A very special and heartfelt thanks goes out to Leslie Rudd! It was my great honor to be selected as one of the MS to participate in the Rudd Roundtable last weekend in Napa Valley where the some of the best and brightest talent in our industry gathered together to study and share some great information about preparing ourselves and each other for the Master Sommelier Diploma Examination and for excellence in the roles we have in our industry. For those that don't know the Roundtable is sponsored by The Leslie Rudd Educational Foundation's generous and gracious donation to the Guild of Master Sommeliers for the purposes of the advancement of students of The Court of Master Sommeliers of the Americas.
The highest scoring Advanced Exam passes of the past year and a few handpicked Master Candidates have the amazing experience to spend a couple days one on one with several MS that dedicate their time and attention to these bright professionals. Over the course of the event there were several "best study practices" identified to assist anybody interested in advancing in the industry. I was delighted to work with the team to deliver some structured classes and also some very free form panel discussions about preparing ourselves for the future. I would like to begin an ongoing dialog here focused on the study habits an best tips we can come up with as a community to help us al to embrace the rapidly changing world of wines and spirits and share the best ways to be educated, enlightened and at the top of our game as the top beverage professionals we are.
There have been several very good forums written recently about sources for pronunciation and translation, etc.. as this blog progresses we will also address those as well. It is my hope that this blog becomes the ongoing location for up to date and most recent study practices that work. So, Please add on whenever you can, when you find great information, when you do something that really works- share it!!
Ok gang, here we go. Lets talk about theory first here. While as a Master Sommelier there isn't really a way to help candidates with theory. It is all in the books, on websites and wikis and you must ferret out that information and somehow memorize it. We are all aware that there are lists of questions that we have shared and used to create our flash cards and while studying on flashcards is needed, there are more enhanced ways to weave a tapestry of information for yourself. If you were asked a question you have studied you are stoked, if it is one you don't know , you are bummed. And in an examination setting , especially a verbal exam, you may be so nervous you forget the simplest bit of information you have known for years! And remember at the Master Level we are expecting you to be able to know the information intimately, to be able to teach this info with confidence and mastery, not just struggle to answer a single question....So, I strongly suggest that you do not just ask and answer the thousand questions you have on cards... but create a web, a tapestry of data for your mind to be able to follow any of many strands of thought to remember.
Some of the best tools for this are:
I hope you can all add a few items here... lets talk more about theory and I will go onto tasting and service each in the days to come , but lets be focused and leave no stones unturned here... ( what kind of stone...? wet river rock, slate, granite?... just kidding)
My best wishes to you all!
Very well said Gentlemen,
In addition I would like to say it was an absolute honor to be apart of the round table this year. I would like to thank all of the Masters for taking the time to share their knowledge with the next generation of knowledge thirsty sommeliers. I have already integrated many of these tips into my study habits. This past weekend was incredibly inspirational and it was an absolute blessing to be able to take part. Thanks again to everyone who helped put this together including Leslie Rudd, Blakesley Chappellet and all the Masters!!!! Not to forget to thank Mr. Johnston, who donated dozens of incredible bottles to the guild cellar.....I can still taste the Dal Forno Romano 94!!! Also, congratulations to Michael Engelman for winning the Johnston Medall!!!!
The one study tip I stress for others beginning to really hit the books is to trace maps. This opens up the mind like nothing else I have ever done.
- Go purchase tracing paper from an arts and crafts store like Michaels (Strathmore 300 Series Tracing Paper 11" by 14" is what I use)
-Lay a map underneath the tracing paper of a country you are about to study. (Make sure it is as current as possible with all detailed wine regions broken down.)
- With a pencil, trace every detail and border of the map. Then retrace each subregion with a different color of marker over the pencil.
-Find all bodies of water and use a blue color to define them. I then give a letter to each region on the map and have a letter reference code on the side of the paper where "A" refers to a region.
-Once you are done understanding each regions location, subregions, bodies of water etc. then crack Sothebys, wiki's, websites etc and make flashcards of every relevant piece of information about the country and its regions.
The information you then study about the country will mean much more after you have spent 45 minutes tracing. After this you should be able to fill in a blank map of a country with its regions, rivers and relevant grapes.
Good Luck. Hope this helps. Create your own tapestry however you can!!