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!
Ok gang,
We have pretty much covered Theory and most of our best study practices. Let's move on now to SERVICE! remembering that along with skills and proper techniques there is a ton of theory involved here. Simply stated, "you must have a strong working understanding of theory and the ability to reason and describe to do well in service." Before I give my "best of" study practices I would love to hear from YOU what you are doing to prepare yourselves for service..... how are you working on becoming a better sommelier? What are you doing to make yourself better each day/ .... better than you were yesterday.
Yes, a working sommelier with great skills and the ability to use them in any type of situation or business condition - to serve guests... that is what we are striving to teach, examine and certify... real, honest, intelligent, respectful, respectable, refined, friendly, service oriented, wine service professionals. Sommeliers. I would be remiss if I don't remind us all that one of our most important goals as a community is to HELP EACH OTHER, to be the best we can, to represent this honorable profession in its best light and to help others to be the very best they can be too. FOR THE GUEST!!!! Because without them we do not exist. So, the service aspect of our business and our development in this area is crucial to our continued growth as a group as well as individually. Please think about this frequently as you travel down that happy road of destiny! .... do not become fooled that you are a such a great and gifted individual that you become more important than your guests or the people you work with. Remember to be humble, that your guests do not care how much you know , they only want to know how much YOU Care !! This philosophy will serve you well in exams, in business and in life. If it sounds like a lecture here... it is. I think it is the part our parents may have forgot to tell us ... "no matter how good you get or how much you learn don't become an arrogant jerk, its not nice to be around you!"
So that all being said, tell us what are you all doing to be better in service, both philosophic and practical. Both theoretical and physical. Whats up with service?