I am elated, proud, and honored beyond belief to share with you my recent triumph. I have passed my Intro Sommelier Certification through the U.S. Court of Sommeliers. The test was a bit harder than I anticipated, but well worth the brain teasing, flu inducing, stressful tears it caused…. I loved it! It was, as I stated, hard. Do not let these oenophiles lie to you about the ease of being geographically and theoretically tested on such an in-depth subject. I loved the two days of classed leading up to the test, because of the newfound tasting skills I developed. The Master Sommeliers passionately demanded us to dig deeper with each pour and instructed the class through the Court of Master Sommeliers DEDUCTIVE TASTING FORMAT. A real thriller.
I loved the tasting format and element of subjectivity and art to “digging deeper” that I am obsessed. I can work on the nose of a glass way to long, stare at the legs for a good three or four minutes, swirling and watching. The key is to move right along and usually to go with that first instinct.
Ever since the class I tell my husband over and over like a broken record how there is just no tastings out there to compare. And I really believe people want to taste their wine, to evaluate, to take the rose, pencil lead, and sage out of the glass. IT is the reason I have decided my next big venture will be a Certified Wine Educator, and then host parties/tastings for people that want to enjoy their wine and learn with it as well.
I go to wine tastings all over South Florida when I am home in Miami, but I also venture out to tastings in each new city I visit. Nine times out of ten it is a promotion of the wines, which I totally get and approve, however the teaching how to evaluate and understand the wine is lacking. People swirl and stick their nose in the glass because it is what they have seen in Sideways. I want to actually help you find more in that glass.
