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Since passing the notoriously difficult tasting part of the Masters of Wine examination in 2003, Stephen has held exam-practice tastings for Master of Wine students. These tastings, which are held in London, adhere to the standard MW format – 12 wines, served blind, in 2¼ hours – and are followed by a wine-by-wine debrief where students read out their notes and are given individual feed-back about their performance. The wines served are of exam-quality and cover the complete range of wines likely to be seen in the exam. The tastings are suitable for both 1st and 2nd year students and beginners are made to feel at home. Having failed the tasting exam four times, before being successful at his fifth attempt, Stephen believes he knows what it takes to pass. Each year, out of the fifty or sixty students who take the tasting exam, only around 10%-15% pass. In 2009, of the ten students who passed the tasting exam, eight were ex-attendees of Stephen’s tastings. Whilst Stephen appreciates that this may be pure happenstance, he does believe in the old golfing adage: the more you practice, the luckier you get. Having served on the MW Education Committee as Tastings Coordinator from 2003-2009, Stephen was responsible for selecting the wines for eight tastings a year - a total of 576 wines – plus setting the questions. In addition, Stephen has attended the MW education seminars held in Bordeaux, Napa, Adelaide and Rust (Austria), together with the London Course Days and has de-briefed many of the tastings held during the seminars. Students are taught the key principles of success:
Tastings usually start in January and run through the first five months of the year, finishing with a three-tasting session in the three days preceding the examination which is held in the first week of June. Tastings are normally held on Saturdays (2 pm) and Sundays (9.30 am) and whenever possible, they coincide with the 1st and 2nd year London Course Days. Click here to view current tastings programme.
spskelton@btinternet.com |
