The Certified Sommelier Examination was introduced in December of 2005. Previously, students who passed the MS Introductory examination could apply directly to the Advanced Course after waiting the required years’ time.  More often than not, first time students did poorly on the Advanced Exam for any number of reasons. Each student is unique so the three parts of the examination will always pose different challenges to different individuals. Historically the major challenge was the service exam where the combination of lack of appropriate preparation for dealing with nerves—sometimes extreme—in an audition situation doomed most first timers. Exceptions to the rule usually came in the form of students who were working the floor of upscale restaurants where they performed service to MS standards night in and night out, and who were also used to the pressure of being “on stage” in a top level venue.

Several years prior to 2005, the CMSA Board had discussed the possibility of an intermediate level between the Introductory and Advanced Courses; a level that would accomplish several goals: first, to provide the hospitality industry with a much-needed basic sommelier certification; second, to introduce students to the three-part MS examination format; third, to give us a first look at their individual service skills.

Between 2004 and 2005 a team of Masters from the CMSA created the Certified Sommelier Examination with the help of UK and European Masters. After beta-testing, the exam went live at the end of 2005. While the content has changed from year to year, the format of the exam has remained basically the same:

• Theory: a 40-question written test combining multiple choice, short answer, and matching questions.
• Tasting: a blind tasting of two wines, one white and one red, with the student filling out a grid based on the MS Deductive Tasting Method.
• Service: sparkling wine service with students being asked questions about various beverages that might be served during the course of a meal as well as questions about food and wine pairing. 

Since that first exam in 2005, the Certified Sommelier Examination has, to a great extent, accomplished its goals. With that, I’d like to offer some advice to students who are preparing to take the Certified Exam, especially those taking it for the first time. 

Disclaimer! The following is my personal advice to students and in no way a reflection of the policies of the CMSA or its Board of Directors.

Theory Examination

The CMSA philosophy of theory curriculum has a lot to do with what a sommelier theoretically could be asked tableside by a guest about any beverage served in the restaurant. Emphasis is placed on wine, but beer, spirits, sake, and aperitifs are important as well. Therefore, it’s important to realize that geography is vital to a sommelier’s body of knowledge; knowing where a wine is produced down to a single vineyard (if necessary) is paramount to success in the MS program.

Example: if a guest is asking about a vintage of Savennières “Clos de la Coulée de Serrant” from the producer Nicholas Joly, the sommelier/student should know the following about the wine:

• It’s a dry white wine.
• It’s made from the Chenin Blanc grape.
• The Coulée de Serrant vineyard is located in the Anjou region of France’s Loire Valley, specifically in the AOP of Savennières.
• The Coulée de Serrant vineyard is actually an AOP itself.

Further, if the guest asks about the biodynamic symbol on the bottle, the sommelier/student should be able to explain what it means and also provide some information about the philosophy of biodynamics, how it can affect wine quality, and some growers/producers that farm biodynamically in other regions of the world—all without burying the guest in a mountain of useless and confusing verbiage.

Once again, it’s important to note that MS theory exams focus on geography and being able to connect grape varieties to styles of wines made in specific geographical locations. From there students also need to study country and regional laws, classifications, terms about grape growing and winemaking, and major producers for important wines such at prestige cuvée Champagne.

Tasting Examination

The Certified tasting examination consists of tasting a white and a red wine and filling out a written grid based on the Deductive Tasting Method, which is first taught in the Introductory Sommelier Class. The grid requires the student to input information concerning a wine’s aromas and flavors, the presence of minerality and/or earthiness, and the use of oak. Further, the grid asks that students assess the structural components of the wines; the levels of residual sugar, acidity, alcohol, the finish, and tannin in the red wine. Finally, the student is asked to deduce the best possible conclusion about the wine, which includes the climate in which the grapes were grown, Old World vs. New World style, the actual grape variety or blend of grapes, the country of origin, and the vintage of production. 

It goes without saying that a good deal of practice is needed to become proficient at using the grid, not to mention tasting in general. The good news is that the grid can be downloaded for practice from the CMSA website at any time (here). The grape varieties used in the exam for both white and red wines are listed on the grid so the student can focus his or her tasting practice. Otherwise, here is further advice in preparing for the Certified tasting exam:

A word about practicing tasting: make sure you are working in a tasting group as the dynamics of a good study group are essential to learning and improvement, not to mention the camaraderie and shared experience. 

Finally, I’ve written about tasting and preparing for the MS tasting exams extensively on my blog. I’ve found that smelling and tasting wine is completely based on one’s memory; not only the memory of the various aromatics and flavors in wine but the combination of these components that make up the complete profile of a grape or style of wine. If memory is the key, then students can—and absolutely should—work with their own personal memories of these components and varietal profiles apart from actually tasting wine. I strongly believe that practicing memory of the components and profiles of grapes and wines is just as important and beneficial as actually tasting them. 

Service Examination

The MS title is about being a world-class sommelier and thus service and working the floor are the essence of what we do. The service component is also important to an employer in terms of wanting to know if a potential hire knows the basics of correct service and can open a bottle of sparkling wine without inflicting bodily injury to themselves or those in the immediate vicinity. Safety is key in sparkling wine service. There are any number of ways to open a bottle of bubbly incorrectly—even dangerously—but only one way to do it right. Here are some vital pointers to do just that:

Mise-en-Place—Setting Up:

• Fold two—and ONLY two—serviettes for service. One will be used for opening the bottle and the other will be left on the bucket tableside if a bucket is used for service. In other words, don’t fold all the napkins on the service station.
• Make sure the glassware is clean and polished. 
• Always line the tray with an unfolded cloth napkin; no fancy origami folds as they result in an uneven surface almost guaranteeing you’ll lose glassware in a spectacular fashion.
• Place the glassware consistently at each cover; at the point of the knife is the most straight forward method.
• Place glassware starting with the host or the person to the host’s left. Placing glassware is NOT gender specific so one trip around the table will suffice.
• Place two under-liners or coasters to the right of the host, one for the cork and the other for the bottle, if the host decides to keep the bottle on the table.

Opening the Bottle:

• Never take the top of your hand off the bottle when opening. This is utterly crucial to opening the bottle safely and properly. BEFORE loosening the cage, place a folded serviette over the top of the bottle. Then with a firm grip over the serviette and top of the bottle, loosen the wire cage and slowly remove the cage and cork at the same time by twisting the bottom of the bottle back and forth. Remember: the cage is NEVER removed before the cork. 
• Watch where you’re pointing the bottle when opening. Don’t point the bottle at the table or anyone else in the vicinity. Doing so is dangerous and cause for major deductions on your score.
• Always place a serviette over the top of the bottle when opening. As mentioned above, use a serviette over the top of the bottle when opening to prevent spilling any wine if the cork exits the bottles suddenly and tragically.
• Open the bottle as quietly as possible. A no-brainer. This is proper wine service and not the end of a Formula One race. Opening bottles of sparkling wine quietly is a matter of practice and repetition.
• Wipe the bottle with your serviette after you’ve removed the cork before pouring a taste for the host.
• Present the cork to the host on an underliner which is placed to the host’s right.

Serving the Bottle:

• Hold the bottle with a still wine grip. Do NOT hold the bottle with your thumb in the punt of the bottle when pouring; this method does not provide enough control and stability and the odds of dropping or losing control of the bottle increase significantly.
• After presenting the cork pour a 1-to-1.5 ounce taste for the host. Wait for them to approve the wine and then serve the table in the following order: serve lady guests first and then men. If there is a guest of honor seated to the right of the host, serve them first before lady guests. Serve the host last regardless of gender.
• Fill the glasses at least ½ to ¾ glass full with a maximum pour of an inch below the top of the glass.
• Fill the glasses one at a time with a maximum of two pours for each glass; partial pouring and/or going around the table multiple times is not allowed.
• Make sure the pours are even!
• Gage the pour level/amount based on glass size and number of glasses to be poured so you don’t run out of wine.
• It’s not necessary to empty the entire bottle of wine; in fact, there should be a little wine left in the bottle.

General Service Points

• Remember to serve from the right and to move around the table clockwise—ALWAYS—even if just returning to the service station.
• Don’t reach across a guest’s space to place or clear glassware or serve wine--even if the chair is empty.
• PRACTICE CARRYING A TRAY. This is the one part of service that cannot be faked. If you don’t regularly work with a tray, lots of practice will be needed for an exam setting. Odds are you will be nervous. Practice!
• You should be able to carry a tray comfortably with either hand. However, proper service dictates that the tray should be carried in the left hand and glassware placed with the right hand.

Service Exam Theory:

• Work on major cocktails, aperitifs, and after dinner spirits. Study cocktails and aperitifs by category, i.e., vodka cocktails, gin cocktails etc.
• Food and wine pairing: Have specific wine recommendations with producer and vintage in mind.
• Be able to take a specific style—be it a high acid red wine or a white with residual sugar—to multiple places in the wine world.   
• Above all, know why the pairing works! Be able to explain why a wine works well with a specific dish in terms of the structural components of the wine (i.e., high acidity, lack or oak or smooth tannins). It’s the entire point of selling a specific wine with a certain dish. 

General Service Advice:

• Taking care of the table is paramount. Even though you’re in an exam setting, remember that you are a sommelier and your job is to take care of the table—NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. In a real life service situation you do not have the luxury of freaking out or giving up on a table or “failing.” Your job again is to take care of the guest and give them great service. The exam should be no different. Take care of the examiner(s) as you would any guest in your restaurant. To do so will translate into success. 

I’m just back from ten days on the road; a trip split between three Alto Adige wine seminars in Denver, D.C., and New York, and a trip to Germany for the Weinbörse, the big annual spring wine fair. While the likes of such a sojourn may sound glamorous, anyone who travels for a living will tell you that most of it is spent looking at the inside of hotels, cabs, and planes, not to mention the long periods of time in various inert, semi-functioning states. But there was plenty of upside to this trip with the buzz generated by Alto Adige wines (see earlier post) and tasting the outstanding 2012 vintage for German Riesling. More on the latter will follow in my next post. Until then, here are bits of wisdom gained from the road.

Bee Death Smells Like Bananas

This gem offered by Haley Dale from Omaha who was on the Germany segment of the trip. Haley’s restaurant, the Grey Plume, is a farm-to-table concept and her commitment—no, make that obsession--to deliver the freshest local ingredients to her guests includes the likes of keeping bees in her back yard for their prized honey. However, she warns that the worst thing one can do before working with bees is to eat bananas. That’s because the hormone given off by a bee that’s just stung you, as in a bee that has just given up its life by stinging you to protect the rest of the hive, smells like bananas. So those ripe banana slices on the breakfast cereal you’re enjoying as you read the celebrity column right before you amble out to check out the hive will instantly signify serial death to the inhabitants and give the signal to attack. Bee forewarned.

They Have Wine Queens in Germany

On the first morning of our German itinerary we were graced by the presence of one Sabine Wagner who, as it turns out, is the 2013 Rheingau Wine Queen. I’m not sure about the selection process or the requirements for being a wine queen, but I will tell you that Sabine was lovely, charming, and wore a very cute tiara that would surely be the envy of most any nine-year-old girl. She was also accompanied by another woman who was the wine queen from a smaller region. Together, they provided color commentary in English about the drizzly landscape as we sped past in our uber-designed German bus. They also excelled at photo ops which I gather is part of the job description. For the record, I also have to mention that there was a grape queen at the spring wine ball that night pictured below. Her costume was pretty amazing. It probably weighed a ton as well.

It’s Spargel Season 

It’s spring in Germany and that means it’s time for spargel or white asparagus. Spargel is truly a delicacy, far more subtle than its aggressive green cousin. The Germans obsess about spring and Spargel. How do they enjoy it? Simply steamed and served with Hollandaise sauce accompanied by Speck (thinly sliced cured ham) and roasted potatoes. Wine pairing? Silvaner from Franconia is ausgezeichnet (excellent)!  Han Wirsching’s Spätlese Trocken would be a perfect match. Does eating spargel make your pee stink? Yes it does, but not nearly as much as green asparagus. However, eat enough spargel over a period of several days and everything about you, from your clothes to various aspects of your fabulous physique, will indeed have a delightfully pungent vegetal air. That’s not a bad thing. I think it’s called personal terroir.

The Shower Challenge

What’s the greatest road challenge when it comes a hotel room? Remembering your room number? Not quite, although that certainly makes life a bit easier. It’s not figuring out the thermostat either. That’s a close second because some of them are either so arcane or so complicated as to be unworkable. When it doubt, turn it off unless it’s either freezing or boiling in the room. In which case, call the front desk and make them fix it.  


The greatest hotel room challenge of all is the shower, specifically figuring out how the shower works. I’m firmly convinced that there are completely evil and/or monumentally stupid individuals who design hotel bathroom showers; hotel showers so utterly lacking in functionality that it’s almost as if the job of designing them was handed to a herd of goats. Allow me get beyond my rant for just a moment by providing the following bit of sage advice: make sure you know how the shower works before you actually have to use it—as in the following morning. I say that from more than one tragic experience.
 
Unless you’re one of the compulsive types who gets up two hours before they actually have to be anywhere, the last 20 minutes of your morning routine—as in when you shower and actually get ready—are crunch time. There’s absolutely no room for error and that’s exactly when the unsuspecting bather is waylaid by the dark gods of poor hotel bathroom design. That’s when the panic-stricken bather, not unlike the newsprint besmeared victim of Psycho, realizes that it takes ten minutes for tepid—not hot—water to appear from the faucet; that the drain doesn’t work and one is quickly up to their knees with water that looks like toxic waste; that the towels are not in the bathroom as they should be but are, in fact, in another room as in Fiji;  that there are multiple lethal shower heads that will attack with shocking force from all angles with ice cold water if the precise combination of several dials is not applied. Showers, my friends, can be dangerous. Test-drive them the night before needed use. You will be glad you did.

Recently I was in the UK for meetings and had a couple of hours in Heathrow before getting on my flight to head back home. After catching up on e-mail, I strolled about looking for a place to grab a sandwich. As I wandered through the food court, I spotted a cafe called Giraffe whose motto “live eat live” was boldly posted in multiple locations. Just as I hit the perimeter of the restaurant ,a petite young woman in a bright red Tshirt walked directly up to me, called out a bright sing-song “hello!” and offered a menu along with a huge smile. How could I refuse? She then proceeded to sit me next to an enormous plant.

After a few minutes, my server showed up. Like the hostess, she was short, petite, and with a big smile. She spoke excellent English with the slightest trace of an accent. I placed my order for lunch and she returned momentarily with drinks in hand. I said thanks then asked where she was from. Her name was Anna and she was from Kraków, Poland. She went on to say that Kraków was a beautiful city and that I absolutely had to visit at some point. I told her I was from San Francisco and she said she’d always wanted to go there but it was extremely difficult because a visa was required and that was very expensive. 

Small talk accomplished, she took off for to scour the rest of her station; I turned my attention back to the restaurant at large. The bustling Giraffe restaurant sat at least 120 people, and was an incredibly busy place with an endless stream of singles, large parties, and moms with small squawking kids ensconced in various Dr. Seuss-like vehicles guaranteed to block any and all transit. The turnover was frightening with everyone needing to be served right NOW so they could make their flights. (By the way, why is it that they never post the gate in Heathrow until 10-15 minutes before boarding? To add even more excitement to the travel experience?).

Amidst all this dining frenzy was Anna. After watching her work for a short time, I quickly realized two things: first, she was bionic. Second, and no big surprise, she was a mighty mite (see blog post from May 18th). Anna moved quickly and effortlessly from table to table taking orders, serving and clearing, all the while smiling and conversing with diners as if the whole thing was no big deal and just an easy dance. I had fantasies about cloning her and negotiating a huge contract with a big corporate restaurant group back in the states.  Visions of a massive pile of cash danced in my head. With an army of Annas I could, dare I say it, rule the world.

I sat back and thought about Anna and what made her such an all-star at her job. What made her so great? Why was she so different from most people who work in airport fast food places, who seem like they’ve been condemned to the cocktail lounge in hell with no promise of a return shuttle? The first thing that came to mind was that she was utterly unafraid of hard work. OK, I thought, so a lot of people are that way, but the wrong person in this particular job would end up hating life almost instantly because it was so insanely busy and the pace never let up. Aside from that, what else made her so different from the endless herd I’ve seen working in fast food joints over the years? Why was she such a valuable employee regardless of whether the management was clued in or not? After further observation I came up with several reasons:

First: She made genuine eye contact with everyone she spoke to. She didn’t fake looking at or communicating with anyone. She was, in short, completely HOME.

Second: she really focused and actually listened to what I was saying even after the order had been taken. Even though she was constantly moving like a hummingbird, whenever Anna stopped and chatted with me she came to a complete halt and put all of her attention on listening. Mind you, she probably had a zillion things going on in her head at the same time. At first I thought it was my irresistible charm, but then quickly realized that she did this with everyone at every table. 

Third: really two things, but they are very, very subtle and could the key to Anna’s magic. Every time I asked her a question she smiled in response and leaned in very slightly when answering.  Combined, those two responses gave the impression that she cared about what I was saying. Aha! That last point is perhaps the key. She not only cared about what I was saying, but she probably cared that my experience at the fabulous Giraffe restaurant was a good one. That alone, meine freunden, sets her apart from everyone else and makes her an all-star. Game, set and match.

Not convinced? Allow me to explain via contrast, one of the most powerful tools for learning. Imagine what my experience would have been like had Anna done the complete opposite: not making consistent eye contact, not really listening carefully (itself a recipe for disaster), and not making any effort to smile while moving slightly back and away when answering a question. The difference would be radical as in someone completely disconnected from the moment, the experience, and the job. 

For years I’ve preached the idea of taking care of the table when doing service demonstrations in Master Sommelier Intro Courses. I think the concept of caring and taking care of the guest is what sets great sommeliers apart from everyone else. I go on to tell the students that in an exam—and on the job—if the table catches on fire, you take care of it. If a herd of goats somehow finds its way on to your floor, you take care of it. If the host wants to taste the Haut-Brion out of his daughter’s plastic slipper, then you need to figure out how to make it work (true story). 

Taking care of the guest also presupposes one very important thing: that the sommelier or server is secondary and never the most important part of the dining equation. The very idea of serving requires putting one’s self second to the needs of the guest. Period. On that note, fellow MS Madeline Triffon in a recent conversation spoke to me about the “joy of serving,” literally the times when one is in the zone and having a great time doing the job while making people’s dining experience wonderful. She was speaking from personal experience. She was also describing our friend Anna.

As I left busy confines of the Giraffe I said good bye to Anna and told her that she was doing a heroic job, which elicited yet another huge smile. I wished her the best of luck and hoped that she would someday get a chance to visit San Francisco. Then I tipped her six pounds on a 12 pound check. She was worth every pence and more. 

Not long ago, I had a lengthy phone conversation with a writer who was putting together a piece for the NY Post. During our chat he happened to mention how difficult it was for him to get a good bottle of wine in a restaurant. My reaction was somewhere between “Doooooo!” and “really?” I was surprised given the guy lives in New York, dines out regularly, and knows more than a bit about wine. But after a few more questions from my end it quickly became apparent that his comfort level with wine in restaurants simply wasn’t there; that dealing with a sommelier or huge wine list was a major challenge. 

He’s not alone. Dealing with what I call “wine ballet” or the “being handed the wine list in front of my friends/colleagues/future ex-spouse” is a source of major stress for practically anyone. I wouldn’t quite put it up there with the fear of public speaking, which according to some sources is even greater than the fear of death (must be a tough audience). Being put on the spot with a wine list the size of the Gutenberg Bible can definitely cause personal anxiety. No surprise that the writer didn’t believe me when I told him it was no big deal. So I gave him my own strategy on how to get the best value wine from any given list. Then I promised him I’d share with all my closest friends. Here it is:

Prelude

There are some things you definitely must know before you darken the restaurant’s door. These would include the following:

a. Know the style of wine you like to drink. Go into a restaurant armed with the knowledge that, “I like a red wine with soft tannins, not too much oak, and that listens to NPR;” or “I really like big, oaky Cabernets that remind me of a monster truck pull.”

b. Know what you don’t like; arguably even more important than knowing what you do like. Know that you absolutely loathe oaky wines or you break out in hives if the alcohol in a red wine gets to be over 15%, which is not all that uncommon these days.

c. Have a couple of examples of wines you’ve enjoyed in the past that can be used as points of reference. Once you know exactly what you like and don’t like, it’s good to have some wines in mind that you’ve tasted in the past that can be used in discussions with a server or a sommelier.

d. Price: know how much you want to spend within $15-$20. Wine prices on restaurant lists can vary dramatically, but chances are you already have a good idea of how much you’re willing to spend in future dining excursions. 

The Main Event

Now you’re ready to go. You’ve just entered the restaurant with the man/woman of your dreams. When the hostess races you both across the dining room, seats you next to the kitchen, and gives you one of those “adios amigo” smiles before racing off leaving the glassware on the table spinning, don’t panic. Keep breathing. Feel good. Feel confident. It’s going to be alright.

1. The Wine List: as you pick up the wine list head to any section and check out the pricing. Spot the highest price you can find and the lowest price as well. Drag those to your mental trash bin and discard.

2. Find the average price: get a quick eyeball average of where most of the wines are priced. That could be anywhere between $40 and $150 depending on your location and the style of the restaurant. After all, there’s a huge difference between a corner bistro and The French Laundry in terms of the cost of operations, infrastructure, and the rest. You might also keep in mind the fact that most restaurants do NOT make money by selling food alone, but only manage to survive and hopefully thrive by the selling alcoholic beverages. 

3. Find the sweet spot: set your sights on the 50-60% price range of the restaurants’ pricing scheme. That’s usually where the best values are and that, meine liebchen, is your sweet spot. 

4. Your server: when your server arrives and asks if you’d like wine with dinner (wrong question), smile and say something like the following:

“You know, this is a really great list.  I’d like to talk to the sommelier and or the wine buyer if they’re available (or whoever gets stuck with doing the wine buying).” 

Just kidding on that last one point. But you should know that what you think of as the glorious task of creating a wine list is often relegated to whatever poor soul is the assistant manager, a position that in many instances can only be described as one of the s**t jobs of the universe.

5. The buyer: if the buyer is on the floor, that’s great. Hopefully they will be over in short order. Once said buyer makes appears at your table, be sure to relay the above pertinent information to them as in:

a)  “This is the style of wine I really like.”

b) “I hate XX kind of wine.”

c) “Here are some wines I’ve enjoyed in the past.”

6. Pricing: give them a price range to work with as in, “I’d like to spend $50-$60,” or “please suggest something great under $75.”

Be specific about your price range, but remember that part of their job is to SELL and that means they will probably start in your price range and then suggest something a bit more expensive. Don’t be put off. Listen politely and smile. If their suggestion makes sense in terms of your personal favorite wine style and it’s within your budget, consider it. However, if their suggestion is hideously expensive (meaning they either didn’t listen to you or they’re completely clueless), smile again and say something like the following:

 “You know, that’s really not what I had in mind. I’m sure you probably have something more in our price range. Could you please make a recommendation in the XX price range?”  

Likewise, if their suggestion is completely obscure don’t hesitate to ask about the wine. Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl, anyone? Good questions to ask about any recommendation would include the sweetness/dryness level, the amount of oak, or the amount of tannin if it’s a red wine recommendation. Ultimately, ask yourself if the recommendation fits your favorite wine profile. If not, don’t hesitate to ask for something closer in style as in a wine with less tannin, oak, or cosmetic flaws.

7. Discourse: a bit of back and forth is always good. Being mindful of the magic combination of your likes, dislikes, and desired price range should be more than enough for practically anyone to help you get a delicious bottle.

Coda: Magic Questions

If in doubt, ask the following questions. You can always feel free to skip everything above and head straight to these.

“What are your favorite VALUES on the list?”

“Is there anything you’ve just gotten in that you really like and think is a must try?”

“Is there anything you’re pouring by the glass that you really like and think is a great value?”

If you’re speaking to the buyer/sommelier, chances are they will get dangerously excited at this point or they should be checked for a pulse. This is the moment every sommelier dreams about, the moment when someone is asking their opinion about the coolest wines on the list that they have toiled long hours to put together. What more could they want? Odds are they will blurt out the best/ coolest/ greatest/most amazing wine in nano-seconds of the question leaving your mouth. They may even get all verklempt on you. This is how it should be. If the wine is being poured by the glass, by all means ask to taste it. Otherwise, if the price is right, give it a spin. And if you really like their recommendation, be sure to let him or her know it and even throw a bit of cash their way. It’s always greatly appreciated.
 
Cheers!