WSET Diploma - Day Two

Day two of the Diploma arrived after a three week break. During those three weeks we weren't particularly guided regarding what to study next, so it's fair to say I didn't really make the most of the time. A bit of reading around grape-growing and pruning was time well spent though.
Again, in the absence of advice regarding what to bring, I opted for just my tasting glasses (purchased from the WSET on day one) and the Unit Two handbook, which transpired to be the correct decision (note, we used eight glasses, not just six, during this session).
The first half of the day was dedicated to viticulture, which was every bit as chemical / biological / geological as it sounds. From root stocks to parasites, cloning to site selection, this was one of the most information-rich lectures of my recent life. Having just come out of two years of studying Forensic Psychology at Masters level, this is really saying something! I arrived at lunch time with 15 A4 pages of notes, and the lecture itself really skimmed just the essentials from the accompanying text, which is densely packed with detail.
This is not to say there wasn't time for tasting - we assessed eight wines during the session - simply that this is a lecture to bring your 'A game' to if you intend to maximise your learning potential. I would also seriously recommend reading the relevant chapter from the Unit 2 handbook in the week before you go: any head start you can give yourself will really pay off when it comes to digesting the information.

The afternoon session marked a welcome change in pace as we turned to look at sticky wines. To anyone who has passed the WSET Advanced certificate (or Level Three, as it's now known), the basic production methods of these wines should be easily understood, which put the emphasis more on tasting and assessing the wines rather than straight, hard facts. The line up of stickies was quite an event in itself: even for someone 'in the trade' it is uncommon to taste through an array such as this. It still amazes me quite how sweet a wine can be before being officially classed as 'sweet', but I shall let you discover that detail for yourself.

Having been rather busy of late, I am only publishing this entry the night before Session Three, so it won't be long before I'm back to update you with another day.

Cognac: Breaking News!

There are exciting things afoot in Cognac, and your intrepid reporter has got the scoop!

Last week, a group of four journalist / blogger folk (including GinMonkey and Chocoralie) made the journey over to France to take a closer look.
The good folk at Remy Martin had some news to share with us, but keeping their cards close to their chest, decided to keep the mystery to themselves until the big reveal. I'm not nearly that good with secrets, so I'm just going to come out with it: changes are being made to their VSOP.
This is big news. Remy Martin has been the biggest selling Cognac within that quality category since time began, perhaps even earlier. Tinkering with the formula is a brave move indeed.

If you're not wondering by now what changes have been made, frankly I'm amazed that you're still reading. I'll give you two versions. First, the marketing speak:

"Subtle changes have been made to the ageing process to make the Cognac rounder and fruitier"

Next, geek speak (I love this bit!)

The viticulture, vinification, and distillation methods remain unchanged. Incidentally, this is a great move. They have a superb system in place out there, but I'll most likely save that for another blog. The ageing system (age / blend / age / blend / age / blend / marry / bottle) has even stayed superficially the same, with one important difference.

Up to now, the Remy VSOP you have enjoyed has, immediately prior to bottling, spent 12 months (the 'marriage period') in a 630hl oak vat. That's 630,000 litres - a quarter of an Olympic swimming pool. As such, the volume/surface ratio remains very small. The change being rolled out as we speak sees those final 12 months being spend in 350 litre mature casks - the 'normal' size that we are used to seeing in wineries, distilleries, and in garden centres being turned into water features. Is there a difference? You bet your cask there is.

The increased wood contact has a mellowing influence on the spirit. I don't particularly like the "rounder and fruitier" description, as I find it a bit vague, but I'll concede there is an element of truth in it. The alcohol is better integrated, making for a softer finish, and there is a notable increase in the dried fruit (apricot, peach) characteristic.The orange peel and honeycomb palate makes it a good choice not only as a digestif, but also with a mixer, or alongside a dessert in an after wine context.

I take my hat off to Remy: they've been brave enough to tinker with a winning formula, and have done so with gusto. The result is an altogether more pleasing drink. The new VSOP should be hitting the shelves in Europe around March / April 2012 - I'll let you know more precisely when I find out.


*Footnote: I've got a far geekier version of this post bubbling away in the background. There was an awful lot of technical information to take on board - think of this as the 'reader's digest' version!

WSET Diploma: Day One

Having just completed two years of studying (PGDip Forensic Psychology, the scope of which is really beyond this blog), I have recently - just yesterday, in fact - embarked upon my latest academic endeavour: the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) Diploma in Wines and Spirits.

This blog entry will serve two purposes: one, a description of what is required for students on each day and; two, my reflection on each day as it passes.

Firstly, what do you need to take with you? I'm writing this because the WSET sent me an almighty (and fear-inspiring) study pack, which weighs an impressive 10.8lb (that's 4.6kg). Regular readers will be in no way surprised that I weighed it as soon as it arrived.

Faced with the prospect of commuting from Cambridge to London Bridge, hauling a learning pack which weighs almost as much as a fully grown border terrier, I started searching the internet to establish which bits were necessary and which I could leave at home, and drew a blank. I opted to bring just the book from 'Unit 2', which it turns out was the right decision (phew!). You will also need six tasting glasses which, mercifully, can be purchased from the WSET when you arrive. A pen and notepad are also advisable.

Now for my reflections on the day:

The group was fairly large: 22 people, with a further two due to join us on day two. By and large they were industry professionals taking the course for career development, with a few very enthusiastic amateurs making up the rest. It was a relief to find that it was a group without egos ('wine folk' can occasionally be a touch over-bearing), and that all were keen to learn.

The first day covered an induction, including what we can expect and, in turn, what is expected of us. I won't write about this here (I don't want to spoil the surprise for any of you, and it is already well covered on the WSET website). We later moved on to tasting technique which is subtly, but importantly, different to that employed in the WSET Advanced (now known as level three) standard approach to tasting. The tasting criteria are both wider and deeper in reach, aspiring to an altogether more detailed evaluation of the wines.

I'll keep you updated with each day as we go, but for now I'm going to get on with studying grape-growing and wine-making procedures. Bye for now!

You can read about Day Two here.

Training @ Just Add... Bibendum

As Bibendum's Annual Tasting creeps ever closer (January 25^th, check your diary), the training team are busying themselves with a showcase for the kind of activities we get up to for the other 365 days of the year (2012 is a leap year, don’t ya know).

Our Training Team comprises five people on a mission: to improve the quality and understanding of wine service throughout the country. With so few of us, you might think this a thankless task, but we work smart: small team, big impact. Our workshops are cleverly designed to engage with the people who influence the others they work with, enabling the good word to travel far and wide.

So what’s on offer from Bibendum’s Training Team at Just Add…Bibendum?

One of our exhibits this year involves a large, magnetic back bar display, upon which you will be invited to apply the design which allows the greatest attention to be paid (by your customers) to those items which make you the most profit. Simple application of well-known psychology can enable you to increase the profitability of your venue, just by making some basic adjustments to layout, and we’ll show you how.

We will also be taking the time to talk people through the basics of food and wine pairing. This is another subject where getting a grasp of basic principles can unlock enormous potential. Rather than just talking through the details – there are plenty of books and websites you can turn to for that kind of advice – we will be walking you through the various steps (what you should be considering when pairing wine and food) and putting them into practice. The training team have selected some of their favourite wines for you to experiment with, and see for yourself how the theory is put into practice.

As well as being able to talk with members of the training team, we will be inviting you to embark on a treasure trail of discovery in the form of our treasure hunt. For this activity you will be unleashed to taste wines around the venue, and find out about them by talking with the producers. This represents a unique opportunity for you to speak with the people who not only sell the wines, but are involved in everything from the planting of the vines right through to bottling.

So, if you would like to take part in any of our activities, or simply come and have a chat about what we can do to help you improve wine service in your venue, come and find us in the Mezzanine floor of Room 1 at any point during the day. We look forward to seeing you there.

Click here to find out more about what's on offer at Just Add... Bibendum.

History is written by the victors (and Wikipedia)

I've been doing a lot of research into the history of Gin lately, and found an enormous amount of inconsistencies. Common consensus seems to be that, loosely speaking, Gin was first created by Franciscus Sylvius in 1650 (remember this date). This was thought to have been for purely medicial reasons, with Juniper being noted as an effective diuretic, used to treat liver cirrhosis and kidney failure (although with apparently little attention paid to the counter-productive effects of the alcohol it was steeped in).

Franciscus Sylvius

As Fransicus was a Dutchman, it is perhaps not surprising that the first historical records are entwined with Dutch military history, and we are told that the phrase 'Dutch Courage' comes from our (British) soldiers witnessing the Dutch knocking back this medicinal alcohol before going into battle.
All seems well so far, until we stumble across this little gem: Wikipedia tells us that the British first noted the Dutch soldiers imbibing the precursor to Gin (or Genever, as it was then known) during the Thirty Years War. The trouble here is that the Thirty Years Was was fought (primarily in what is know Germany) from 1618 to 1638. So, unless Franciscus also invented the time-machine, this is clearly impossible.
Another take on Gin history tells us that the first British exposure to the spirit came during the Eighty Years War, otherwise known as The Dutch War of Independence. Sadly, this solves nothing, since the dates of that particular skirmish are given as 1568-1648.
So we are left with a dilemma: it is simply not possible that our first encounter with Gin predates its invention.
The answer, naturally, comes from the inaccuracies which we should expect from a source such as Wikipedia, but for some reason tend to over look. The clever folk over at gintime have put together a far more plausible account of the evolution of the spirit, which, if you are interested, I would suggest you read. But remember, there's a lesson in here: don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia.

The Gin Renaissance

One of my favourite subjects, Gin is now enjoying a renaissance. With it comes not only a proliferation of small batch distillers, but also a flurry of media attention.
I was thrilled to hear a programme recently on Radio 4 detailing this revolution, based in the Museum of Gin (the 'Ginstitue' on Portobello Road). This kind of interest in not only the quality of Gin, but also its provenance and production methods is highly encouraging. We are moving away from the 18th Century perceptions of Gin as 'mother's ruin', and to a 21st Century embodiment of an artisanal delicacy.

I'm pleased to note my three favourite distillers all get a mention in the show (Sacred, SipSmith, and Bruichladdich).

I highly recommend taking 25 minutes out of your day to listen to the programme, available on the Radio 4 website here. Dan Saladino presents the show, featuring Nick Strangeway, Jake Burger and Victoria Moore, and manages to really get under the skin on this newly revived delight.
Well done all!

IWSC Associate Judge of the Year 2011

The International Wine and Spirit Competition is the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world. Established in 1969, the competition sees entries from 82 countries put through a two stage judging process including full blind tasting and chemical analysis. The judging panel reads like a who's who of the wine and spirit world, and is comprised of people who excel in their fields.

Each year, small number of associate judges are selected to sit on the panels - a maximum of one per panel, judging no more than two categories over the six month judging process. As you may have guessed by now, this year, I was one of these associate judges. I wrote about the experience here (and was very pleased to see it re-published on the IWSC website).

To be selected to join one of these panels was an honour indeed - definitely something worth adding to the old CV. Imagine my surprise then, to be informed that I had been short-listed for an award: The IWSC Associate Judge of the Year. Here's what they say about the award:

The award for Best Associate Judge was set up by the IWSC in memory of Peter and Penelope Duff, who dedicated 30 years of service to the Competition.

Associate judges are selected from recent and present WSET Diploma students, with each successful applicant invited to a maximum of two sessions during the six-month judging period.

The winner is selected based on reports submitted by each of the chair judges, who are asked to offer their views on the contribution of the associate allocated to their panel.

So as you can imagine, I was dead chuffed to be in the running. Even more so when I discovered the winner would be announced during a five course black-tie banquet in London's Guild Hall. I won't keep you waiting any longer (I can hardly bear the suspense myself): I won!

The banquet was superb, and before we had even seen our seats we had been treated to a tasting of every one of the Gold and Best in Class Medal winning wines and spirits. Every event I've encountered which has had anything to do with the IWSC has been superb, and the awards evening was certainly no exception. I'm already looking forward to next year.