Masters Certified In Good Taste

The Age

Tuesday July 29, 2008

Ben Canaider

Accreditation as a wine expert is a rare feat, reports Ben Canaider.

COLLECTING letters to place behind one's name has long been a popular hobby in the world of wine. The initials MW, standing for Master of Wine, are generally considered the poshest. They emerged in 1953. Set up in Britain by the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Wine and Spirits Association, the first MW exams created six successful candidates. The world today has 264 MWs from 20nationalities in 22 countries.

A master of wine accreditation is not the only way to pursue your professional interests, however. Rather than become an MW, you could become an MS.

The Court of Master Sommeliers has been around for some time, too. Also established in Britain, the court kicked off in 1969. By 1977 the American chapter had begun and today there are 167 master sommeliers worldwide.

These masters now have their eyes on Australia.

In partnership with the Sofitel Luxury Hotels Group and local wine distributors Fine Wine Partners, the court will run the first two levels of its four-tier Master Sommelier program in Melbourne and Sydney at the end of August.

Australia already has four master sommeliers (two expatriate and two resident - the latter being Matt Young from Aria in Sydney and Rob Gough from Settlers Tavern in Margaret River), but that number should grow if the interest shown in the course enrolments is an indication.

Launching the court's Australian beachhead is newly created MS Cameron Douglas, from New Zealand. Apart from being the face of the Australian MS experience, Douglas has some unique insights into the nitty-gritty of the course work, and why an MS might be a worthwhile professional pursuit.

Douglas made the MS qualification in November 2007, after applying himself to the course work and exams for five years. He has been in the hospitality game for 21years, living and working in the US, and he is now senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology's School of Hospitality and Tourism.

It is no wonder then that his sales pitch about the MS program in Australia centres on its direct connection and relationship with the service aspect of wine knowledge.

"There are a lot of similarities between the MW and the master sommelier diploma, but with the MS the emphasis is on the service element and on the other traditional and international skills a true sommelier needs," Douglas says.

Sommeliers working in the US or Europe without the necessary training in cigar preparation or cocktail making would quickly find themselves out of a job, he says. And forget about the tips.

That's the real difference with the MS qualification. An MW certificate lets the world know that you know all the wine secrets, but an MS suggests to an employer that you'll be the sort of job candidate who has studied and been examined on your knowledge of every facet of being a sommelier. It is more than wine, and so it should be.

Level one of the Master Sommelier Course is, Douglas says, an outline of "what a sommelier should know".

There are two days of lectures and a written multiple-choice exam, at the end of which successful candidates receive level one certificates.

Douglas says level-one pass rates are generally high, principally because the candidates come from wine retail and restaurant backgrounds.

There are 100 places for level-one candidates in both Melbourne and Sydney, but only 30 places for those who want to sit the level-two certified sommelier examination.

"We take the top marks from the level-one course and we also consider candidates' CVs to determine who gets into the level-two course," Douglas says.

The level-two examination consists of short-answer and multiple choice, a tasting test and a practical service test. A founding member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Brian Julyan, will be in both cities to supervise the two courses.

Cameron Douglas' final recommendation for the course is more than worthwhile: "The best thing about the MS is that because of the exposure it can give you to so much wine and to so many parts of a sommelier's service practice, you don't simply learn your own mistakes.

"You are judged by your peers, and the master sommelier diploma is recognition of your real professionalism."

The courses and exams will be held at the Sofitel in Melbourne and Sydney. Applications close on August 18.

Fast facts

Introductory course and exam

Two days, $500

Melbourne, August 27-28

Sydney, August 30-31

Certified sommelier exam

One day, $400

Melbourne, August 29

Sydney, September 1

Information Fiona MacDonald

(02) 83358016

fiona.macdonald@

finewinepartners.com.au

www.courtofmastersommeliers.org

© 2008 The Age

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