A recent blog post from Eric Asimov discussed the world of wine and wine education. Asimov was making the point that people seem to be apologetic for their lack of wine knowledge in ways that they are not apologetic about their lack of other knowledge, i.e. car mechanics, medicine, etc. He felt that the elitism and mystery surrounding wine had made people feel inadequate and deficient if they were ignorant regarding wine, which he regarded as a problem. Instead, he wanted people to simply enjoy wine and to rely on a good local wine merchant for assistance. He is not wrong. Certainly, knowing about wine is nice, but not necessary, for its enjoyment.

However, for those of us in the trade, especially educators, it is essential that we are extremely knowledgeable and up-to-date on the world of wine. To that end, I undertook the WSET’s Diploma of Wine & Spirits in January 2006. Now, a year later, I am ensconced in Unit 3 — Light Wines of the World. Essentially, ALL wines (other than sparkling and fortified). This is a massive undertaking as I grapple with the sheer volume of material, along with the depth of understanding the examiners expect.

Having just received my scores for the exams (Sparkling Wines of the World and Spirits of the World) taken in November, I know I have a long road ahead of me, if I wish to succeed. I achieved Pass with Merit on both exams, which is less than I had hoped for, having received Pass with Distinction on all previous WSET examinations.

Moreover, I have been remiss at posting to this blog for some time, given my studies, the launch of our business and life in general.

Accordingly, I plan to write summaries of my study materials and post them to the blog, essentially killing two birds with the same stone. Thus, while in-depth wine knowledge is not essential to the average wine consumer, those of you seeking to learn more will, I hope, find these postings helpful. I hope, I too, will find them helpful come June 12 when I find myself sitting in the full-day exam.