WSET Advanced Complete!

14 11 2011

This logo and I have had a good 2011 together.

So how many different wines did you drink over the last three weekends?  I had about 100.  From White Zinfandel to Barolo, Tokaji to Pinotage, Sherry to Port — if it was from a recognizable world wine region, I probably tasted it over 50ish classroom hours in WSET Advanced class.  The wines we tasted in the course retailed for anywhere from $10 to $100, came from 15 different countries and ran the gamut of styles, preparations and flavours.  To top it off, the WSET threw in some spirits for good measure:  in the span of an afternoon this past Saturday, I had Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados (apple-based spirit), Irish Whiskey, Single Malt Scotch, Bourbon, Dark Rum and Tequila (it would have been like a Vegas weekend were it not for the spit cups).

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WSET Intermediate Complete!

4 06 2011

I came, I tasted 65 wines & spirits in a 3 day period, I wrote a test, and I think I passed.  I have a couple months to wait before I get my official confirmation, but WSET Intermediate is now in the books, and I cracked a special wine tonight to mark the occasion which I’ll write about tomorrow (hint:  it’s German, it’s Riesling, and it’s awesome).  In the meantime, I will again encourage anyone with a deep interest in wine to consider taking a course like this, because it really solidifies your base of knowledge and broadens your horizons (he says as he immediately goes back to his favourite region and grape right after class is over).  Until tomorrow!


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WSET

25 05 2011

With any luck, in a couple of weeks I’ll be removing all of your lingering doubts about reading a wine blog written by an uninitiated hack; if everything goes according to plan, by then I’ll be at least a semi-initiated hack.  Starting this weekend I’m taking my first ever formal wine education course:  I’m signed up for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits course here in Calgary.  I’m extremely excited, not only to lend some much-needed legitimacy to this poor site, but to learn a more systemic approach to tasting and evaluating wine that should improve both my analytical skills and my appreciation for what I’m drinking.  Even better:  we get to practice this tasting method in class by trying over 50 wines in a 3 day period!  Now THAT’s what I call a weekend. Read the rest of this entry »


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