2 minute read
COLUMN // Annette Lacey
A decade-long dream realised
The sommelier on becoming a Master of Wine in 2020.
WORDS Annette Lacey
PHOTOGRAPHY Steven Woodburn
MY FIRST TASTE of MV Krug was a taste-defining moment on my wine journey. For the first time, I understood wine had dimension, layers of flavour and complexity, and I was hooked. It changed my direction in hospitality from a restaurant manager to a sommelier. The natural progression was to educate myself by furthering my studies; the world of wine was immense and I wanted to learn everything I possibly could.
I started the Wine and Spirit Education Trust courses from Intermediate through to Diploma and then made the decision to attempt the Master of Wine (MW). I knew it was a daunting process, but I wanted to see if I could succeed. Known as the pinnacle of wine knowledge, I wanted to push myself as far as I could. The MW is an extremely challenging course that requires discipline, rigour, self-motivation and the ability to pick yourself up when you fail. The course, in its entirety, took me 10 years from start to finish, as I was not successful and had to resit the exam process numerous times. The exam consists of 36 blind wines and 13 essays over four days. Once the section is passed successfully, a 10,000-word research paper on a topic of your choice must be completed. My paper was titled An Investigation into Whether the Tasmanian GI should be Subdivided. This was the final hurdle, and I passed the section in September 2020.
The MW has dominated my life for the past 10 years, but it was an amazing time looking back. There were many positives such as the people I met — many now are great friends — the wines tasted and the wine regions of the world I visited. However, time away from family, missing out on socialising due to study deadlines and the exam failures are not remembered fondly. The dedication and sacrifice got me to where I am today, and the knowledge learned whether you pass or fail cannot be taken away from you. Professionally, it has helped enormously in my career, my confidence and the industry contacts made.
There are 409 MW’s in the world today, with 28 in Australia, and I feel extremely proud to be part of a select group. It is now my turn to give back to wine-passionate people wishing to embark on the MW, to mentor and help them on their own journey. ■
