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Some long-time watchers might recognize this photo. I'd taken it down a long while back because of an equally long-since rule change, when photos of manufactured items weren't permitted, even in Scraps.
That rule's gone!
And besides the rules being adjusted: Today I passed my re-evaluation for Introductory Level Sommelier (Sommelier Level 1).
Think it was easy, considering I'd passed prior?
NOPE!
The course itself has changed remarkably over the last few years. While attending the seminar I thought (hah) that the material seemed easier to keep in the brain than it had the first time around.
Then the test came, and wowsa, the sommeliers who organized the event really gave it to the class with both barrels. The exam was easily tougher than my first run through, with a lot of subjects I was really second-guessing myself on (regions in Europe, and grapes in those regions to be specific). As the seminar progressed I had actually found it easier and easier to follow along, because the instructors were pretty much reminding me of stuff I'd already remembered, and studied for even more. But once the exam was in-front of me...ouch.
I ended up making 4 (yes, a full 4) passes through the exam. First pass was stuff I knew right away, and which I wasn't going to waste time on. Second one was the stuff I was iffy on. Third was the stuff I was genuinely shaky on. Fourth was the...what do they call it...'crap shoot' of answers.
But that fourth pass through the exam was only a few questions that simply blew by me during my studying and the seminar. I was pretty confident upon turning the test in that I'd passed.
Still, huge relief that my name got called out while everyone attending was sipping champagne (Grand Cru, of course).
(I took a second glass for myself afterward, because....not everyone had taken a glass, and I wanted it. And it was Grand Cru.
Don't look at me that way, I'm honest about that at least, damn-it. It was a tough past few weeks, online-life and offline-life respectively. A bit of high-quality bubbly was nice to cap that part of things off.)
NOW, barring anything else crazy or severely unfortunate happening (see prior journals), time to buckle down and dig into studies for Certified Sommelier (Sommelier Level 2).
Which will be a lot, but I have an entire year to work on it. With the connections I've got already I'm pretty sure I can hook up with the right people to steer me down the right paths (and get free wine from them).
(Put in Scraps due to this being a mass-manufactured pin. Not HUGELY mass-manufactured, but still, I'm not the only person wearing this little icon).
Sommelier info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sommelier
https://www.guildsomm.com/TC/
*recent change: (10/12/2015) Bah, while I'm not the only one to earn this pin, the site now allows manufactured items to only be in Scraps. Moved this to the main galley.)
That rule's gone!
And besides the rules being adjusted: Today I passed my re-evaluation for Introductory Level Sommelier (Sommelier Level 1).
Think it was easy, considering I'd passed prior?
NOPE!
The course itself has changed remarkably over the last few years. While attending the seminar I thought (hah) that the material seemed easier to keep in the brain than it had the first time around.
Then the test came, and wowsa, the sommeliers who organized the event really gave it to the class with both barrels. The exam was easily tougher than my first run through, with a lot of subjects I was really second-guessing myself on (regions in Europe, and grapes in those regions to be specific). As the seminar progressed I had actually found it easier and easier to follow along, because the instructors were pretty much reminding me of stuff I'd already remembered, and studied for even more. But once the exam was in-front of me...ouch.
I ended up making 4 (yes, a full 4) passes through the exam. First pass was stuff I knew right away, and which I wasn't going to waste time on. Second one was the stuff I was iffy on. Third was the stuff I was genuinely shaky on. Fourth was the...what do they call it...'crap shoot' of answers.
But that fourth pass through the exam was only a few questions that simply blew by me during my studying and the seminar. I was pretty confident upon turning the test in that I'd passed.
Still, huge relief that my name got called out while everyone attending was sipping champagne (Grand Cru, of course).
(I took a second glass for myself afterward, because....not everyone had taken a glass, and I wanted it. And it was Grand Cru.
Don't look at me that way, I'm honest about that at least, damn-it. It was a tough past few weeks, online-life and offline-life respectively. A bit of high-quality bubbly was nice to cap that part of things off.)
NOW, barring anything else crazy or severely unfortunate happening (see prior journals), time to buckle down and dig into studies for Certified Sommelier (Sommelier Level 2).
Which will be a lot, but I have an entire year to work on it. With the connections I've got already I'm pretty sure I can hook up with the right people to steer me down the right paths (and get free wine from them).
(Put in Scraps due to this being a mass-manufactured pin. Not HUGELY mass-manufactured, but still, I'm not the only person wearing this little icon).
Sommelier info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sommelier
https://www.guildsomm.com/TC/
*recent change: (10/12/2015) Bah, while I'm not the only one to earn this pin, the site now allows manufactured items to only be in Scraps. Moved this to the main galley.)
Category Photography / Still Life
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 845px
File Size 305.6 kB
Wine-stewards.
The people in a restaurant/hotel/hospitality setting that work with, sell, promote, and organize the wine and booze of the establishment.
When you sit down in a formal restaurant and get approached by someone asking if you have questions on the wines available, that's the sommelier approaching you.
The people in a restaurant/hotel/hospitality setting that work with, sell, promote, and organize the wine and booze of the establishment.
When you sit down in a formal restaurant and get approached by someone asking if you have questions on the wines available, that's the sommelier approaching you.
Congratulations again, and cool pin. :}
I can imagine how exacting something like this can be. Wine, as a whole, is such an old and storied institution. It's a gosh-darn pillar of civilization, honestly.
There could be a movie made about the secret side of the ancient order of sommeliers, and how they've always been saving the world, through wine-related action.
Anyway, how long does a certification last? And.. once you attain level 2, do you have to do a harder exam to retain THAT level? Or would it be the same sort of 'retention exam' you took this year, to retain level 2, in a few years, when you have to re-certify?
I can imagine how exacting something like this can be. Wine, as a whole, is such an old and storied institution. It's a gosh-darn pillar of civilization, honestly.
There could be a movie made about the secret side of the ancient order of sommeliers, and how they've always been saving the world, through wine-related action.
Anyway, how long does a certification last? And.. once you attain level 2, do you have to do a harder exam to retain THAT level? Or would it be the same sort of 'retention exam' you took this year, to retain level 2, in a few years, when you have to re-certify?
I can imagine how exacting something like this can be. Wine, as a whole, is such an old and storied institution. It's a gosh-darn pillar of civilization, honestly.
Your words hold quite the truth to them. The only pillar of civilization that even holds a candle to beer or wine would be the staff of life, bread. That is the only nutritional staple to be as widespread as fermented cereal grain, or fermented fruit. And most often they intermingled in the areas of greatest prosperity.
Anyway, how long does a certification last? And.. once you attain level 2, do you have to do a harder exam to retain THAT level? Or would it be the same sort of 'retention exam' you took this year, to retain level 2, in a few years, when you have to re-certify?
This level lasts 3 years. I was going to go for level 2...but the last few years have sucked...a lot, for various reasons. Buckling down and studying wasn't a major focus. But after you get level 2, you're good to go. You're obligation after that is to maintain knowledge of the developing wine/beverage industry (global climate change being the biggest factor right now).
Unless you want to go for Advanced-level, or Master. But those are pretty well into the future for me, regardless.
There is a bit of a film about sommeliers on Netflix, and can probably be found online.
It's not exactly somms saving the world, but it is a nice documentary on how hard it is to achieve the Master qualification.
If you can access Netflix, look up 'Somm'. If you can't, try googling around for it. It'll likely turn up somewhere.
Your words hold quite the truth to them. The only pillar of civilization that even holds a candle to beer or wine would be the staff of life, bread. That is the only nutritional staple to be as widespread as fermented cereal grain, or fermented fruit. And most often they intermingled in the areas of greatest prosperity.
Anyway, how long does a certification last? And.. once you attain level 2, do you have to do a harder exam to retain THAT level? Or would it be the same sort of 'retention exam' you took this year, to retain level 2, in a few years, when you have to re-certify?
This level lasts 3 years. I was going to go for level 2...but the last few years have sucked...a lot, for various reasons. Buckling down and studying wasn't a major focus. But after you get level 2, you're good to go. You're obligation after that is to maintain knowledge of the developing wine/beverage industry (global climate change being the biggest factor right now).
Unless you want to go for Advanced-level, or Master. But those are pretty well into the future for me, regardless.
There is a bit of a film about sommeliers on Netflix, and can probably be found online.
It's not exactly somms saving the world, but it is a nice documentary on how hard it is to achieve the Master qualification.
If you can access Netflix, look up 'Somm'. If you can't, try googling around for it. It'll likely turn up somewhere.
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