How To Become A Sommelier In 3 Days Or Less

Reflections on the Court of Master Sommeliers Exams, and some notes on the future

You could taste the tension in the air at the Hilton Hotel. Clutching hands with people I’d only known for three days, we waited for our names to be called at the graduation ceremony for the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) Certified Sommelier Exam.

Since December last year, I’d been immersed in study, driven by a realisation that my scepticism towards the CMS stemmed from a fear of not being smart or talented enough to pass. My typical response to such epiphanies of personal weakness is bull-headed determination to prove myself wrong. That very night, I enrolled and set myself the ambitious goal of conquering both the Introductory and Certified exams by June.

What is the CMS?

For those unacquainted, the Court of Master Sommeliers is an international certifying body offering four educational levels: Introductory, Certified, Advanced, and Master. You might know CMS from the hit documentary “Somm” from the early 2010s, which followed five young men striving to pass their Master Sommelier (MS) exam. To date, fewer than 250 sommeliers worldwide hold the MS title, but all began with the exams I had just signed up for.

CMS qualifications assure employers that you possess a certain level of expertise in wine service. Unlike the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust (WSET), CMS is specifically tailored for restaurant professionals. Consequently, the Certified level exams consist of a theory paper, a blind tasting, and a service exam.

Preparations

The Court recommends six months of study for the Certified exam. I meticulously crafted an elaborate study plan—detailed, tight, well-formatted with nice fonts and links. However, it became fairly useless after two months when weeks of arriving early to work and staying late led to a burnout that benched me for four weeks. Bordeaux became my nemesis— I was pulling my hair out asking why so many different quality classifications?

The CMS journey is entirely self-led. Upon enrolling, you receive a syllabus and an exam date. For those fortunate enough to work in high-end dining, colleagues who have already undertaken the exams become invaluable resources. I am endlessly grateful for the help I received from our Head Sommelier and Assistant Head Sommelier. We conducted numerous practical exam simulations, blind tastings, and theory exams. On the job, colleagues would quiz me on the fly:

“Name the villages of Sauternes.”

“What are the soil types of Barolo and the styles of wine they produce?”

“Which Champagne house makes RD?”

“What are the subregions of the Breede River Valley?”

“What are the subregions of Cognac?”

“Cot is a synonym for which grape varietal?”

“What style of wine is produced in Banyuls?”

And so on, endlessly.

The Course

We were expected to arrive at 7:30 a.m., a torturous decision for hospitality workers who typically wouldn’t get to bed until after 1 a.m. Despite the early starts, the course charged forward, covering the Loire, Alsace, Bordeaux, and Champagne—all before 1 p.m. My eyes were bleary, and my desk threatened to become my pillow.

Yet, a new feeling set in alongside the exhaustion: exhilaration. The sense of being in a room with people who, like me, had studied for months in preparation for this moment was electrifying. I sat up straighter in my chair and, over three days, filled two notebooks, used up two pens, and drank about eight litres of water. The complimentary coffee, while appreciated, did little to maintain focus.

my colleague Marco and I on day 1

We tried 24 wines over those three days to test our tasting skills and practice the deductive tasting method the CMS uses. In one flight of six wines, I had a personal victory, correctly identifying all six wines by varietal and region, with only a few variances in vintage. The other flights were less successful, but my pass rate was satisfactorily high.

(For those interested in learning more about blind tasting, an article will be coming soon. Meanwhile,

Tim Gaiser

, also on Substack, has a helpful book entitled “Message in a Bottle,” which I used in my preparations.)

Myself, Marie (Dux), The Head Sommelier Steve, and Marco

The Exam

The exam flew by. The pass rate for the Introductory exam was 91%. I breezed through the relatively simple multiple-choice questions, thanks to my job, where knowing the names of Chablis Grand Crus and key producers of Stellenbosch is basic competence.

The Certified exam was excruciating. Despite all my preparations, I know I only passed by the skin of my teeth. We had to know key vintages for Barolo, Champagne, and Port, the top cuvées of Champagne houses, and all the obscure subregions of Southern France and Central Italy. A few lucky gambles saved me. It turns out Bas-Armagnac is the most important subregion of Armagnac, but it was the only one I could recall during the exam.

Then came the tasting. Two wines, one white, one red. We had to give accurate descriptors and identify the region, varietal, and general age. Though confident in the white, the red threw me off. My feedback form from the MSs indicated I needed to focus on familiarising myself with red wines from New World regions if I wanted to continue in this field.

The service exam was a breeze. The MSs were running behind schedule, so we kept it concise: open a bottle of Champagne (mine embarrassingly popped), pour eight even glasses (don't forget to polish the glasses!), place three on the mock-restaurant table, starting with the seat labelled “lady” and ending with the host. All glasses had to be placed identically, with the brand on the base facing the guest. Then, collect the glasses, walk around the table, return them to the station, and make some recommendations.

I was asked about the composition of cocktails, pairing recommendations for scallops with two alternatives (I selected the 2019 Domaine de Huard Romorantin and The Sadie Family Kokerboom Semillon 2019). Then, a dessert pairing (Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance) and a digestif (Braulio Amaro).

The Ceremony

Hearing my name called was an immense relief. I was proud of what I’d achieved, and it was gratifying to have my colleagues and boss there to witness it. I passed alongside two coworkers, one of whom was the class Dux! We whooped, clapped for each other, hugged, and drank Champagne. There were lots of photos and excitement. The pass rate for Certified was 65%, and I’m thrilled to be part of that cohort.

This experience was profoundly rewarding, and I highly recommend it. Pushing myself, stretching my mind and palate, enduring early mornings and intense study, and receiving support from friends and colleagues has strengthened me both professionally and personally. I feel more capable and confident in my role, more dynamic and engaged. I now have a clearer understanding of my weaknesses and can focus on developing those.

Furthermore, having made such rapid career progress over the past year, it feels wonderful to have something concrete to show for it. The feeling of achievement is addictive. With the WSET Diploma commencing in a week, I doubt I’ll progress further in the Court over the next two years, but I’m surprisingly eager to return to that intense environment and pursue my Advanced Sommelier Certificate.

No matter how many wine qualifications I gain, the journey is never over. That’s the beauty of this field: there will always be something new to learn, and I can’t wait.