For decades, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has been treated as the gold standard in wine education. The organization boasts that its qualifications are “respected globally” and that the Diploma equips students with […]
WSET’s Wine List Scandal: The Analysis Read Post »
When the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) released its exam wine list for 2024/25, it should have been a moment of validation. After all, the Diploma is marketed as one of the highest levels
WSET Doesn’t Offer Reliable Sommelier Credentials Read Post »
This is an investigative research paper on current trends in the hospitality industry. Much of the research was conducted in New York and Chicago in 2025. I. AbstractIn the past decade, the American restaurant industry—especially
Have you ever had a loss of smell and taste? You certainly might have had flu in which this happens. So often, we don’t appreciate our sense of taste or smell much until we lose it. This
What Is Anosmia? Symptoms, Causes, And Treatments Read Post »
Have you ever wondered whether a wine that smells of sun-ripened peaches came from a vineyard next to an orchard? Or whether the chalky note in an Old World wine sprang right from the soil
Scents Found in Wine Read Post »
Ah, the classic Sideways. I am a professional sommelier, and I won’t lie. I’ve watched every wine movie that has ever come out, even the romantic comedies. Why? Because when you’re into wine, you want
Sideways: A Sommelier Reflects on this Classic Wine Movie Read Post »
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like when you would not be able to smell? Yet, we always take the sense of smell for granted until we can’t smell every day scents
Five Questions About Anosmia Read Post »
With the arrival of the Coronavirus in 2019, its symptoms weren’t specific and were discovered after it affected more and more people with time. CDC then listed loss of taste and smell as a symptom
COVID-19 and the Loss of Taste and Smell Read Post »
Wine has been a hot topic for millennia, entwined with our culture like no other libation. Wine is fun, engaging, desirable, and posh; it’s the one drink you must study to understand fully. Whether we
Top Wine Blogs for Aspiring Sommeliers Read Post »
In this article, we go into detail on how the pandemic has negatively impacted the wine trade, and in particular, wine education. In the last section, we offer a ray of hope: there are multiple
The COVID Catastrophe & Possible Salvation for Wine Schools Read Post »
Sommeliers Speak OutAfter publishing our omnibus examination of the failures and contradictions inside the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, the response was immediate—and, in some quarters, furious. A number of prominent sommeliers wrote to us
Opposing Viewpoints from the Sommelier Community Read Post »
Publisher’s NoteThis article addresses allegations, institutional failures, and contested claims involving the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, a credentialing body that has played a significant role in shaping professional wine education in the United States
The Court of Master Sommeliers Under Scrutiny Read Post »
