It All Starts With a Boycott
We earned the wrath of many sommeliers when we wrote the article “Time to Boycott the Court?” At the time, the CMS-A had been caught in a wide range of unethical/sexist/racist scandals, and we felt it was time to call them to account. We also criticized the Court for being too politically active in the Republican party.
We published some of the comments of sommeliers who were angry about our reporting; we held back on the ones that were unapologetically sexist, racist, or political, mainly because we didn’t want to be a part of the moral panic that was swirling about at the time.
Welcome to the New Court of Sommeliers
A few years have passed, and the Court of Master Sommeliers has entirely transformed. It has purged its board of directors of the old guard and fired its longstanding president, Fred Dame. The new board is a diverse blend of Master Sommeliers and outsiders, including a new executive director recruited from the theater world.
The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas (CMS-A) seeks to promote diversity, equity, access and inclusion in our organization and the greater beverage industry. In order to do so, we acknowledge that racism and inequity exist and are present globally, systemically, socially, and institutionally. We are
Excerpt from the Anti-Racism Pledge, Court of Master Sommelier Americas
committed to uncovering our individual and collective biases within this organization. While prejudices may be unconscious or conscious, we must separate the intent of our internalized biases from the impact of them and recognize the harm they cause to the greater wine community and, specifically, our
underrepresented communities.
Emily Wine, Former Chairman
The new regime has a particular goal, best outlined by Emily Wine, the former Chairman who put much of this work into action: “My focus has been on shifting our mindset around how sommeliers come to our programs. We have historically considered ourselves a meritocracy — the programs are open to all, and one simply needs to get over the bar in order to pass. Taking a wider vision, this is the wrong approach.”
DEI & Anti-Racism
This “anti-racist” approach has gained many sympathizers in the past decade, especially those whom identify as being far-left policially. Often called “Woke,” it is a set of post-modern philosophies derived from the work of academics like Edward Bell, Edward Said, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.
These “woke” beliefs have gained traction within the Democratic party in the United States. In particular, the growing popularity of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has taken complete control over several sectors of our culture, including academia, journalism, and the arts.
These beliefs have now taken over the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Executive Director Julie Cohen Theobald
A core part of the philosophy is equity. In a brief tweet, Executive Director Julie Cohen Theobald uses a now-famous image to explain why she prefers equity over equality.
Previously, Ms Theobald stated that “one of the things that we’re working on this year is a big equity push….If one person felt uncomfortable with something, please let us know that. We want those voices to be heard.”
Emily Wine reinforced that message “To achieve this, we have begun outreach to HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) to host intro-level programs and we give 100 scholarships per year to BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) and female wine students as a way to encourage diversity, starting at the bottom.”
A Problematic Approach to Diversity
The desire to make the wine trade more diverse is a noble goal. However, some academics believe that the way it’s being enacted in institutions such as the Court of Master Sommeliers is problematic.”They embrace full-on legal discrimination based on race and gender (identity), in the name of equity,” says the best-selling author & linguist John McWhorter (who also happens to be Black).
At times, the new CMS-A Board has a particular viewpoint that may distress some more conservative members, especially those who were angry at SOMM for our previous reporting on the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Dave Yoshida, Vice Chair
Of particular notice is Vice Chair (and Master Sommelier) Dave Yoshida. His politics and viewpoints are very clear in his X feed.
Elizabeth Ngonzi, Board Member
Board member Elizabeth Ngonzi has similar viewpoints on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and a willingness to cancel people when they don’t live up to expectations.
The New Woke Laws
While based on obviously good intentions, the new code of ethics for the Court of Sommeliers is infuriatingly vague.
Here is a list of what the Court believes to be problematic behavior in a Master Sommelier. Violations of this could result in censure or possibly dismissal from the organization. These examples are drawn directly from the CMS-A Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
- A Master Sommelier does not treat guests with attentive respect.’
- A Master Sommelier misuses CMS-A resources for personal or professional gain.
- A Master Sommelier does not offer the best professional opinion when asked for advice, thereby inadequately valuing their own talents, skills, and expertise.
- A Master Sommelier refuses to accept or acknowledge feedback or constructive criticism from mentees, candidates, employees, or peers.
- A Master Sommelier fails to cultivate relationships and interests outside the professional context.
- A Master Sommelier does not take time out for recreation and personal renewal.
- A Master Sommelier fails to report unethical, abusive, offensive, or otherwise unacceptable behavior that violates the CMS-A code of ethical behavior.
That final point is insidious: it turns all court members into informers for the regime. When the rules are equally malleable and byzantine, it’s better to be safe than sorry and report your fellow member for something as benign as being curt to a guest or not answering every wine question with an encyclopedic response.
Remember that violations of this code of conduct can result in expulsion and revocation of the member’s sommelier credentials. Moreover, every court member must agree to these terms and also absolve liability from the Court for any decision they make.
A Political Turn for Sommelier Exams
Our original criticism of the Court of Master Sommeliers in America was that it was too political. At the time, it’s financial connections to the Republican Party were alarming mainly because there is no reason for the wine trade to be the handmaiden to any political movement.
Ironically, in their move to righten the ship, they overcorrected (in our opinion) by adopting another set of highly charged political opinions. Many things were wrong with the institution, many of which were due to straying away from their core brief of wine education.
Starting in 2024, the CMS-A will no longer use the terms “Old World” and “New World” in our published educational courses and examination grids.
Julie Theobald, CMSA-A Newsletter, December 2023
This decision is driven by the commitment to uphold historical accuracy, eliminate cultural bias, and acknowledge the growing challenge of distinguishing between “Old World” and “New World” wines.
We applaud the court for attempting to address the systemic issues present in the Court of Master Sommeliers; however, such moves as removing the terms “old world” and “new world” from their curriculum to “eliminate cultural bias” will not move that needle. It will only act to remove key elements of history from the profession.
This distinction between Old World and New World wine-producing regions is significant. Moreover, they speak to the history and culture of those regions that students of wine who participate in the CMS curriculum surely should grapple with and understand. And it turns out that using the terms Old World and New World are highly useful in exploring these kinds of differences.
Tom Wark, The Court Rules Against Teaching Wine History, December 2023
We hope that the Court can find a middle path between the two political extremes it finds itself rocked between.
