed the CSW in 2015. It's generally thought that the CSW is about a 1.5 or so on the CMS scale and a 2.25 on the WSET.

It's not an easy test at all (about 50% fail the first attempt). All academic, no tasting component. The CSW is very common among winery and wine sales jobs. I think HEB is encouraging all wine managers to earn it.

It's pricey, all in, but... The course book is available via Kindle for 35 bucks. And it's easily the best wine reference I've ever seen. Mine is dog eared and marked up. Even if you don't plan on testing, the book is worth it.

2018 Certified Specialist of Wine

Thanks for the tip! I ordered the certified specialist of spirits one!

RK said:

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Quote:

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I am sad to admit that my wine pallet is pretty binary. It is either
"Yeah, I'll drink this"
Or
"Meh."

---

you shouldn't be sad about being able to enjoy a drink rather than having a million things running through your mind about what you should be tasting/thinking about it.

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This is called "hedonic tasting" and yeah, it's what humans were meant to do. The entire "I get black currants, chalk dust and my grandmother's underwear drawer" is a learned/developed thing and very much unnatural.

One of my best friends is an MS.

Dude makes great coin, gets flown around the world by growers and drinks for a living.

He also orchestrated the exam being administered in BCS. It's fully booked. Some of you must be interested!

I get the buy in is steep at $500. But you get the course, certification and get to drink some great wine in return. It's not all sunk cost.