"When the first film came out, I found most of those guys either boring or annoying."
-Eater review of "Somm: Into the Bottle" (http://www.eater.com/2016/2/4/10891056/somm-review-sequel-into-the-bottle)
We've touched on sommeliers in class, so it seems appropriate that the sequel to the 2013 film "Somm" just hit broad release (DVD and streaming). Reviews have been amusing and mixed, but the new film apparently touches on a lot of the topics we've been exploring--particularly oak barrel aging and Mondavi. I wanted to go back to the original film, however, which focused on a handful of aspirants looking to pass the sommelier test administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers. The original "Somm" dubbed it "the hardest test you've never heard of" and quoted one of the successful candidates saying "I cried when my children were born. The only other time outside of that when I cried was when I passed this exam."
While there are apparently a number of different certification regimes around the world for sommeliers (much in line with personal trainers, it seems), the UK-origin Court boasts probably the most difficult examination: at its highest level, IV (Master Sommelier), only 200+ candidates have passed in 40 years. According to Forbes, candidates may take the test up to six times, putting themselves through three segments: (1) theory, (2) service and (3) blind tasting. In the blind tasting, a candidate apparently must identify not only the varietal itself but also the year and region (sounds totally doable to someone who failed the basic price test we did in class). (http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2013/06/24/worlds-toughest-test-the-master-sommelier-diploma-exam/#61c6db6860f2)
Applicants have to score a 75% (versus 65% for the "other most sought-after title," the Master of Wine). (http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2013/07/one-of-70-passes-master-sommelier-exam)
Note that as of 2015, only 32 of the 229 master sommeliers were women. Given how few applicants are admitted on a year-to-year basis, you can imagine that it'll take quite some time for that to change, but Bloomberg has an interesting article on some of the individuals challenging the traditional notion of the "snooty, balding French guy with a silver tastevin hanging from a chain around his neck." (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/sex-and-the-sommelier-make-way-for-women) According to the CoMS website, there have been two successful women admitted in each of the years since 2013, and at least one each year since 2001. Extra props are due to Sally Mohr, who was the only successful candidate in 1995, second woman ever from the US and sold a wine business she co-owned from 1986 to 2010.
(http://www.courtofmastersommeliers.org/members/)
Jeff
Thanks Jeff - the role of the sommelier and the value (or lack of value, depending on who you ask) associated with sommelier certification programs has fascinated me as well.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I enrolled in the International Culinary Center's 10 week 'Intensive Sommelier Training Program', which is taught exclusively by Master Sommeliers and prepares students for the Court of Master Sommelier's Certified Sommelier exam. I got to learn from many amazing Master somms, including Dustin Wilson (one of the sommeliers profiled in the documentary Somm), Laura Maniec (founder of Corkbuzz in NYC), and Laura Williamson (former wine director of Jean Georges restaurants). The program definitely gave me a deep appreciation for the talents of Master Sommeliers - the level of detail they know about each wine region and their ability to blind taste is really, really unbelievable. The depth of knowledge required to become a Master Sommelier goes way beyond treating wine as a hobby - its something that takes years and years of working at full-time. I was actually shocked by the level of work and study required for just the Certified Sommelier Level 2 Exam (Master Sommelier is Level 4).
I think you raise an interesting question about how society values these certifications and whether they are necessary for those who are interested in pursuing a career as a Sommelier. While most top Somms have gone through some type of certification program (usually either the Court of Master Sommeliers or the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET)), there are also people out there who have been able to lead successful careers as a sommelier without any formal training or certifications. A great example is Rajat Parr, who is one of the top somms in the country and is known for his ability to blind taste red Burgundy with such precision that he can often name the exact sub-region and vineyard that the wine came from. Rajat Parr has been called a wine savant, yet he's never been certified as a sommelier or gone through a formal accreditation program.
For those who are interested on the topic the value of wine certification programs, this article is awesome and does a great job explaining the debate: http://punchdrink.com/articles/the-myth-of-sommelier-certification-debunked/
Thanks for the post Jeff. I think you raise an interesting point at the end about the gender inequity among master somms. It's an interesting parallel to the wine business overall where men are more represented than women at almost all levels of wine-making from grape growing to final blending. The question this raises for me is not only how do we make the interview process for somm qualifications or wine maker positions more fair to all people regardless of background but also how do we create a process where minorities of all kinds are encouraged to consider these jobs in the first place. For example, as a winemaker, you often go to school but you also apprentice with other wine makers. As we know from OB, we are more likely to select people like ourselves (similar to me bias) which puts women and other minorities at an immediate disadvantage because there are few people that look like them in the ranks of existing winemakers. Therefore, fewer minorities will become apprentices. If that is the case, how can the wine industry further encourage diversity in its ranks? Does the industry want to?
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