On our last day in Oregon, I made the mistake of checking e-mail and found a thread of e-mails from my Diploma classmates. The first heralded the arrival of our Unit 3 exam results, with subsequent posts from fellow students who had run out to the mailbox upon receipt of the first. Unfortunately, from my vantage point in Oregon, I was much too far from my mailbox to retrieve my own score. I tried to put it out of my mind for the remainder of the day, as we still had a long plane ride ahead of us.

We landed at Newark Airport, eventually retrieved our car (after initially taking the monorail to the wrong parking lot) and proceeded to drive home. Jared dropped me at the apartment, with our luggage, and headed off to the parking lot. While I awaited his return, I unpacked our bags, emptied the dishwasher and generally put our life back in motion. He entered the apartment and was surprised to learn that I had not yet ripped open the envelope, so he quickly flipped through the stack of mail and bade me to open it right then.

On tenterhooks, I carefully opened the envelope and slipped the pages from its hold, unfolding them to read the results. I was filled with a sigh of relief as I read that I had earned a Pass with Merit. Needless to say, I was pleased with the score and felt much lighter knowing that the end of the Diploma is in sight. With only 9 of the 60 credits remaining, I feel more confident in my wine knowledge and in my ability to successfully complete the Diploma program.

As noted previously, I am in the midst of preparing for the WSET DWS Unit 6 – (fortified wines) exam. Fortified wines are those to which a neutral grape spirit has been added either during fermentation, generally rendering the wine sweet, or after fermentation, usually leaving a dry wine. The former process is indicative of Port and similarly-styled wines, while the latter pertains to Sherry and other dry fortified wines.

Among my study activities, I will be doing a number of tastings, particularly as I will miss the actual class and will need to do everything via "home study." Accordingly, I have identified my wine line up and placed my order. The list includes:

SHERRIES
Domecq, ‘La Ina’ Fino Sherry
Widsom & Warter Amontillado Sherry
Osborne Cream Sherry
Osborne Dry Oloroso Sherry

PORTS
Sandeman Ruby Port
Dow 10-Year Aged Tawny Port
Warre’s Vintage Port 1985

OTHER FORTIFIED
Domaine Coyeux, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2003

I considered purchasing a vintage port from my birth year (which shall remain nameless 😉 ), but I am old enough for it to have been beyond my budget, especially given that this is a tasting exercise, not a special event.

Given that my excuse for not posting more frequently prior to July was that I was preparing for the WSET DWS Unit 3 exam and the presentation on Long Island wines that I made at the Society of Wine Educators’ conference, what is my excuse now that both events are behind me?

Well, I’ve actually been busier than expected throughout July and now into August. I am slowly studying for the Unit 6 exam on Fortified wines, so that is keeping me a bit diverted. Also, I am working on the two remaining papers that I have for the Diploma. Both the exam and paper due date are in mid-November. I also hope to take the CWE exam around that time. I think the date is November 9 in Boston. These passive academic pursuits are filling up a lot of time as has a tax audit (but that’s a whole other story).

I am also focused on developing our business (Grand Cru Classes) through the creation of new or improved course materials, expanding to provide staff training and designing promotional materials.  There always seems to be something to do with regard to sheparding GCC or keeping my skills sharp and my knowledge current. To that end, I will participate in the International Bordeaux Educator Program later this month.

All of these activities should keep me quite occupied through the Fall. No wonder I am looking forward to the cruise we booked for January!

Last weekend we were priviledged to host Louisa Hargrave, founder of the Long Island wine region, at our property. We have become acquaintances over the past year or so and had invited her to our Open House back in April. Unfortunately, at the time, Louisa was under the weather and had to decline the invitation. We were very interested in showing her the new classroom and vineyard, so we were delighted when she agreed to stop by on Saturday morning.

Upon her arrival, we escorted her out back to see the vines. Her trained eye quickly noted that a few of our vines were afflicted with Downy Mildew. While it wasn’t surprising for us to have mildew problems — they are very common in our humid climate — I was surprised that, after having studied various vine pests and diseases extensively, I wasn’t able to identify it myself. In fact, after examining the leaf in question, I still wasn’t sure what it was I was looking at that was indicative of the mildew. It just further illustrates to me the importance of hands-on education beyond book knowledge (as well as the importance of providing clear, color photographs in educational books).

Louisa also commented on the crab grass growing beneath our vines and explained that as an invasive weed with deep roots, the crab grass was in danger of hurting our vines. Accordingly, she suggested Round Up as a safe option for eradicating the weed and preventing any additional damage to the vines. Finally, having identified a problem with Japanese beetles ourselves, Louisa mentioned that there were traps we could purchase to lure them away from the vine’s tender leaves.

Going forward, Jared has recently subscribed to the Cornell University Co-operative Extension’s weekly alert, so we will be more informed about the perils and pitfalls of vineyard management that await us each week. We are reminded once again, that while wine is more glamorous than cauliflower au gratin, farming is farming.

Among the requirements for the WSET Diploma is Unit 1, the business of wine. Unlike the others, this unit is evaluated by the candidate’s completion of four brief (1,500-2,000 words) research papers on topics selected from a list. I submitted one of these papers for the April deadline and just received my results last week.

I opened the envelope and found the official WSET grade report along with a copy of the paper’s cover sheet. The cover sheet includes items such as title selected, candidate’s name, etc. and then includes two generous spaces below for the grader’s comments designated "Strengths" and "Areas for Improvement." These latter two appear under the heading, "Examiner Feedback."

My grade was a Pass, which is, of course, better than Fail, but not as successful as a Pass with Merit or, even better, a Pass with Distinction. In fact, this is the lowest grade to date that I have received for any exam or assignment associated with my WSET pursuits. However, the actual grade wasn’t what upset me as much as the fact that other than the grade itself, nothing was written under "Examiner’s Feedback."

As an educator, particularly one who trains faculty to become better teachers, I always stress the importance of providing feedback to students. Feedback is essential to improvement, giving the learner the opportunity to understand what elements are successful and which require revision. Moreover, it is critical that the student is advised as to how to make such revisions. Without all of which, the student is simply shooting in the dark with future assignments and/or behaviors.

Accordingly, I felt at a loss as to how to complete the remaining two papers. I reached out to the International Wine Center, where I take my classes to advise them of the issue. I am pleased to report that my request for feedback was forwarded to London with a prompt reply received today. The constructive critique was very helpful and will certainly permit me to write betters papers going forward.

I strongly encourage all educators, regardless of the subject matter they teach, to provide their students with clear and instructive information with regard to their performance. Only through effective feedback can the learner advance in their knowledge and understanding. Of note, it is equally of value to provide both praise and criticism to reinforce the positive and change or correct the other. Such feedback is nourishment for the educational endeavor.