It’s no stretch of the truth to say that I’ve been looking forward to this wine appreciation course for over a year. The WSET is one of the oldest qualifications on wine appraisal, providing an overview of the history and science of wine making. There were interesting tidbits about climate and geography, and how these factors, alongside wine-making practices, impact the final tasting profiles. Naturally, over the course of the weekend, we drank plenty of wine.
It was a small class, less than a dozen of us. Most of the participants were professionals in the hospitality industry, who can easily be firstly identified by their superb wine knowledge, and secondly by their refined palates in picking out flavours obtuse to me. Then there are recreational participants like myself, here out for a relaxing weekend and trying to gauge how much wine I can have while still being able to follow along the coursework…
There was a broad amount of information to learn, and learn we did. Much as I would have loved to just hang out with my pal and drink up the 30-odd bottles of wine that were part of the curriculum, the instructor never let us forget that we were here to learn, learn, learn. We practiced the pronunciations of the wine-producing regions, evaluated the colours of the wines, nosed their aroma, and sampled from each bottle. The instructor was friendly and helpful, but who will still beat you upside the head (metaphorically) if you nose a Tokaji Aszú 4 Pottonyos and try to describe its aroma as with hints of coconut.
I used to be a little skeptical when I read the back of a wine label and read about all the flavours and scents that we were supposed to be picking up. But midway through this course, I get it. I picked up a glass of Primitivo, and the scent of toffee came through clear as day amidst the “usual” red wine scent. It was the first instance when I actually discerned subtleties, and Primitivo now holds a special place in my heart.
While the WSET classifies wine from “poor” to “outstanding” based on several criteria, outstanding wines may still not suit everybody’s taste. Hence, I knew I’d immersed too deep when on the second day, I caught myself muttering with the utmost sincerity: “This grand cru tastes like shit. Conclusion 3/4; very good wine.” We all know (and hate!) wine snobs, and I certainly didn’t want to join their ranks.
One key tenet of wine tasting is that food affects the taste of wine more than what wine does to the food. And the lesson was brought clear to me when we tasted a particular glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. I had a sip, and summarised it as “looks like a lemon, smells like a lemon, and tastes like a lemon”. It wasn’t spectacular by WSET’s standards either; everybody penalised it for being one-dimensional. But that wine would have been perfect for certain meals, for example paired with food that is hot and spicy. Its bright intensely citrusy notes would have cleared up the palate, and would have been a far better choice than a complex full-bodied wine.
All in all, it was a brilliant, immensely well-spent weekend. But the course didn't just end like that. The examination was in two weeks' time, and unlike other participants who worked in the hospitality industry or those who didn't skip Level 1 like we did (ahem), my friend and I were feeling a slight pinch of stress. So he joined me as we headed down to a nearby wine bar and cracked the book (and bottles) open for our revision.
Despite the amount of reading material that we had to commit to memory, we spent a terrific day reading, and quizzing each other on the world through the lens of wine, which is a pretty good way to spend the day. I see the world a bit differently now, with little bit more details and colours filled in. 10/10 recommended.
