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So, in the continuous quest to improve the service Hexus provides to you all, I have just returned from the first stage of gaining a WSET Diploma in Wines, Spirits and other Alcoholic Beverages.
Once I gain the Diploma, I'll have an internationally recognised qualification, which, superbly, is rather sort after within the industry not only on the retail and trade fronts, but also within the wine making industry itself.
The Level 2 Intermediate Certificate, the course I've just completed, is essentially a basic grounding in all types of wines, spirits and beverages across the globe. It doesn't focus on any one wine in particular, but concentrates more on the styles of wines and the many factors which affect the style of wines in different areas.
The amount of information you have to absorb is truly mind boggling! That's not to say that it's impossible to understand, because people do... I did. But even if you just scratch the surface you open up a massive can of worms. If you're even remotely interested in wine though, you'll find it fascinating.
Now, if you say to someone that you've just been on a three day residential wine tasting course, they assume its just a jolly... a skive off work with free booze thrown in. The truth is very different.
We started at 9am sharp on day one and were learning HOW to taste wines by 10.30am, making notes as we went. By midday we had covered basic wine production methods (which are the same processes everywhere), we had a 20 minute lunch break and then ploughed into the French wine regions.
This involved learning about:
Each of the 8 different regions
Each of the various districts in each region, (up to 10 districts in the case of Bordeaux)
The grapes grown in each district and their qualities
The soils for each region and district
The annual weather conditions for each region
The climate for each region
The vine growing method used in each region or district
The peculiarities to the wine making method specific to each district.
Now, when you consider that just one topic there, egg. climate has so many variables that effect how the grape grows and we have to learn the whys and wherefores of it all, you start to get an idea of just how much work is involved.
I filled one standard A4 refill pad in three days with my notes for the entire course AND ran my favourite rollerball out of ink!
Needless to say the course needed serious amounts of concentration, just to keep on top of the information being given and fitting it in to what I had learnt previously so it made sense. Once you get a decent understanding of HOW wine is made, HOW a vine produces grapes and HOW the grape develops its flavour, then the steps the wine producers take to get a wine how they want it all seem a lot more logical. The tricky part is that each region does things just a little differently... which can catch you out at times.
Theres so much info that we carried on into dinner with the wine and then had to continue afterwards too, finally finishing at 10.45pm. We had tasted 36 different wines and sampled 18 with dinner to see the effect on the wine flavour with food.
Day two started at 8.30am and we covered the remaining half of France we didn't cover the first day, the moved on to Spain, Portugal and Italy, finishing with England, Wales, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. Again, we went right through dinner, finishing just after 11pm having tasted 9 French wines, 6 Spanish, 6 Portuguese, 8 Italian, 3 English, 1 Welsh, 4 German and 2 wines from each of the other countries as well and 2 Champagnes and 3 sparkling wines... the sparkling wines signalling a move into the rest of the world on day three.
8am start and we go off around the world with a look at South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Canada and USA. We only do a few wines from each country, focusing on their most produced white or red before heading back to France for a close look at the Champagne region and learn about the FOUR different ways Champagne can be made, sampling examples of each.
Next, after a working lunch covering cider productions we learn the basics of lager and ale production, then we look at liqueur or fortified wines such as Sherry and Port and then take a quick run around the world with Spirits such as Gin, Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Calvados and Kirsch... before finally finishing with low and non-alcohol drinks.
We have a proper coffee break , a spot of revision and then an hour long exam to attain the intermediate certificate.
I have to say I enjoyed it immensely, I've not found a subject so interesting or engrossing for a long time and the three to four week wait for the results is gonna be hell.
Keep an eye out here though, cos I'm sure as hell gonna be putting my new knowledge into action!
Anyway, I am shattered, I'm all wined out and I'm heading to bed, thankful that I made it through a very gruelling course
Originally Posted by Dareos
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