Wine 101 Archives - Page 5 of 24

12
Jan
2021

WSET Diploma Theory—Jura

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine World (D3)

I came across a bit of a study tip I’d like to share. If you’re studying for your WSET Diploma 3 exam and are anything like me, you’ve got sheets and sheets of notes, flashcards, maps, tasting notes (not to mention bottles and bottles of wine). But I was recently given this advice—on the cover of your notebook/folder/binder/whatever for each specific region or country, write down the Top 10 facts you think are the most important to remember for that region or country. Don’t worry about writing excessive detail (that’s what the inside of the notebooks is for), these are just bullet points of key ideas/themes/vocabulary words/etc. Then, each morning or evening, or whenever you like to pretend your studying is just a bit of light reading, review those Top 10 facts. Remind yourself why you chose them. Obviously, with some regions or countries it will be easier than others. (I’m still trying to whittle down my Top 10 Spain facts…)

How this helps: in a pinch, during the exam, if you come across a region or country you’re feeling uncomfortable with, recall those top 10 facts. Odds are, there will be something in them that will get the juices flowing and help you recall the specific details needed to answer the actual question.

I thought I’d give it a go and have been implementing this into my note-taking. Today I’m sharing my Top Jura 10.

Following, I have an analysis of a Vin Jaune, compte cheese, and a fun YouTube share to help you get just as excited about the Jura as I am. Cheers.

(more…)

08
Jan
2021

WSET Diploma Theory—Burgundy Chardonnay

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine World (D3)

On Wednesday I proposed that the tasting portion of the WSET D3 exam is still a theory exam. I threw a couple of made-up theory questions based on your dry tasting notes (my experiential tasting notes) to put that into practice. (Read WSET Diploma Tasting—Burgundy’s Chardonnay Spectrum for the original inquiry and my full tasting notes.)

I got some great feedback on how to tackle those questions. Based on my notes and yours, I’ve put together some bullet points on what to cover in the theory portion. If you have additional thoughts or notes you want to add to this post—you know how to reach me. Cheers

Beaune Tourism Burgundy Wine Map | The Official Beaune Travel Guide | beaune-tourism.com — Beaune Tourism
Burgundy Wine Map | The Official Beaune Travel Guide | beaune-tourism.com

PS: For more Burgundy info, read Wine Regions of Burgundy and a Wine Review and The Australian Alternative to French Favorites based on my studies for the Level 3 exam.

(more…)

06
Jan
2021

WSET Diploma Tasting—Burgundy’s Chardonnay Spectrum

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine World (D3)

Nervous about your WSET Diploma D3 tasting exam? Yeah, me too. Kind of. The best advice I can give is to remember that the tasting portion of the exam is exactly like the theory part of the exam—but instead of written prompts, they’re presenting you with wines.

If you’ve made it to the Diploma level of the WSET, that means you have a pretty strong palate and have practiced writing tasting notes utilizing the SAT grid already. So trust yourself, trust your notes, and use what you see, smell, taste, and have written down to answer the proposed question(s).

Easier said than done. But let’s put this into practice using one of the very first regions you study in D3—Burgundy. You don’t have to taste along—instead, I encourage you to write a few dry tasting notes (following the grid and SAT format) for the wines listed. Then, take a look at the theory questions I’ve created and see if you can answer those based on both your knowledge of the region(s) and using your tasting notes as evidence to back up your answer.

At the very end, I’ve listed my tasting notes and conclusions about the wines (which I did, indeed, taste). And if you feel so inclined, post a few bullet points about how you’d answer these theory questions. The more we interact the more we remember.

Have fun!

(more…)

05
Jan
2021

WSET Diploma Tasting—Common Region of Origin

categories: Wine, Wine World (D3)

I know that the tasting portion of the D3 WSET Diploma Exam can be one of the most intimidating. Indeed, when I took my Level 3, my nerves overtook my tastebuds, and I found myself second guessing my tasting notes the whole time. To help me gain more skill and confidence in those skills, I’ve been taking some tasting classes geared toward WSET Diploma with a Master in Wine in preparation for my exam. And I recently had my partner help me with a blind tasting mock exam, which I’d like to share here.

The goal is to help those of us who are preparing the WSET exams key in on wine evaluation (following the SAT guidelines) as well as how to correctly draw conclusions about the wines tasted and communicate the justification for those conclusions.

Following the WSET taste testing format:

Wines 1–3 relate to Unit D3 of the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines All are made from the same region.
Describe them under the headings below.

Follow along on my tasting notes and see if you can figure out what the common region of origin is. Note: This exam also, for two points, asks examiners to determine the grape variety (but not qualify that determination). I’ve included my deduction in each tasting note below. However, I’ll leave the wine reveals to the very end of the post. Good luck and have fun!

(more…)

04
Jan
2021

WSET Diploma Tasting—Common Grape Variety

categories: Wine, Wine World (D3)

I’ve gotten some feedback that many folks studying for the D3 WSET Diploma Exam are interested in calibrating their palates and practicing their tasting and note-taking techniques. Those of you who are preparing (or have taken) the WSET exams know that there are very strict criteria about how how to evaluate the wines (following the SAT guidelines) but also about how to correctly draw conclusions about the wines you’re tasting and how to communicate those conclusions.

I’ve been taking some tasting classes geared toward WSET Diploma with a Master in Wine in preparation for my exam. Over the holiday, I thought it would be fun to have my partner help me with a blind tasting mock exam.

Following the WSET taste testing format:

Wines 1–3 relate to Unit D3 of the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines
All are made from the same or predominantly the same grape variety. Describe them under the headings below.

Follow along on my tasting notes and see if you can figure out what the common grape variety is. Note: This exam also, for two points, asks examiners to determine the country of origin for the wine (but not qualify that determination). I’ve included my deduction in each tasting note below. However, I’ll leave the wine reveals to the very end of the post. Good luck and have fun!