[ad_1]
Earlier this week, the scandal rocked the wine world when the Master Sommelier's Court announced that it was canceling the Master Sommelier designation from 23 of 24 people who passed this year's sommelier exam. In an email sent on 9 October to all master sommeliers, Devon Broglie, chairman of the CMS board, told the Court that a member of the Masters Sommelier's Court had "disclosed confidential information about the tasting portion of the 2018 sommelier diploma exam prior to the exam. "In short, someone – or someone – has cheated.
This is a huge deal for the small community of master sommeliers – only 274 people have passed the exam since its inception in 1969 – and a devastating blow to honest testers who have spent years preparing for this notoriously difficult exam. Here's all you need to know – before the story becomes the biggest movie about wine on this side of Next to.
What is the examination?
The sommelier diploma exam is the test that sommeliers devote themselves to becoming master sommeliers, the greatest achievement of a sommelier's career. This is the same review that is the focus of the 2013 documentary Somm, which tells the quest of four men to pass the exam and add the coveted "MS" at the end of their titles.
As stated in the film, passing the master sommelier exam requires years of practice and often multiple attempts. It's not cheap – it costs $ 995 to take the exam each time. In addition, candidates must first pass three more CMS tests to reach this last level. And even if a sommelier does not have to become a master sommelier one day, taking the test can mean better career prospects. the the Chronicle reports that in the United States, an experienced sommelier earns an average salary of $ 87,000, while a master sommelier earns an average of $ 164,000.
The examination consists of three parts. If the candidates succeed one party but fail another, they can resume it next year. The sections include a theoretical examination of the theory of wine, the practice "service and sale of wine in restaurants" and a tasting. During the tasting portion, the candidate must "clearly and accurately describe" six different wines, including the grape varieties, the origin and the vintage, in just 25 minutes. This is the part of the examination that the Court of Masters Sommeliers declared invalid in 2018.
Who cheated?
Although the name of the CMS member who leaked the confidential information has not been disclosed, the Court knows who this person is. the San Francisco Chronicle assumes that the person was likely a test supervisor and reports that the offending member will be stripped of his / her title and status of CMS member and banned from events organized by CMS.
It was impossible to say who among the candidates had received the information. The CMS was therefore forced to invalidate the scores of 23 of the 24 newly appointed master sommeliers, all of whom passed the exam in September. Morgan Harris, chief sommelier at Angler in San Francisco, retains his title as he passed the tasting party the year before. He said at the Chronicle that he had no idea of the name of the cheating candidate by saying, "I just can not imagine what universe you would work so hard to achieve something that you are actively invalidating then."
What is happening now?
The CMS wants to allow the 23 sommeliers to find their titles relatively easily. They will have two opportunities to retake the exam: one later this year and another in the spring or summer 2019. The court will also reimburse the tasting fee for the tasting portion of the exam. 2018 and all fees for upcoming exams. as well as offer help with traveling expenses.
In a statement, the Master Sommelier's Court found that the decision was essential to preserve the rigor of the examination. "Maintaining the integrity of the review process must be our top priority, so as not to jeopardize the value and respect of becoming a master sommelier," he says.
It seems that most are behind the decision of the Court. Harris said in the the Chronicle that "the decision that has been taken is the only one that can be taken". But most of all, other sommeliers note that it is a real love at first sight for the 23 candidates who have or have not cheated.
• Somm Scandal: revelations of fraud during the master sommelier's review resulted in the invalidation of 23 new certifications [San Francisco Chronicle]• The Master Sommelier Court of the Board of the Americas takes unanimous action to preserve the integrity of the review process. [Court of Master Sommeliers]
Source link
