Reflecion on My Wine Journey

I’ve been quite busy getting ready for my November trip back to Asia: tastings, potential collaborations, etc. I thought I’d have everything wrapped up by the end of September so I could focus 100% on my WSET exam (D3) preparation in October, but not really.

Every day, I try to squeeze some time to read the textbook and my notes, but it’s impossible for me to concentrate. I’m just too distracted by the these magic words: November, Asia, tastings. My brain has been rejecting indiscriminately anything other than things around those words.

A couple of days ago, I spoke to a friend of 20+ years, and he advised me to take a break from the exam.

“From the moment you started studying wine, you’ve been either taking an exam or preparing for one. You should first accumulate some more practical experiences, rather than rushing to get a higher level of certificate.”

Interestingly enough, it was exactly the lack of practical experience that urged me to get a high-level certificate as soon as possible for me to prove that I belong. But the stubborn truth is, there are things you just cannot rush.

Also a couple of days ago, a sommelier with 10+ years of experience told me that her job has allowed her to taste wines from all over the world, and that she has tasted tens of thousands of wines so far, which has enabled her tasting buds to know roughly which region of the world a wine comes from when she tastes it.

Although I have tasted quite a lot of wines, they still count just a small amount compared to what has been tasted by many professionals, including the sommelier I spoke to, and most of the wines I’ve tasted are Italian. My tasting experience as such makes it a real challenge for me to cope with the Wine of the World exam of WSET Level 4 Diploma. Every time I go through the pages, I can understand the text only superficially, not being able to consolidate the messages here and there into really meaningful information. I first thought it was just my memory deteriorating with age, but in the past two days, after talking with my friend and the sommelier, I have gained a whole new insight into my issue with this study.

After a few moments of reflection, I told myself that if wine is what I want to devote myself to for the rest of my life, why rush it? I should take my time and enjoy it as I journey on. After all, wine is a happy drink. There’s no point in studying wine if it makes you anything other than happy. I should take my time, find my pace and do it well.

But I’ve already registered for the exam in London at the end of October, and everything is booked and not cancellable. So I will still sit the exam, which I now see as a warm-up. I’m certain that after a period of time of gaining more tasting experiences, I will be more prepared for everything the D3 exam asks of me and redo it with good confidence.

Now cheers to my autumn tastings in Asia!

葡萄酒旅程 My Wine Journey
酒後勿開車 未成年勿飲酒 Drink responsibly.