Required Reading

My bank account, the wine cellar, and I sat down this afternoon and took a long look at the required and suggested reading lists for my WSET Diploma and CSW from the Society of Wine Educators. I plan to write the CSW at the Wine Educators conference in Monterey this June and have just started working on my WSET Diploma.

After much crosschecking and taking inventory of books already in my possession, the bank account went into total shock. Its color went from black to red, and its positive frame of mind suddenly turned rather negative.

Of course, then the wine cellar had to be informed that its addictive preference for Premier Crus Chablis, Amarone, Gaja, and Hugel Rieslings is about to be put in check. It didn’t want to hear about Yellow Tail at all. When informed there would be no more Veuve Clicquot, its temperature went from 48 degrees to 80 in about five seconds. “There are other sparking wines made in France,” I mentioned, which somewhat pacified the wine cellar as long as we could agree they would all be method classique and not something out of a tank. “Asti is made in the cuvee close method,” I told it. Since the cellar has not been taking any wine courses, it seemed fine with that.

On a slightly more serious note, though, we will be doing reviews on some of the books required for the various certifications, and our crack designer, Karin, will be putting this info up on the blog along with where to get them. I’d love to hear from any students about what books you found most beneficial and any others you discovered that aren’t on these lists. A favourite of mine is Jamie Goode’s The Science of Wine. Also, if you find some useful websites, feel free to send them along.

As I take another look at the reading list for the Masters of Wine, I try not to let either the bank account or the wine cellar see how lengthy it actually is. I ever get that far, I think I’ll have to marry someone who owns a bookshop.

WSET: http://www.wset.co.uk
Society Of Wine Educators: http://wine.gurus.com
Court Of Master Sommeliers: http://www.mastersommeliers.org/syllabus/certified
International Sommelier Guild: https://www.internationalsommelier.com
Masters Of Wine: http://www.masters-of-wine.org/reading.aspx