advanced somm - completed.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
sommelier program? check.
to say that it's been a crazy two months is an understatement. the final weeks of the advanced sommelier course brought out the hermit in me. i had to shut out everyone in order to complete the course. out of all the courses in the program, this was the one course i had the most difficulty handling. i have no idea why because last winter, i took two courses and it wasn't this bad. i think i just put a lot of pressure on myself because my average was on the line. i worked hard over the last two years to maintain my high standing and there was no way i was going to screw that up. i love the subject but i'm still asian .. grades matter. :)
anyway, it's finally over.
my tasting exam was last wednesday and it was not easy. we had to blind taste six wines - 1 sparkling, 2 whites, and 3 reds. we also had to provide tasting notes and sommelier descriptions for each wine. although i'm sure i passed, i don't think it was my best work. plus, there was a cabernet sauvignon that tasted like it was cooked. it was not a great example of a cab sauv.
the service exam was even worse. i'm not a 'service' kind of person. it's just not natural for me. the night before the exam, i couldn't sleep. i tried hard to remember the names of the wines on my wine list and during the mock service, i couldn't remember any of the wines. i just blanked out. when it came to opening the bottle, i used Green Lane Winery's riesling. my bottle opening technique was spot on - the foil was cut clean, my cork screw didn't pierce the cork all the way through, i removed the cork without making a sound (which is very difficult to do), i followed the procedure all the way through .. even the small stuff. i answered the theoretical questions properly, i gave good reasoning for my wine suggestions .. except if you asked me what specific wine on the list would be great for a dish? i couldn't remember anything .. :( luckily, i wasn't asked too many questions on specific labels.
when it was over, i was still pretty tense but also exhausted. the week leading up to the exams was draining. graduation is in February next year. i'm pretty excited to graduate - hopefully with honours. :)
is this the end of my wine education? well .. we'll see. :)
although i've completed my sommelier certification, i do not refer to myself as a 'sommelier'. a sommelier is a job title that one holds in the service industry. that is not what i do. i am still the person in the software industry and working a regular tech job. but i'm a student of wine .. will always be.
oh .. just to touch on the Ottawa Food and Wine show this year. the tasting alley event was not impressive this year. in previous years, i got to taste some very nice wines like Cakebread Cellars cabernet sauvignon ($100 a btl). this year, it was just average. the best wine i sampled was the 2010 Chateau Pipeau which is a Vintages Essential at $37 a bottle. the crowd was very 'meat market' like which is a huge turn off. two guys tried to pick me up and i just rolled my eyes and walked away. i attend wine shows because i want to try interesting wines but this event is quickly becoming a singles' pick up joint. gross.
p.s. big thank you to Vicky for her advice on getting through the wine list project. it really helped. :)
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to say that it's been a crazy two months is an understatement. the final weeks of the advanced sommelier course brought out the hermit in me. i had to shut out everyone in order to complete the course. out of all the courses in the program, this was the one course i had the most difficulty handling. i have no idea why because last winter, i took two courses and it wasn't this bad. i think i just put a lot of pressure on myself because my average was on the line. i worked hard over the last two years to maintain my high standing and there was no way i was going to screw that up. i love the subject but i'm still asian .. grades matter. :)
anyway, it's finally over.
my tasting exam was last wednesday and it was not easy. we had to blind taste six wines - 1 sparkling, 2 whites, and 3 reds. we also had to provide tasting notes and sommelier descriptions for each wine. although i'm sure i passed, i don't think it was my best work. plus, there was a cabernet sauvignon that tasted like it was cooked. it was not a great example of a cab sauv.
the service exam was even worse. i'm not a 'service' kind of person. it's just not natural for me. the night before the exam, i couldn't sleep. i tried hard to remember the names of the wines on my wine list and during the mock service, i couldn't remember any of the wines. i just blanked out. when it came to opening the bottle, i used Green Lane Winery's riesling. my bottle opening technique was spot on - the foil was cut clean, my cork screw didn't pierce the cork all the way through, i removed the cork without making a sound (which is very difficult to do), i followed the procedure all the way through .. even the small stuff. i answered the theoretical questions properly, i gave good reasoning for my wine suggestions .. except if you asked me what specific wine on the list would be great for a dish? i couldn't remember anything .. :( luckily, i wasn't asked too many questions on specific labels.
when it was over, i was still pretty tense but also exhausted. the week leading up to the exams was draining. graduation is in February next year. i'm pretty excited to graduate - hopefully with honours. :)
is this the end of my wine education? well .. we'll see. :)
although i've completed my sommelier certification, i do not refer to myself as a 'sommelier'. a sommelier is a job title that one holds in the service industry. that is not what i do. i am still the person in the software industry and working a regular tech job. but i'm a student of wine .. will always be.
oh .. just to touch on the Ottawa Food and Wine show this year. the tasting alley event was not impressive this year. in previous years, i got to taste some very nice wines like Cakebread Cellars cabernet sauvignon ($100 a btl). this year, it was just average. the best wine i sampled was the 2010 Chateau Pipeau which is a Vintages Essential at $37 a bottle. the crowd was very 'meat market' like which is a huge turn off. two guys tried to pick me up and i just rolled my eyes and walked away. i attend wine shows because i want to try interesting wines but this event is quickly becoming a singles' pick up joint. gross.
p.s. big thank you to Vicky for her advice on getting through the wine list project. it really helped. :)
