As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the world, it was simply a matter of time before it impacted our quest for sommelier-hood. The format and schedule of the Introductory Sommelier Course & Examination and other events hosted by The Court of Master Sommeliers have been at risk since the beginning of the pandemic. Recently, we were notified of changes to the scheduled events necessary to ensure everyone’s safety. Our much anticipated course and examination was rescheduled for mid-February 2021.

I know the decisions made by The Court of Master Sommeliers are well thought out and in everyone’s best interest. They did an amazing job keeping us informed of format changes to the course, and eventually decided to reschedule the event. That being said, our study habits have shifted into a lower gear. With an additional four (4) months to prepare, it is tempting to set the books aside and relax for a while. At the same time, however, we run the risk of losing all of this great momentum gained over the past three (3) months.

The news of rescheduling our course and exam brought contradicting emotions of relief and frustration. A sigh of relief was unavoidable as the fear of not enough preparation was lifted. Frustration was also apparent as the anticipation for this event was suddenly thwarted. Emotions aside… this was absolutely the right call, and we will continue pursuing our goals. This gives us time to expand into the Sommelier Level 2 curriculum 😉

Back to the books!

Next article in the series: Enthusiast to Sommelier: Study Fatigue

First article in this series: Enthusiast to Sommelier: Getting Started