The Next Wine Challenge.....

Now that I'm retired from teaching, it's time to tackle some new challenges.

Last year, I took my WSET Level 2. The WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) is an international organization that offers international certification in wine education. The WSET Level 1 looked pretty easy (I borrowed my son-in-law's materials for WSET 1) so I started at WSET 2. I really, really enjoyed the course - not just the knowledge piece (which I actually remember since I use it all the time) but especially the wine tasting part where we tried between 8 and 10 wines each class and learned to understand the different colours, aromas and tastes. It was 9 weeks well spent learning about wine.

In September, I am going onto the next level, WSET 3!

The WSET 3 program includes more in-depth learning about grapes, wine production and wine regions and a lot more tasting. It is a fifteen week course which culminates in a test (both multiple choice and written answer) as well as two blind tastings. A challenge indeed!

As before, this course is offered by Fine Vintage. I was impressed with the WSET 2 course - the instructor was excellent (and also named Dave), the material was presented in a clear and easy-to-learn manner, and there were many different wines (8 - 10 each class) for the class to taste. I felt very prepared for the test and I also had a great introduction to systemic wine tasting.

The WSET 3 course promises more of the same. I have heard good things about the instructor and have perused their sample wine list - it's going to be fun trying all of those wines! Below is a sample log of wines that might be tasted - these are all French wines.

So, why am I doing my WSET 3? Well, there's a few reasons.

First, I have really enjoyed learning about wines and becoming a bit of a go-to person on wine. On a fairly regular basis, I have had colleagues ask me about wine pairings for a certain food or if a wine is a good deal or what wine I would recommend for a special birthday or celebration. I really enjoy helping people with this and would like to be a better expert.

Second, I have enjoyed drinking all of these different wines that I did not know about or did not know enough about. It is so satisfying for me to understand the differences and nuances of wines and I want to become better at doing so.

Third, the WSET 2 gave me an introduction to wine tasting - specifically blind wine tasting. This is a really interesting area and I want to get better at being able to identify the different characteristics of different wines.

Finally, I have a new job (so much for retirement)! I work part-time doing wine tours for Swallowtail Tours and I am guiding clients around wineries in the Fraser Valley of Vancouver. It's a wonderful job - I work only the days that I want to (right now it's about 4 a month) and I get to do three things that I love - drive, chat to people, and sample the occasional wine. I have a good knowledge of wines for this job but would like to know even more - it's always good to be well prepared when a knowledgable guest peppers me with questions!

The WSET 3 course doesn't start until September so I have the summer to taste wines, think about wines, peruse my second hand copy of The Oxford Companion to Wine, and read the book that goes with WSET 3 (that my son-in-law kindly lent to me). I'm pretty sure that WSET 3 will be the end of my formal education wine road - but you never know!

I'm really looking forward to this!

Cheers!