How do you become a sommelier?Do you spend vacations visiting wineries? Weekends buying wine for your growing collection? Then pursue your goal of becoming a sommelier! A career as a wine connoisseur has a great deal of appeal. You have seen the Somm movies; candidates determine a wine’s ingredients, origin, and approximate alcohol content from […]
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All the tv shows and movies featuring arch rival the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) seems to be having an effect. The Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) has hired Wagstaff Worldwide, a multinational PR firm.I wonder how a nonprofit education company can afford a billion-dollar PR firm? Guess sommelier certification is big business.They aren’t […]
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Masters of Wine ExamThis is the actual exam given to MW candidates in 2017. For information regarding WSET certification, please check out our Wine and Spirit Education Trust page.Masters of Wine Theory Paper #1THE PRODUCTION OF WINE – PART 1 (Viticulture)(THREE questions to be answered, ONE from Section A and TWO from Section B)Section A1. […]
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What is a Sommelier? Let’s Get to Brass TacksThe term has two meanings:A Sommelier’s job is running the beverage program at a restaurant, with a focus on the wine list. A less sexy name for this job is “Beverage Manager.” The job actually predates restaurants: back in the Victorian era, a Sommelier was a servant […]
Read MoreWant to know how to order wine at a restaurant? One of our master sommeliers breaks it down for you. Want to know more about wine? Check out our guide to wine schools in America.Ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant is sometimes a very intimidating process for those who are not involved in the industry […]
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The use of scented oils to improve health has been around for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians famously used scented oils, as did the Persians and Greeks. Flowers and herbs were cultivated for use in all aspects of life, from hygiene to cooking to spiritual and physical wellbeing. For every milestone in life, there was […]
Read MoreFake Sommelier?Not all sommeliers are trained to accurately taste wine. This is what we call a “fake sommelier. ” After all, the core element of the job is to have a great palate. If the job was just to bloviate, there would be a line of applicants out the door of every restaurant. Several dozen studies […]
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You have probably been among friends or acquaintances and the conversation has been about whether you like to cook or bake. And, you probably have responses that are decisively one way or the other. The typical response is baking is considered a science and cooking is an art. There is definitely a psychology underneath the […]
Read MoreOrigin Pizza PienaSome of us call it pita or stuffed pie, but the real name for this delicious Italian dish is pizza piena. While this is typically made around the holidays, and particularly Easter, the coming fall helps to recall the tradition of this dish and family and thus worth a mention as we head […]
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A place on the top of your list to visit in Philadelphia (Philly) is the Reading Terminal Market. Established in 1892, it is situated at 12th and Arch Streets and is the country’s oldest continuously operated farmers’ market. Despite weathering the ups and downs of the economy over the years, it is still one of […]
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