Mastering the art of Wine

Many of you who have visited the restaurant will know Gordy our lovely sommelier but what you might not know is that he is studying to become a Master of Wine.

There are currently only 289 Masters of Wine in the whole world so if successful, he will be joining a very elite collection of wine buffs who have proven their theoretical and practical knowledge and ability in the art, science and business of wine.

Ever wondered how someone gets to become a Master of Wine? – here’s some background:

The first Master of Wine Exam was held in 1953 when only six out of the twenty one candidates actually passed which shows just how tough the standard is.  The questions are set and marked by a panel of Masters of Wine as well as leading figures in the wine world.

The exam consists of three parts – theory, practical (where candidates have to do three twelve wine blind tastings), and a dissertation based on a topic chosen by the candidate and once they have passed these three elements, they are then eligible for membership of the Institute of Masters of Wine. This means that they can then use the title MW after their name.

So why has Gordon chosen to spend 400 hours of his spare time studying so far with much more to do in the coming months before his exam next June?

Gordy says “From my point of view it’s a fantastic opportunity to study for such a prestigious award and the support I have already received is extraordinary. I think that it would be amazing to qualify as a Master of Wine both for me personally and Fifteen Cornwall.”

He continues, “I am planning to work for two weeks in September with a winemaker in South West France and hopefully over to Australia in January, but in the meantime, it’s heads down studying and continually speaking to suppliers to broaden my knowledge. It also means a lot of wine tasting – it’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it!”

If you would like to find out more about Masters of Wine, visit their website at www.mastersofwine.org

Good luck Gordy!