The Court of Master SommeliersSommelier · StudyBeta
Study habits, tasting, theory and practical service: the Court’s own advice to its candidates, in one place.
The Court publishes a short set of study tips for its candidates. They are plain and practical, and they fall into four parts: general habits, tasting, theory and practical service.
None of them is a shortcut. Together they describe how a candidate who passes tends to work.
The Court’s Service Standards in plain words: preparing for service, the standard sequence at the table, sparkling wine, decanting an old red, and storing and serving wine at the right temperature.
All levels · 3 minRead more
Gross profit, cost price, glasses in a bottle and a budget for a dinner: the Court’s Business Calculations in plain words, with the worked examples that come with them.
Advanced · 4 minRead more
The markers that point to each classic grape in a blind tasting, region by region, and how to practise them.
Advanced · 2 minRead more
The Court’s tasting grid in order, from the first look at the glass to the final conclusion, as the Deductive Tasting Workbook sets it out.
All levels · 3 minRead moreIntroductory and Certified topics are ready in the study portal. Advanced? Come back to sharpen. See the portal →
Start with a schedule. Use a wall calendar to plan over a long period, keep a set of study notebooks, and commit to a regular day and time each week when you can find a quiet space to focus.
Balance matters too. A study plan helps you fit study around work, personal life and physical exercise. Build a support network of colleagues, Court alumni or industry contacts, and talk to people who have already attended the course.
Two tips are easy to overlook. Do not print your learning materials: writing out the important points teaches you more, because you interpret the material in your own words. And spend your time on the areas you find hardest, not on material you already know well.
Finally, train under examination conditions, so that you feel prepared and confident on the day. Read widely, and cross-reference your sources for greater accuracy. Draw your own maps and images, and test yourself as you prepare. Stay humble, and show that you are passionate about your profession.
Taste hundreds, even thousands, of wines a year with the same technique, and learn the elements of the grid until they are second nature. Repetition is key.
Blind tasting raises your skill, but also taste wines of the same classic variety side by side, to understand how countries and regions differ. If Old World and New World wines are hard to tell apart, spend more time analysing the structural elements: acidity, alcohol, tannins and ripeness. Keep studying theory alongside, because strong theory and successful tasting are closely connected.
Begin with the syllabus on the Court’s website. Break it into subject areas and work through them methodically, moving on only when you feel confident.
Learn and practise a conversation: ten pieces of information you can recite about every region.
Use maps to picture the regions. Review the wine lists of a couple of top restaurants to find classic and important producers. Flash cards help some people but not everyone, so find a technique that works for you, such as the Memory Palace or Fishbone, and mix your methods: study cross-training.
Join or form a study group. At a minimum, find a study buddy.
Read the standard of service document carefully, until you are confident with every part of it. At an absolute minimum, you need to be able to carry a tray, open a bottle of wine or sparkling wine, and show a good general understanding of food and wine matching. You also need a thorough understanding of the Court’s order of service.
If you already work front of house, you will know many of the practical expectations for Introductory level. Focus on the attention to detail that the Introductory and Certified levels require. And do not forget to learn the basic cocktails, spirits, digestifs and apéritifs.
Prepare a wine list in your head, with recommendations ready for the practical examination: apéritifs, spirits, cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks and sparkling wines. If you work outside hospitality, or not in a front-of-house role, gaining some practical experience in a restaurant before you attend is strongly recommended.
Edouard Oger MS, Course Co-ordinator and Exam Admissions at the Court, acknowledges that the amount to learn can sometimes be overwhelming. His answer is a solid schedule, followed with discipline, which he says will generate confidence.
Plan over a long period with a wall calendar, keep study notebooks, and set a regular day and time each week in a quiet space.
Ten things you can recite: climate, soil types, geography, grape varieties, history, best winemakers, sub-regions, production methods, training methods and vintage knowledge.
If you work outside hospitality, or not front of house, some practical experience in a restaurant before you attend is strongly recommended.
“Designing a solid study schedule and being disciplined about following it, will result in a clear and organised plan.”
Edouard Oger MSSold by The Court of Master Sommeliers and governed by the laws of England and Wales. The Court is the data controller — your data rights.
