The feeling last year of just barely failing was bearable, but the memory of how much I spent to reach a point of failure felt like sinning.  I went overboard spending money on all the wines for practicing blind tasting.  These are wines bought ahead of time, then served to me under blind conditions over the months before the test.

"Maybe you should slow it down," I thought to myself many times last year.  I was pretty flush with cash, and I went a little manic with spending. The cost of failure last year was $8500.00, most of it spent on blind tasting wines, pretty shameful.  Ironically, the blind tasting was the part that I failed last year, which meant I would have to take all three sections over, despite the fact that I passed the other two. 

This year I spent just under $3000.00 which included the $895.00 for the application, a more modest $1500.00 on wine purchased, a little spending money while in Chicago where the test was held, and one celebration bottle of Charles Heidsieck Champagne “Charlie” Brut 1985.  My flight, my transportation, my lodging was all free.  I am truly humbled by God’s blessings this year.

Anne, my wife
Thank you for giving me your free ticket to Chicago and being born into such a great family who hosted me while I was in Chicago.  Thanks for blind tasting me diligently and coming up with the suggestion to run through every possible grape before actually tasting the wines.  This technique made a huge difference.  Thanks for your patience, too.

Greg Randle, CWE
I could not have had a better coach.  Your Freudian approach to post analysis of the wines once tasting was completed made my subconscious quickly reexamine the lineup, leading me to know instantly in my gut before unveiling whether I was wrong or correct in my conclusions.  Brilliant.  The commitment you gave to my cause was incredible, and I greatly appreciated the selections you provided from your own cellar.  Not to mention all the moral support.

Grandpa J, Anne's Grandfather
Thanks for putting me up, giving me the sweet Lexus coupe to drive while I was in Chicago and not allowing me to pick up a check for dinner.  You make a mean Manhattan, too!

FINO, Emmett & Lisa Fox, et al
Ha! Where do I start? Thanks for letting me work for you guys.  I enjoyed being there and love your restaurants dearly.  Thank you: Brian, Josh, Clinton & Bill. I couldn't have done it without you.

Austin Wine Merchant, Greg & John
Thanks for letting me work there.  I appreciated the assistance and the fat employee discount.  I learned volumes being around you.  I miss riding my bike to work!

Michael Atkinson, Horizon Wines
Thank you for donating samples for blind tasting. Of all the vendors I contacted, you were the only one to come through.  Your selections were brilliant.

Sean Tupper, The Driskill Grill
Thanks for lending me your copy of Vines, Grapes and Wines. The book is still in pristine condition.  I will return the next time I see you. You're someone who cares about service as I do, and I miss working with you at the Driskill.

Your advice to conserve wines with mini-bottles (187ml) was remarkable.  I was able to be re-tasted blind at any time.  This stretched my dollar greatly. Your advice for what matters the most in passing the practical exam was amazing.  

Mr. Brian Owens
Thanks for inviting me to be part of the Wine Salon.  You helped bring me out of my shell. I didn’t realize how important non-work related wine events are until becoming a part of this remarkable group.

Joe, my brother
Thanks for renting that amazing house in Costa Rica.  The time I dedicated to studying in a totally relaxed environment, amazingly beautiful, remote setting was just what I needed.

My Approach

I spent just about everything I had on a killer trip to NYC.  We chilled with dear friends, ate well and checked out the cocktail scene.  I knew I had to spend the money on a bug-out vacation with Anne, or invariably I would have spent it on the exam. This was sort of a burn-your-bridges strategy.

I didn’t crack a book, flip a flash card, or blind taste a wine until May 1^st, but diligently studied for those three months before the test.

I blind tasted once to twice a week with Greg, the full six wine lineup, and then twice a week with Anne.  Every Friday, we’d taste two wines and every Monday four.

I used my iPhone as a study tool.  From uploading my memorization-mnemonic-games, to voice recording the key indicators for classic wines from classic regions, to storing maps on it, I was able to access just about everything I needed at anytime, even in Costa Rica. I also valued listening to notes while driving. 

During the Week of Testing

I attempted to be more relaxed this year and even took the Costa Rica vacation one week before the test.  When I arrived in Illinois, I was chilling.  Besides, I couldn't be a stress ball around Grandpa J. No way.  In case you think I’m overestimating the relax factor, each morning in Chicago my jaw was killing, so I knew I wasn't entirely relaxed as I'm sure I was clenching my jaw in my sleep.  Better to have my conscious mind relaxed, if my subconscious has to pick up the slack.

There was a library one mile away from the conference center.  I studied there, mostly. I do well in libraries, and in fact day dream about being a librarian sometimes.  I studied and watched the locals in Bloomingdale (the suburb of Chicago where the test was held) come and go.  I hung out with Grandpa J when not studying. I didn’t really care to see the sights.  

Both the Advanced and most definitely the final Masters Diploma are extremely arduous exams and both are broken down into three parts: Theory, Practical, and Tasting. Theory is a written test, Practical is a service test in a restaurant-type setting and Tasting is determining the regions, vintages, and grape varieties on six wines tasted blind in 25 minutes. 

2 ½ days of lecture fly by before you take the different sections.  Candidates must have a high level of preparedness before the exam begins.  It’s not like you can attend the lectures, cram and pass.  The lectures are important, though, as they are really the map to what you need to study.

Theory

Even though I've passed the Theory Section the previous two attempts, I thought I may have failed it. This test was ridiculously difficult.  There were questions I just did not know.  I never even made flash cards for a lot of the material, so it's not like I could find the answer in some recess of my brain.  I just didn't know the answers.  This wasn't a "name the three main varieties of Cava" kind of test.  Even the questions I knew, I'd pause for a moment during the test and say to myself, "I know the answer to this question, but yikes that’s a rude question."

The year prior, I had over half the allotted time remaining when I finished the theory section. I needed every minute this year. I was taken aback. When I recalled this on the phone to my wife and Greg, they knew I passed, but I wasn't so sure.  I guess I was focusing on what I didn't know instead of trusting what I did know.  Strangely, having the thought that failure was a possibility, made me more relaxed.

Practical  

Before taking the service exam, I remember waking on a cool, beautiful morning to polish my shoes on Grandpa J's deck thinking, "Why am I even bothering to polish my shoes? I didn't pass Theory yesterday." In fact, I was already planning exit strategies in my head, "It didn't work out. Sometimes that's the way it goes. You can go back to being a wine hobbyist."  Then I'd counter, "This is some weird test your subconscious is giving you. You don't give up until you know for sure. End of story, period the end."

Blind Tasting

Even though I sent up wines to taste myself blind, I didn't use them.  Instead, I chose to relax with Grandpa J the night before the blind tasting.  He made me Manhattans, and I drank them, then we got a bite to eat.

The day of the tasting was rainy. I went to the library in the morning and ran through my notes from the practice tasting sessions.  There were seven tastings conducted by various Masters on Monday through Wednesday.  These are worth the $895.00 fee to take the exam.  I know non-industry, wine lovers who would gladly pay four times or more to have this opportunity.

When I tired of the library, I went into the parking lot of the conference center, sat in the car with the rain coming down, and recorded myself with my iPhone, going through wines as if I was actually tasting. When I got tired of sitting in the car, I drove around and listened to the recordings. Finally, I walked into the hotel, waited in the lobby and waited to be ushered into a small room to be tested.

The Results

I was able to bond with some of the other candidates while we were waiting to find out our results.  I hung out for three and a half hours between finishing the blind tasting and the exit interviews where they tell you if you passed or failed.  I knew I probably passed Practical and Tasting.  When I was ushered into a conference room and was told first that I passed Theory, I thought "Hmm, I got a shot here."  We went over my performance on Practical, PASSED; then Tasting, PASSED.  I couldn't believe it. What a weight off and at the same time pure elation. For the record, the plane ride home is way better when you pass, and Champagne tastes a little bit better, too. 

The Future

I have decided to continue toward the next and final level, the Master’s Diploma.  I am currently without a restaurant home and greatly want to serve on the floor somewhere close to home.  In the Master’s level, it’s highly unlikely a candidate will pass all three sections in his first attempt.  It’s a harder test for sure, but at least when you pass a section, you do not have to retake that section the following year, only the portion you fail.  Personally, I want to take the Practical section once, so getting rusty at service is not an option.  I can only imagine how difficult the test is when not actually living service.

For now, I'll take a short break, ever grateful for the assistance given by the team of friends and family members.  I’m looking forward to switching roles.  I'd like to contribute my talents to a team, working on the floor of a restaurant.  Don’t let the shiny new pin that says “Advanced Sommelier” give you the wrong impression… I work cheap.

PDF Version: Passing the Advanced Examination for the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Team Effort

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©2009 Anthony Garcia