Absolutely love, love, love the new online classes offered by The Court of Master Sommeliers. The online Introductory Sommelier Course & Examination is broken down by sections, and closely aligns with the Introductory Sommelier Course 2019 Workbook. Every video lecture is presented by a master sommelier. All of the information given during the lectures reenforce the learning materials, but also dives much deeper into the details. Each master sommelier provides brilliant insight into their own experiences while inspiring you to continue the path through Certified Sommelier, Advanced Sommelier and finally—Master Sommelier 😉

It was hard to imagine how CMS would be able to maintain the same level of high standards and differentiation in the on-line environment as in the in-person classes. They absolutely nailed it! These classes are world class. The tasting portion of the classes fall strategically throughout the course, and features 18 different wines for honing your skills in using the CMS Deductive Tasting Method. Even though the classes are self-paced… it is very difficult to not ‘binge watch’ all 30 sections. We have, after all, grown accustomed to binging.

I wanted to make sure we were well into the online courses and curriculum before providing feedback. As of this blog post, Tammy and I have read and re-read everything prescribed by The Court of Master Sommeliers in anticipation of the two-day in-person course in October 2020. Due to the challenges associated with the pandemic, our course was moved several times… and eventually postponed indefinitely. It has been nearly one year since we started this journey, and it finally feels like there is an end in sight 😉

We have until November 2021 (six months) to traverse the lectures, learn the CMS Deductive Tasting Method, and take the exam. Given the fact that we’ve been in pursuit of this milestone for nearly a year, we decided to schedule the exam as early as we’d feel comfortable–August 2021. The lectures are designed to build upon what we’ve learned in the course reading materials. The master sommeliers move at a quick pace, but explain things in a way to help provide clarity to some of the vague and confusing areas in the curriculum. And while we certainly miss the interaction of an in-person classroom setting, the on-demand on-line experience has some good advantages.

As mentioned earlier, you have six months to complete the on-line course. Unlike the 2-day in-person Introductory Sommelier Course & Examination, you have unlimited access to the videos. If something was confusing, watch it again. Personally, I enjoy having a conversation about wine during a tasting. The online (self-paced) experience doesn’t offer the opportunity to stand up and present your impression and analysis of the wines. This is an important skill, and a big part of the #sommlife

I would encourage anyone seeking to expand their basic knowledge wine and related topics–such as viticulture and vinification practices, wine laws, major wine regions, grape varietals, and more–to enroll in this course. Knowledge is a good thing.

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