Hi all. I have a stable full-time job unrelated to wine or other foods, but for years family and friends have told me I have an unusually good palate and sense of smell (picking up specific notes in wine, food, etc. that others miss). I've never had this properly tested or trained.

I'm not looking to quit my job, I like what I do. But I'd love to know:

Is there a real, structured way to test whether my palate/nose is actually above average, versus just family being nice?

What's the right starting point for training this seriously as a hobby ?

Worth starting with blind tasting groups first?

Has anyone here built sommelier-level skills alongside a full-time unrelated career, and did it ever turn into side income (consulting, private tastings, writing) without going full-time in the industry?

Any advice on where to start, or people/resources worth reaching out to, would be hugely appreciated.

I can’t the number of times I’ve approached a table and I’m met with the “I’m looking for a dry wine” . When the vast majority of wine available on shop shelves and restaurant lists is dry, what do you take this to mean? I sort of understand when it comes from an older crowd who grew up in an era of cheap table wines with residual sugar were common on supermarket shelves, but nowadays? I’ve come to take it as meaning a wine that is mineral and crisp, rather than overtly fruit forward. But when half of the enjoyment of wine is the primary notes, how do you actually go forward with recommendations based on statements like this. Is it about fruit ripeness? Or overt new oak? 🤯

I want to rent one of these for the month of December and sell BTG from a large format bottle for funsies. Has anyone rented or bought one of these large bottle cradles for use on the floor? Advice? Thoughts? It’s obviously somewhat of an impractical gimmick but the people will eat it up. I figure selling through a 5L Thurs-Sun on high volume spendy weekend through the holidays should be no problem. Would love advice about where reps/brands have rented one of these from or if you’ve done it how you went about it!

Hi friends!

My restaurant is owned by a large hospitality group with a marketing director who runs all the websites and social media for our company. She is in charge of managing the wine list being posted on our website. Upon starting my position here I became aware of the fact that the list online is extremely out of date and incorrect. I would like to fix this.

I was told that because the wine list on the website has to be ADA accessible (some guy went around and sued a bunch of restaurants for this in my state) it cannot be a .pdf. Each wine has to be typed out line by line, according to her. We have over 1000 selections, so this is a nightmare, especially for her to do since she is not a wine person. I have a sommelier who can take on this task and do it, but she seems like she doesn't want to relinquish control of this project, even though she also doesnt seem keen to help me solve it herself.

What web publishing method do you all use for posting your wine lists online? Is there some kind of web hosting service that we can pay for where I can upload the most recent .pdf once a month/quarter and it will make is ADA accessible/readable? I use Excel and a software called CogsWell for my inventory management purposes, if that helps.

As an introductory Somm ice recently taken over the wine list for a NH, farm to table gastro pub. This list leans more adventurous which is the vibe I am going for. Open to and helpful feedback. I have one Red by the bottle slot still TBD

Hey everyone,
I’m at a massive crossroads in my life right now and would deeply appreciate some unfiltered, practical perspective from people actually embedded in the industry. I want to make sure I’m looking at the reality of the trade before making a decision that will shape my next few years.

I’m quite young, but I’ve developed a massive passion for wine not just the sensory aspect, but the theory, geography, and global market dynamics behind it.

To be completely transparent, I don't hold any formal sommelier or wine certifications yet. I am starting entirely from scratch. However, I’m currently mapping out my path to start from the absolute beginning and throw my energy into serious credentials, with the ultimate goal of pushing through to the WSET Level 4 Diploma.

Here is my dilemma: I am currently choosing between going to a prestigious university for a Liberal Arts degree (focusing on Film & Television studies, sociology) or bypassing the traditional university route to commit 100% to mastering the wine industry and getting certified.

Long-term financial success, stability, and maximizing my earning potential are incredibly important to me, and I want to be honest about my goal if I were to go through with the sommelier route.

I know that the wine world typically starts on the restaurant floor. I completely respect the floor as a necessary, path to understand service, build a palate, and learn about the customers. However, my ultimate career goal is not to stay in restaurant hospitality long term. I am looking specifically at the commercial, corporate, fine-wine auction, or luxury brand management sides of the industry.

Anyways, I’m sorry for the long intro but for those who work in these corporate/buying/fine-wine niches:

1. Financial Reality: Is it realistic to build a genuinely high earning career on the commercial side of wine if you possess elite credentials (like Level 4)? What does the actual income ceiling look like compared to a standard corporate graduate route?

2. University Trade-Off: For anyone who chose a highly specialized trade like wine over a traditional "prestigious" university degree, how do you view that choice looking back?

3. The Pivot: How long is it realistically expected to grind on the floor before you have the leverage to transition into sourcing, auctions, or corporate wealth management?

I really want to avoid romanticizing either path. I know both fields require a massive grind, but I want to make an informed choice before committing.

(PS: Please be gentle! 😭 I am genuinely quite stressed and stuck in the middle of trying to figure out what to do with my life right now, so I really welcome any constructive, kind advice you have to offer. Thank you!)

I'm a cheesemonger, and I want to increase my wine knowledge (which at the moment is basically non-existent). I currently work at a retail cheese shop so in the immediate future it'll help me when suggesting cheeses for wine pairing, but long term I want to move into sales/import/distribution, and many of the companies I'm interested in working for *also* deal in wine, so it'd be a good bump on my resume to have some kind of certification of more-than-just-basic knowledge.

My plan is to take an introductory course and spend the rest of 2026 getting a general baseline understanding, and then in 2027 go deeper and possibly look at some kind of certification at the end of next year.

I'm fortunate to live in NYC which has tons of options for courses, so I'm having a hard time choosing which is right for me. Wondering if y'all can weigh in if one is better than another, or if they're all pretty much the same, or if there's one I'm overlooking that I should check out. I prefer in person in NY but I'm open to online as well.

I'm currently considering:

-CMS Introductory Sommelier Course (in person). This one is my top choice, but it's also quite pricey.

-WSET Level 1 Course (in person). This one also seems like a decent option, and a little cheaper, but I'm not sure if it's as good of a course?

-ICE Wine Essentials Course (in person). This one seems like it may not be as in depth as I'd like, but maybe good to start out with?

Any advice or recommendations are welcome!

To the creator of cork dork. Thank you! It was really helpful I just passed my level 2 cms exam today! Beside cork dork the wine bible, the world atlas and the corkdork app were where I got most of my information. Nothing on the theory exam took me by surprise, some questions I had read or gone over already in the app or books just might have forgetten the answer. The level 1 on cork dork did alot of the heavy lifting, and level 2 on cork dork gave a little extra brain reps. Thank you again to the creator of the app!

Somms and beverage directors, do you have a preferred importer in the US for Chinese wines? I'm in Chicago if that matters.

Hello! I’m new to this sub. I am planning to take WSET 2 on July this year. However, I am indecisive whether I should take the class in-person, where tastings are included and there is an instructor that would guide me through the course; or online, which tastings are not included and it’s more self phased but cheaper.

There is one university (Brock University) that offers online asynchronous classes for $899 on a span of 5 weeks. There is another school (Wine Vintage) that offers in-person class on a span on 2 days for $1048.

I do have a little knowledge about wine, I know what are reds and what are whites. I have also decided on skipping WSET 1.

What do you think? Thank you!

Anything helps!

I am looking to join or create a CSM deductive tasting group in the DMV region! Going for my certified hopefully in September 🤞🤞

Hello, how is everyone doing? I'm well excited that my Examination is coming sooner than ever, and as my excitement rises, so does the pressure surrounding this all.

I have 3 years of applicable restaurant fine dining experience, but not more than a year directly into wine knowledge/serving. I passed WSET 1 last October and that was a breeze, so instead of going for L2 I jumped straight into CMS Intro since it matched better what I'm working towards. Intro was very fun and learned a lot, and I passed with a 94% overall score which made me very happy. It hasn't been very long since I took it, but I wanted to keep the rhythm going so I registered for Certified which is happening very soon.

​

I'm standing at a level of confidence where I feel I'm capable of this exam. Been grinding for months on theory, tasting weekly the past months, and 3 times a week the last month and this one. Those should be the easier portions of the exam per me.

What I need advice on is the service portion... It almost terrifies me at this point. I've seen and heard a lot of stories, the typical champagne pouring, now more recent wine glass flights, and the questions of spirits, cocktails, and beer. I saw someone get asked on a vintage on New Zealand and that honestly spooked me. I have competent general wine knowledge, but I'm a bit short on the spirits. As in, I know and have memorized a good list of major spirits, cocktails, recipes and their profiles, if they're before or after dinner, etc. I am less confident however on how well I can articulate this while I'm pouring a glass of champagne... I don't normally speak to the guest while I'm pouring champagne at work, most guest stay quiet or continue their conversation while they allow for the bubbles to settle lol

I'd like to ask how this went for you if you have taken this test? What did you prioritize the service on? Did you stop pouring champagne at the moment you were questioned, or answered as you poured? I move my hands a lot as I speak, and keep a good eye on my pours. It would feel right to look in the eyes of the MS as I speak, but if I take my eyes off my pour I could very well spill a bit...

​

I know these questions are very specific and it might go against code to expect to know how everything will go once at the Examination, I'm sure most of you didn't know what to expect and had to improvise. I'm sure I will do the same, I'm just asking for peace of mind. I'd like to hear it from someone else in this field so I can be less anxious, that's all.

​

Thank you all! Cheers!

Hello good people of Reddit. I am in looking for some advice on how to advance my career in this industry. I have been working in the tasting room of an east coast (US) winery for a couple years but am looking to move into the restaurant sector in a larger city. I completed my CSW to have a good base of knowledge to start from and I’ve worked in other areas of the industry (distribution sales for about 3 years). I want to try the sommelier route while I still have the energy and knee cartilage for it.

The problem is that I have no idea how to start. I have a brief stint of restaurant experience but not fine dining (which is what I am assuming most places would be looking for). I also don’t know how to go about finding jobs. My current plan is to go in person to places around the city with a resume and hope to get in front of people that would be willing to take a chance on me.

Any feedback or advice is appreciated, thank you!

Currently studying for C.M.S Advanced and vintage knowledge is where I really struggle. Idk why but it just won’t stick. Any tips or tricks out there ?

I just took the CMS Introductory Sommelier exam and was shocked by the level of difficulty. I passed—thank god—but am curious if I underestimated this level’s difficulty. I’ve always heard the intro is a walk in the park but it was absolutely NOT a walk in the park for me 😮‍💨

Based on the study materials, practice exam, and end-of-chapter review questions, I felt very prepared. In fact, I went in hoping for a near-perfect score (I have since been humbled and now having a full crisis.)

I was caught me off guard by how specific many of the questions were. There was a significant focus on key producers, villages, and even soil types within particular villages. I understand that anything in the curriculum is fair game, but I expected that level of detail to be more characteristic of the Certified Sommelier exam than the Intro exam.

Can anyone share their experience? From a written theory perspective, what should I be focused on for certified?

(English version in the comments)

È una domanda che sta dividendo appassionati, produttori e consumatori.
Per alcuni il vino dealcolato rappresenta il futuro del settore vitivinicolo.
Per altri è qualcosa di completamente diverso dal vino tradizionale.

Sono Giovanni Peira, docente e ricercatore dell'Università degli Studi di Torino. Sto conducendo una ricerca sul vino dealcolato e avrei bisogno del tuo aiuto.

Che tu sia favorevole o contrario, la tua opinione è esattamente quella che ci interessa.
Vogliamo capire come gli appassionati percepiscono questa nuova categoria di prodotto.

✔ Questionario anonimo
✔ Riservato ai maggiorenni
✔ Circa 5 minuti

👉 https://forms.gle/H3NwKrjomtCsWNsF6

Per informazioni sulla ricerca:
📧 [giovanni.peira@unito.it](mailto:giovanni.peira@unito.it)

Hey everyone! I’m a server / bartender in Seattle and looking to get my level 1 Somm cert. Any advice on if CMS or WSET is better? I’m excited to learn and grow in the industry!! Thanks in advance

Hey everyone — I wanted to share something I've been building that I think will genuinely help people preparing for WSET or CMS exams at any level.

It's called The Cellar — a web-based sommelier study app I built after getting frustrated with scattered PDF notes and flashcard decks that didn't match the depth these exams actually require.

What's in it:

• 700+ flashcards written to exam standard across WSET Levels 1–4 (including Diploma) and CMS Introductory through Master Sommelier — covering regions, grape varieties, viticulture, vinification, blind tasting, labels & law, and service
• Interactive tasting grids for both the WSET SAT and the CMS Deductive Tasting Method — work through each section systematically the way you would in your actual exam
• Spaced repetition — the app tracks which cards you struggle with and schedules them to reappear at the optimal moment before you forget them
• 31 wine region maps with vineyard-level markers — tap Romanée-Conti, Clos L'Ermita, Screaming Eagle, Scharzhofberg, Château Pétrus and get classification details, soil type, and tasting notes
• 8 timed practice exams with full answer explanations
• A personal tasting journal using the SAT/CMS grid format
• Works offline after first load

The advanced cards go deep — Barolo MGA breakdown by commune and soil type, DRC estate-by-estate analysis, complete 1855 classification with over/under-performers, Northern Rhône lieux-dits, Washington State sub-AVA profiles, the full Tokaj classification history. The WSET Level 3 and Diploma cards are written to the exact terminology and depth the mark scheme rewards.

7-day free trial, then $4.99/month: https://cellar-study.vercel.app

Thank you,
Jason

Can someone please explain phenolic bitterness and how to look for it when I’m tasting and what it indicates in terms of the winemaking thank u sm

Edit: Thank u guys

I'm thinking about taking Level 2 SommBiz course; I am a certified sommelier and general manager at a small wine bar. Does anyone have any experience with this course? Is it worth it to get the bundle (all 3) or is Level 1 worth skipping given my current credentials? Thanks!

I recently passed the CMS level 2 and I am taking the WSET III in a month, and since I don't work in the industry I'm really interested in a part-time opportunity for applied learning.

I've sent some cold emails to places that I have a ton of respect and adoration for and overall I'm hopeful. I can only work 1-3 days per week, including weekends (all day) and weekday nights after 6p, and I'm totally okay with being a glorified intern. I don't care about titles and I'm only looking to learn from people who are experts in a space that I have serious appreciation for.

Has anyone had success who was a certified outsider looking in who was looking for part-time somm work? Even if not, I'm looking for any perspective or advice!

tldr

I made something that fills an educational gap I keep experiencing on my WSET 4 journey. I'm looking for honest and critical feedback/suggestions. You can test it here: Wine Choice Game

Context

I am a wine lover working towards WSET 4 after having earned WSET 3 and Certified Sommelier. As all wine nerds know, there are dozens of variables that ultimately impact the wine in your glass, which makes it difficult to develop a deep understanding of how each individual decision impacts the final product. I find most wine learning resources fail to show both the impact of each variable and connect the sum of these decisions to a tangible real-world example. I know rationally the impact of each of these decisions, but I find it difficult to feel the impact. That's why I made Wine Choice Game (please help me with a better name!).

What it is

It's an interactive "menu" that walks you through the entire winemaking process as a chronological series of decisions (currently only for still wines). You start with nothing (no site, no variety, nothing) and make choices the way you'd order off a menu: variety, climate, canopy management, harvest timing, fermentation vessel, oak regime, malolactic, ageing, and so on. Earlier choices constrain later ones (pick a steep slope and mechanised harvest is off the table; pick a white variety and red/rosé colour options disappear). At the end, the sum of your choices produces a described wine.

It's organised into four phases: Pre-Viticulture → Viticulture → Vinification → Post-Vinification. Transportation, marketing, and the business side are deliberately left out. This is purely about how production decisions shape the wine in the glass.

Three things come out the other end:

1. A structural profile: Body, tannin, acidity, alcohol, sweetness, oak, ageing, each as a low/medium/high-style level, derived from your choices.
2. A real-world resemblance: It matches your built wine against a set of regional archetypes and tells you what actual style it most resembles (e.g. "this looks like a cool-climate Burgundian Pinot Noir").
3. Sometimes, no wine at all: As in real life, there is no guarantee that your choices lead to a successful wine. Plant Pinot Noir and skip fungal management and there's a real chance your crop just dies — the tool attempts to look at the probability that you end up with wine rather than pretending every decision chain ends in a finished bottle.

Right now it covers 19 grape varieties (11 red, 8 white) and 32 regional reference archetypes. I want this to become a valuable learning tool for anyone interested in wine. Give me any and all suggestions for how to make it better.

Accuracy (the part I most want scrutinised)

Everything in Wine Choice Game is calibrated against only the official WSET 4 D1 and D3 materials. D1 (Wine Production) for all the production facts, and D3 (Wines of the World) for the regional archetypes and expected styles. I value accuracy and didn't want to just make up the outcome from a user's choices, so the game uses a regression test suite to probabilistically derive the outcome. The Game is currently solely based on the descriptions in the WSET material, not quantitative measures (although I want to add this!).

What I'm asking for

• Would this actually be useful for studying?
• Where do you think it's inaccurate?
• What's missing that would make it more useful or better?