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Slideshow
Who wants to be a sommelier?
Please read the wine references on the following pages and clearly point out each mistake giving a full description of the error.
None of the mistakes are spelling mistakes or related to pricing.
The error test is over three categories; Champagne, white wine and red wine.
It has been provided to the drinks business by the Academy of Food & Wine Service, organisers of the Moët Sommelier of the Year competition.
Send us your scores through twitter @teamdb or email us info@thedrinksbusiness.com
Champagne
1. Moët & Chandon Impérial NV – £65.50
2. Bollinger Special Cuvée 2006 – £75.00
3. Moët & Chandon Grande Vintage Collection 2002 – £115.00
4. Dom Ruinart, Blanc de Noirs 1996 – £187.50
5. Dom Pérignon, Rosé 1998 – £425.00
White Wine
6. Chardonnay, Bellefontaine, IGP d’Oc, France 2011 – £17.75
7. Torrontes, Crios de Susana Balbo, Salta, Argentina 2010 – £25.75
8. Sauvignon Gris, Kadun Vineyard, Vina Leyda, Leyda Valley, Chile 2010 – £29.50
9. Bacchus, Camel Valley Vineyard, Devon, England 2010 – £32.50
10. Pinot Gris, Te Whare Ra, Martinborough, New Zealand 2010 – £36.75
11. Viognier, Calera, Central Coast, California, USA 2009 – £45.00
12. Grüner Veltliner, Brundlmayer, Wachau, Austria 2006 – £62.50
13. Chardonnay, Giaconda, Beechworth, Victoria, Australia 2004 – £105.00
14. Riesling Spätlese, Scharzhofberg, Egon Muller, Mosel, Germany 1995 – £135.50
Red Wine
15. Corbières, Ollieux Romanis, Cuvée Classique, France 2009 – £22.50
16. Dolcetto d’Alba, Marchesy di Gresy, Piedmont, Italy 2009 – £34.50
17. Antiyal, Colchagua, Chile 2007 – £42.50
18. Pinot Noir, Sokol Blosser, Dundee Hills, Oregon, USA 2006 – £55.00
19. Palladius, Sadie Family, Swartland, South Africa 2008 – £62.50
20. Hacienda Monasterio, Rioja, Spain 2006 – £75.50
21. Torbreck, Descendant, Barossa Valley, Australia 2005 – £110.00
22. Château Hosanna, Pomerol, France 1990 – £240.00
Answers begin on the next page…
Get ready…
Champagne (3 Mistakes)
2. Bollinger Special Cuvée – It is not a vintage but a NV.
3. Moët & Chandon Grande Vintage Collection – 2002 Vintage is Grand Vintage but not Grand Vintage Collection. The Collection on the market at the moment is much older than 2002 (more like early 1990’s at the moment).
4. Dom Ruinart, Blanc de Noirs – it is not a Blanc de Noirs but a Blanc de Blancs.
White Wine (3 Mistakes)
9. Bacchus, Camel Valley vineyard, Devon – It is in Cornwall not in Devon.
10. Pinot Gris, Te Whare Ra, Martinborough – It is in Marlborough not Martinborough.
12. Grüner Veltliner, Brundlmayer, Wachau – It is in Kamptal not Wachau.
Red Wine (4 mistakes)
17. Antiyal, Colchagua – It is in Maipo not Colchagua.
19. Palladius, Sadie Family, Swartland – It is a white not a red (The red equivalent of the Sadie Family is called Columella).
20. Hacienda Monasterio, Rioja – It is in Ribera del Duero.
22. Château Hosanna, Pomerol, France, 1990 Before 1998 this estate was called Certan-Giraud.
10 errors, 5 pts each 50 points in TOTAL
Send us your scores through twitter @teamdb or email us info@thedrinksbusiness.com
The bollinger special cuvee is a non-vintage, so i shouldn’t have a vintage after it.
The Camel Valley vineyard is in Cornwall not in Devon
Very interesting exercise and great to keep us wine enthusiasts on our toes!
Hacienda Monasterio is not Rioja DOCA. It is a Ribera del Duero wine.
In this test we have wines from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, England, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and USA. One big mistake: zero wines from Portugal…
This is a goofy test – yes, I agree everyone wants to be a sommelier now – I am personally certified by the court, 2nd Tier, and did the job – yes,worked on the floor for over 20 years and I think this test is stupid. I’ve talked to too many wine critics that wanted me to change my wine list because they were so knowledgable and they didn’t know what they were talking about i.e., take a 1,000 label wine list (book) and put them into fruity and zesty categories – what a maroon.
The wine list that you / I put together is according to the wines you taste and approve of, you can’t possibly know every wine or every producer. Wine reps say – hey how did the Chateau d’Issan 2002 taste? well, i didn’t have it so I don’t know -‘What – how could you not know that?’. Then the other killer is getting someone’s business card that says sommelier on it when they pour at a wine bar or cooked for a nice restaurant.
How about if we come up with another cool name that people can call themselves when they pass a test, or know a lot about wine but have never walked the floor, put a list together, did wine dinners, worked 60-80 hours a week, educated the staff and do everything else that the JOB entails. hmmmmmmmmm – sounds like a great idea – What’s A Good Name for it – Oenofile Master, Master Wine Student of the Universe. Go On – try some of your own – let’s do a competition like the one for ‘Meritage’.
Hi Rew! I work in the wine business as export manager of Italian wines and I totally agree with you.
All this snobbish stuff about the Mith of wine.
Everybody wants to show off his/her knowledge of the famous and expensive names.Dropping names.
Wine is not like that. Wine is just like people.
You don’t need to know Brad Pitt or the president of the US to be happy.
And you don’t need to have twelve thousand friends (in case you have I suspect you don’t select your friends)
We are perfectly happy of our friends.So with wines. Not only great famous wine are good.
There are so many of them,Each of them has its character and suits a style of food.
It is the job ot the sommelier to make a selection of wines to pair the restaurant’s style and food,
and to let customers try new experiences, to discover unpredictable gems.
You are a ggod professional.
I would be delighted to work with you.
Cristiana
I am from Friuli, best Italian whites’ region, and among the first 5 or 6 best in the world,
We have big names here and great wines, but the
Right on Cristiana – I love the wines from your region – beautiful flavors and subtleties. Thanks
for the feedback. I don’t usually go on a rampage about it, just getting tired of all the
Psuedo Sommeliers.
Rew
Château Hosanna, Pomerol, France 1990. The 1st vintage was in 1999