David Lawler has an appointment with The Court of Master Sommeliers
David Lawler, our Head Sommelier at Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, is off to Las Vegas to advance the ranks of the Worlds Master Sommeliers.
The Court of Master Sommeliers was established in 1969 and its Master Sommelier Diploma is considered the highest level qualification available to the sommelier profession. There are four stages to achieve this qualification; Introductory, Certified, Advanced and finally Masters. With a 10% pass rate, there are currently on 171 Master Sommeliers world wide.
In September last year, The Court of Master Sommeliers sent three Master Sommeliers to Australia to run the Introductory and Certified exams in Melbourne and Sydney; there was a lot of support and interest with more than 100 people signing up in each city. During the three days they covered the world of wine very swiftly, introducing a newly deductive method of tasting, and some of the Courts accepted service standards…remembering, the Court is an examining body; so this was merely to show us what level of knowledge would be expected for us to achieve certification.
I was fortunate to Dux Melbourne, several of the top performers were offered the opportunity to sit the advanced level this year (there is often a waiting list). I accepted a spot to sit in the October exam…in Las Vegas. This strikes me as a little torturous; not only is it an intense 5 day exam; but I am in a city that will no doubt try to beckon me away from my focused vinous studies.
Lots of preparation is required; every spare moment of the day is spent reading, I have started several tasting groups to ‘relearn’ a tasting method that allows precisely 4 minutes and 10 seconds per wine! I have also established communication with several Master Sommeliers in an attempt to glean any handy tips I can.
I’m sure I’ll find somewhere to eat in New York, San Fran and Napa…
David Lawler
Tags: david lawler, Master Sommelier, Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, wine