| It is difficult to say whether the number of students aspiring to become a Master Sommelier increased after hearing about the movie ‘Somm’ or watching it when released on June 21, 2013 at the Seattle Film Festival, but only one person could clear the Exam out of 70 appearing in Dallas, Texas recently, making it even tougher than Master of Wine which is one of the most coveted titles for wine professionals. It is easier watching the movie and calling oneself ‘Somm’ rather than years of misery to be called a ‘Master’ on the completion of the Master Sommelier exam.
The movie ‘Somm’ is about the efforts of a handful of young American wine connoisseurs who set out to earn the title of Master Sommelier, a Herculean feat that requires advanced degrees in wine theory, history, geography, service and, most crucially, tasting - all the factors which the movie examines in crisp and quaffable style. The movie is going to make the programme much more popular and its success and spillover effect on the wine education might be on the lines of ‘Sideways’.
The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) was established to encourage improved standards of beverage service, particularly wine, in hotels and restaurants. The first Master Sommeliers examination was held in the United Kingdom in 1969. By April 1977, the Court of Master Sommeliers was established as an international examining body for sommeliers. It was set up under the supervision of the Vintners Company, The Institute of Masters of Wine, The British Hotels & Restaurants Association, The Wine & Spirit Association of Great Britain and The Wholesale Tobacco Trade Association.
Kenny Koda, who has taken the exam every year since 2006, noticed what he calls, a ‘change in regimen’, according to Decanter. ‘There used to be a bank of questions, and as those got passed around the test became predictable.' Now, he says that the candidates are expected to show that they can not only memorize things by rote but also be able to explain why the wines from certain regions taste the way they do.
Shayn Bjornholm, the examination director for the American chapter of the CMS, said; ‘Certainly, it is getting more and more difficult, but not because we are trying to make it more difficult.’ He points to a combination of a rapidly evolving wine world and more of the younger experts entering the field than ever before; adding ‘We have the same standards but the whole world is blowing up.’ He says the recent result of only one examinee passing has given the Court ‘no pause whatsoever.’ He adds ‘We think the questions are fair. They are difficult, but we are happy with the level of difficulty we have established.’
The pass rate fluctuates year to year, hovering around 10% between 2001 and 2013. In 2005, 26% of candidates passed, but in 2010, only 3 passed out of 84! In the four decades since the first exam, 202 candidates have earned the MS pin so far. Incidentally, Chicago-based Master Alpana Singh is the youngest woman ever to achieve the rank of Master Sommelier in 2003. She is the first Indo - American, born to Indian Fiji parents who cleared the exam and is now a well-known consultant and a TV star.
If you don’t mind being a cheat (we don’t expect our readers to be in this category) or believe that the Port from Goa is the same as the Port in Portugal, you could pick up the Certificate from a hotel management school Scuola Alma Cucina in Parma Italy until the CMS is successful in getting the suitable legal remedy. (Details are on the CMS website).
The other option is to watch the movie ‘Somm’ and sweat it out to see if you are able to get the real certification done. It might be slightly, only slightly easier to clear the Master of Wine programme which has had 304 people qualify so far, with more women clearing it than men in 2011 and 2012. For more information and faqs on Masters of Wine Programme, visit or better visit an article written in February 2010 when there were 270 MWs, by our columnist John Salvi MW, one of the most senior members of the Institute of Masters of Wine.
It sounds a herculean task to pass either of the two programmes-certainly the highest certification possible. But Gerard Basset, whom I had met at Vinisud in France last year and reported in delWine, did both and then some! He is not only an MS, MW and MBA but has also been the World’s Best Sommelier and not surprisingly, was knighted by the Queen with an OBE, being a French National now settled in England. Quite easily the benchmark you might want to set for yourself, if the ultimate wine qualification is your goal.
Subhash Arora
The article has been written as a service to further the education and knowledge standards and motivate a few wine aficionados to aspire for a MS or MW program or at any rate make them aspire to get the Advanced Diplomas of either of the Institutes that govern these programs. Editor
Tags: Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS), Master Sommelier, Somm, Sideways, Kenny Koda, Alpana Singh, Scuola Alma Cucina, Master of Wine, Gerard Basset, World’s Best Sommelier |