I am so relieved to be done with this exam, but on the other hand I'm a bit sad. I live for that kind of pressure and excitement - it's very similar to running a marathon, actually. If you put in the work and perform well the day of the event, the rewards are worth all the stress and training beforehand.
Rather than doing an whole writeup of the exam day, I thought I'd distill my experience into a few pointers. Here's my advice and impressions to help you get ready for the big day, which I cross posted in my wine blog.
- Study the Guild of Sommeliers study guides online. Do the quizzes over and over again. Learn those producers, too.
- Draw some maps if you're having trouble memorizing the regions. It helps.
- Blind taste whenever possible.
- Decide what the grape IS NOT, and then choose from what remains.
- The test goes by very quickly. Twelve minutes for two wines is not a lot.
- Double check your written answers. Use all your time, because unless you're extremely well prepared there's not a lot of room for error.
- Practice champagne service, even if you're a server already. Chances are you're not doing all their steps every night unless you work in a very high end place.
- Know the tete de cuvees of every major house.
- Be prepared to be quizzed while you pour on food pairings, spirits, cocktails and producers.
- Most everyone's hand shook while they poured - it's just going to happen at this level. Masters are intimidating even though they're all nice.
- It's harder than you think it will be. About half the class did not pass, and there were a lot of smart people in that half.
That's all I can offer for now. I will likely decide on whether to go for the Advanced certification later this year. It's a huge financial and time commitment, but I am seriously considering it. I'll let you know...
