Passing the hardest wine exams in the world
The truth behind why elite wine tasting exams are so difficult to pass.
“This result—that just 6 of the group passed—highlights flaws of the exam itself, many believe. “The tasting portion is the most subjective portion of the exam,” says Fredrickson. Variables such as the graders, the wines, and even body chemistry can affect a candidate’s ability to pass the six-wine, 25-minute exam. It isn’t unusual to have bad tasting days—in Fredrickson’s final practice flight before he passed the tasting exam, he correctly identified just one of six wines.”
The above quote refers to the Master Sommelier tasting exam, and is taken from this eye-opening article looking into the infamous 2018 invalidation of MS exam results, which resulted in 23 new Master Sommeliers being stripped of their title.
What is especially unfortunate for the 23 that passed the exam once is that there is no guarantee of being able to do so again. Pass rates for both the MS and MW exam remain notoriously low. So why is it so hard to pass elite wine exams - and is there a secret to success?
Are wine exams intrinsically unfair?
I passed the MW tasting exam in 2011 (having failed in 2010) and I am now involved in the MW education programme, helping to prepare candidates to sit the exam. For more than ten years, I have been thinking about wine exams. I have discussed issues such as fairness, timing and marking with everyone from chief examiners to prospective students.
As the quote above makes clear, there are many factors that can affect a candidate’s chances of passing. Some issues, such as ‘body chemistry’ mentioned above, or distracting noises and odours, are out of the candidate’s immediate control.
Furthermore, luck can play a part - the ‘bad tasting days’ referred to above. Every wine professional is familiar with this scenario - I had a particular stinker in August last year - see Getting wine wrong, how (not) to look stupid, and MW tasting secrets.
When such issues cause a candidate to fail, it can seem unfair. You might like to believe that the best blind tasters should be guaranteed to pass these exams. But that is not the case, and there are fundamental reasons why.
Why people fail wine exams
First, a disclaimer: I have never worked in service, nor had any experience of sommelier exams. I can only describe issues pertaining to the MW process - although in many cases the same issues will apply to both disciplines.
Even on a bad tasting day, or when external factors are causing distractions, it should be possible to pass. In fact, I think that is probably how everybody passes the MW: it is unflukeable. What is required is not just comprehensive knowledge of wine - that is only about half of it. The other half is communication as well as psychological preparation.
The MW tasting exams consist of three papers of 12 wines each. It is safe to assume that nobody ever gets all 36 correct. Indeed, on a bad tasting day you might only identify 50% accurately - yet still be able to pass. This is because the MW exam requires long-form, discursive answers that don’t just rely on wine analysis, but logical, justifiable argument about probable options.
An example I often cite is the difference between Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. In my opinion, for the purposes of the MW exam, this distinction is now utterly insignificant because those styles are so converged that there is no consistent, identifiable difference. What is far more important is knowing where else in the world is making Chardonnay of comparable style and quality, and being able to reach a credible answer - even if it’s wrong.
This is no easy task - there are lots of regions that can produce classic French-style Chardonnay these days. Broad knowledge and forensic detail is required; but a 100% hit-rate is not. Elsewhere, it may be perfectly possible to confuse Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, or Touriga Nacional with Malbec. This is why the importance of communication can not be overstated: a well-argued, consistent answer can and should mitigate for imperfect identifications.
Incidentally, I’ve known some candidates who object to this requirement, believing that the MW should be purely about identifying wine, rather than about developing advanced writing skills. I sympathise with this perspective, but disagree. There is absolutely no point in having the best wine knowledge if you can not communicate it effectively. In fact, learning those skills is one of the MW programme’s greatest benefits.
Psychological preparation
The other essential element in passing elite wine exams is psychological readiness. The pressure in these exams is immense. The margin between passing and failing can be very narrow. That means it is imperative to prepare for every eventuality.
This varies from person to person. Some people need to wear noise-cancelling headphones to cut out the slurps and spits of fellow candidates. Others need to undergo hypnosis or counselling to handle their nerves. Whether it is a superstition such as wearing lucky socks or a physiological factor such as controlling your bladder to preclude toilet trips during the exam, none of those issues should be underestimated.
Again, some people might scorn the fact that these elements might cause a good candidate to fail - but these exams happen in the real world, and it is up to the individual to handle whatever might occur when they are sitting the exam.
The secret to passing wine exams
Top-level wine exams are incredibly hard to pass - there’s no shortcut or trick, and that’s no secret. They require heroic levels of commitment, sacrifice, study and heartache. But ultimately, passing them is not a matter of luck. It’s true that the MS candidates whose results were invalidated due to exceptional circumstances have been incredibly unfortunate, and the thought of having to retake after believing you had been successful is incredibly distressing.
Yet in the case of the MW exam at least, I believe that everyone has a fair chance of passing - so long as they truly understand what is required, and are willing and able to put in the monumental effort that demands.