The Best Advice I Ever Received
From a professional standpoint, getting where I am today has been a real adventure. To go from engineering, field sales, and support in the electronics industry to singing the praises of alcoholic beverages was a significant personal undertaking.
I knew I needed to just know more about booze. The only thing I knew back in the fall of 2008 is that I liked to drink the stuff and I liked to try different things. That was it. I took the time to see what I could do about taking courses to make me smarter about wine and spirits. I had all kinds of questions: How are the classes structured? Do I go in-person, or do I take them online? Am I going to need to find childcare to do this? After exploring my options and getting into a routine with Child #1, I made the commitment to education. We had just moved to New Jersey for The Greatest Wife In The World's new job and after getting out of the tech industry, I registered for the Wine & Spirits Education Trust's (WSET) Level 2 Intermediate Course at New York's International Wine Center.
The WSET is a London-based organization that "provides globally recognised education and qualifications in wines, spirits and sake, for professionals and enthusiasts." The International Wine Center is a WSET Approved Program Provider, meaning the school is allowed to teach various levels of the WSET curriculum. As I made education a part of my life, I moved through the Intermediate and Advanced sessions, worked some trade events pouring wines, and started working at a terrific retail shop. I enjoyed showing the colorful maps from my study materials to my then two-year old son, who got a real kick out of saying wine words like "Muscadet."
And even though I was well on my way to gaining credibility in the alcohol industry, I still craved more knowledge and challenges. Going to the next WSET level, The Diploma of Wine & Spirits, was a massive time commitment and honestly, it seemed scary. I thought I had learned so much at the Advanced level...what the hell was the six-unit Diploma program going to be like?
When I called the International Wine Center to talk about the Diploma program with the Development Coordinator, I felt good about jumping in. I asked a question that seemed like an innocuous throwaway at the time: "What advice do you have for me as I go through the Diploma program?"
His response: "Read...and taste."
Never a prouder professional moment for me to accept the Diploma of Wine & Spirits and a work-study opportunity in a 500-year old building in London.
A simple answer that today means so much. It was such a plain response that unlocked so many doors in my brain. I had to spend nearly three years (if I passed each unit on the first try) reading about and tasting as much wine and spirits as I possibly could. It meant that I couldn't just focus on well-known grapes like Merlot and Chardonnay, or familiar California and Italian wine regions. I needed to know more about places like Campania and Santa Ynez Valley. I needed to taste wines made from grapes called Refosco and Fernao Pires. When I read more about rum, it helped me get over a bad Captain Morgan experience in my youth and learn to approach rum in a different way. I carried the "read and taste" mantra throughout my studies and it made me successful as I captured the Diploma and won a work-study scholarship. Meeting the legendary wine writer, Jancis Robinson, was a major highlight; her books and wine references helped immensely and I was happy to tell her so.
Watching The Boss run his Wine 101 class. Do I know a lot of the information? Yes, but there might be something valuable I can still take away, whether it is a new way to approach the subject, or even a way to teach a course that resonates with a group.
"Read and taste" applies more than ever now, for me and for you. Education never stops, whether you do it on your own or seek out a school like the WSET program. When I teach spirits classes at Divine Wine, I am always researching and staying on top of my game. When a new product comes into the store, I am tasting it with an open mind. Yes, I am making a plug for my school today. If you want to just test the water or make a deep dive into wine and spirits, you can find a school just about anywhere in the country that offers the WSET curriculum. Just go here, search near your geography, and check out the individual school's web site. Call them and ask questions; you will be plunking down some hard-earned cash to take the classes, so you should have as much data as you can regarding how to make the classes work for you.
Read and taste...it's the best piece of advice I have ever received and now I pass it on to you. Get in touch with me if you have any questions on how to begin your own educational journey of grapes and grains. You never know what you are capable of until you give it a shot.