I’m a geek. No,
really. I am. I love knowledge. It is probably one of the main reasons I have
been a teacher for 18 years—I love to learn.
Studying in
college was hard, especially because I had children when I completed my
undergraduate degree, yet I truly enjoyed the work.
I went on
to get a master’s degree. Again, the
workload was difficult, mostly because I was a full-time teacher with a family while
doing this.
Then I
found wine. The newest field of study
was wide open to me…and what a wide world it was. The more I learned about wine, the more I knew
there was to learn about wine. The vast
amount of information to know was unreal; it still boggles my mind a little.
However, I
am proud to announce that I did reach one milestone in my wine education: I passed the Certified Specialist of Wine
exam. Since I am a total nerd, I decided
to share my study process. Not that I am
an expert in wine just yet—because again, I know how much more there is to learn—but I do consider myself an expert on education. I hope to help someone else become
a complete wine geek.
Step one:
determining the right road. There
are multiple avenues to take for wine education. The first step is to decide which one of the
avenues to take. I chose the Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators. There were several reasons for this. I live in a very remote part of the
country—the Black Hills of Wyoming—in a town with just over 3,000 people, so options were limited. The SWE
had an online class option which I took this fall and found the
“classroom” atmosphere very helpful. However, I still did several months of
self-study after the class, as well as having studied different regions of the
world on my own over the years.
In addition
to the option to have class companions, SWE also allowed the test to be
proctored at any Pearson Vue testing center. Again, this was incredibly
important for me. Instead of having to
find a class and test date that I may have had to take off work or travel thousands
of miles to attend, I could study on my own and test nearby. This ultimately gave me the flexibility to
squeeze this coursework in my crazy, busy schedule as a mom, teacher, city
council member, and part-time wine educator.
The
Certified Specialist of Wine may not be the route others should take,
though. The Court of Master Sommeliers (which I did pass the intro level in 2013) is a great option for people already
in the business or interested in restaurant service. The blind tasting and
service portions of the exam are rigorous, and unless one is in the industry, it
might be difficult to practice. Also, exams are given only at certain times
and in certain locations, not always fitting some schedules. The Wine and Spirits Education Trust has multiple levels of education, as well. But again, classes are only in specific
places on specific dates, so for some, this is a difficult task. I would have loved either of these options, as well, if they would have worked in my schedule.
I also want to give a shout out to where I
started my formal wine education: the
International Wine and Spirits Guild of Denver, Colorado. I spent nine days straight, eight hours a
day, prepping for a written and service test.
It was a wonderful first step and did earn me a sommelier
certification. I always equated this
certification to the CFL (Canadian Football League), while The Court would be
the NFL (National Football League). I learned the same information, it just wasn’t
as prestigious a title. However, IWSG
now has classes in other parts of the country, giving some flexibility if one
lives in the right area. These classes
can be taken on their own or used as a study program to prepare for other
certifications, as well.
Step two:
finding how to study. For many adults, studying is hard, mostly
because it has been many years since they have had to do this on a serious
level and because they hold full-time jobs with many other responsibilities,
like families, homes, bills, etc. Ultimately,
good learning takes time, so creating time is the first step in studying.
One reason
it takes so much time is repetition is incredibly important. First, get the study materials for whichever
test chosen. This usually includes some
sort of text book or study guide. Read. Read every page of every chapter. But have a purpose for reading. First, read any chapter objectives that might
be provided. Then read actively by
taking notes while reading. Pause
frequently to summarize. My favorite
method is on sticky notes placed in the book.
However, handwritten notes on notebook paper or typed notes also
work. (Using this technique, you just
went through the information twice.)
After
active reading and note taking while reading, review the materials. This can be done by rewriting/retyping the
notes, creating a study guide, and/or responding to the information. (Now you’ve had the information at least three times.)
Next,
create study materials for deep study, such as flash cards or sample
tests. I prefered flash cards because
these can be taken anywhere, allowing for study on the couch, at the doctor’s
office, or in the car. My favorite place
to study my flash cards was actually on the treadmill while
walking/jogging. No personal trainer is
going to say this is okay, but you aren’t focused on getting in shape right
now, you are focused on wine study!
Also, there is a lot educational research that says movement while
memorization actually helps the entire process.
(Now you’ve reviewed the information four times, five times…a hundred times!)
For deep
study, I chose a country or concept every week (wine production one week, southern
hemisphere the next) and skipped material I felt I already knew (like service
since I already passed an actual service exam).
Then the final week, I purchased the workbook that accompanied the CSW
text. This was perhaps the most
important step. Every day I focused on
one section each evening, working through the exercises and answering the
quizzes. This helped me do a final focus
of concepts I may have overlooked. The
workbook also gave me an idea of what the SWE thought was most important.
Step three:
taking the test. On to the
way to the testing center, I actually tried to relax and listen to some of my
favorite music. (Keep in mind, my trip
to the testing center was a “mere” two and a half hours—I mentioned the remote
area in which I live, right?) I did
study a few ideas I thought may be helpful for one last look, like a review of
all the French info, just because there was so darn much!
Then I checked in for the
test. This included presenting two forms
of photo id, scanning both my palms three different times, removing all jewelry
except my wedding ring, and turning out my pockets to prove nothing was in
them. I was giving one laminated piece
of paper and a wet-erase marker before entering my cubicle. The noise-canceling headphones actually
proved helpful, and after taking my time with the instructions, the hour-long
test started.
I worked through all the questions,
flagging any about which I wasn’t 100 percent sure. After this, I went back to
each flagged question; there were 17. After rereading and contemplating the
answers, most were good, educated guesses.
However, there were nine about which I still wasn’t sure. I had ample time left, so I went back and
read all the other questions again, taking my full hour allotted for the
exam. There was no need to rush.
Step four: getting the
results. Another benefit of this exam was the instant feedback. After checking out
of the testing room with my photo id and a palm scan, I presented my
identification to receive my score: 92
percent! I found it pretty ironic that
it was basically the score that I had predicted based on the answers I did not
know. Several of the questions with which
I struggled dealt specifically with geography; I knew this was one of my
weaknesses and an area which I should have studied more…if only there had been
more time!
My geekiness paid off, yet again,
as I applied my teacher tendencies to myself instead of to my day job. The study skills I preached to students were
not only useful, they were absolutely necessary to pass the Certified
Specialist of Wine exam, a test that covers the breadth of the wine world in
depth. I was quite proud of my score,
but then I instantly wished I would have studied even more and missed
fewer. Yep, such a nerd.
I hope this helps any other wine lovers become a certified nerd too. Happy studying!
