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Any sommeliers or wine professionals here?

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Old Sep 15, 2016, 10:07 pm
  #1  
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Question Any sommeliers or wine professionals here?

Sorry if I'm asking this in the wrong area, but just wondering if there are any somms here or any other certified wine professionals?

I'm looking at becoming a somm and with so many people that travel, figured this might be a place to get a wine suggestion or 2 for something to try.

Heck even something local!
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 3:05 am
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Originally Posted by iceblueshoes
Sorry if I'm asking this in the wrong area, but just wondering if there are any somms here or any other certified wine professionals?

I'm looking at becoming a somm and with so many people that travel, figured this might be a place to get a wine suggestion or 2 for something to try.

Heck even something local!
I believe there are still some who post regularly. You will probably get a better response if you give a bit more detail about exactly what you're looking for.
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 7:02 am
  #3  
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Flyertalk is filled with wine discussion if you look around. They are in various forums. For instance there is a huge wine and Champagne thread in the BA forum that gets reset each year.

I've found that some of us end up knowing a lot more about wine than a Sommelier who does not travel as much as we do.
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 8:31 am
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If you want to qualify in the wine trade, there are really two routes to go. You can qualify as a Sommelier, which is principally about wine service in the restaurant trade.

The top qualification is Master of Wine which requires an extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge and will take years of study.

But, from the post, it sounds as though you simply need some drinking suggestions. If that's the case, just find a good independent wine merchant in your area - I'm sure Toronto will have at least one - and attend their tasting events. As well as getting some suggestions, you'll also learn a lot.
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 8:46 am
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Gaucho1K specializes in Argentinian wine and does wine consulting internationally. He also organizes the annual COW DO, which is really almost more of a WINE DO, in Buenos Aires.
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 8:53 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Gaucho1K specializes in Argentinian wine and does wine consulting internationally. He also organizes the annual COW DO, which is really almost more of a WINE DO, in Buenos Aires.
Good call. Gaucho1K is the man.
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 11:24 am
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just my 2 cents but start with doing your WSET level 1 and 2 courses.

https://www.finevintageltd.com/wine-courses/toronto/

you may be able to still get in as you may have only missed one day.

then find some locals with lots of depth in their cellars and are willing to share.

there are some of us that get together often from the berserkers forums (all exiles from ebob boards...)
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Old Sep 17, 2016, 6:11 am
  #8  
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Originally Posted by stimpy
Flyertalk is filled with wine discussion if you look around. They are in various forums. For instance there is a huge wine and Champagne thread in the BA forum that gets reset each year.

I've found that some of us end up knowing a lot more about wine than a Sommelier who does not travel as much as we do.
Very true. Like any profession, a title/certification doesn't mean one is knowledgeable. It's impossible to know everything about wine.

Thank for the BA champagne thread. Champagne is 1 area I need to improve on.
Originally Posted by lhrsfo
If you want to qualify in the wine trade, there are really two routes to go. You can qualify as a Sommelier, which is principally about wine service in the restaurant trade.

The top qualification is Master of Wine which requires an extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge and will take years of study.

But, from the post, it sounds as though you simply need some drinking suggestions. If that's the case, just find a good independent wine merchant in your area - I'm sure Toronto will have at least one - and attend their tasting events. As well as getting some suggestions, you'll also learn a lot.
Originally Posted by mkjr
just my 2 cents but start with doing your WSET level 1 and 2 courses.

https://www.finevintageltd.com/wine-courses/toronto/

you may be able to still get in as you may have only missed one day.

then find some locals with lots of depth in their cellars and are willing to share.

there are some of us that get together often from the berserkers forums (all exiles from ebob boards...)
I wasn't looking for suggestions, per se, so much as info on trends from around the world. Example in NYC it's now the the thing to pair x with y, while in London it's R with S and so on.

As for certifications, I've done the 1st 3 WSET courses and training to become a somm. MS/MW are waaay beyond what I ever plan to go for. The certified exam prep is stressful enough!

Unfortunately we don't have indie wine shops in Toronto, let alone the province, but hey, have to pay for healthcare somehow.

Sorry for the cryptic post.

Originally Posted by stimpy
Good call. Gaucho1K is the man.
Thanks!
I'll look into that as I plan on going to SA next year and Buenos Aires was def a place to visit. I'm looking into possibly stopping by in Mendoza on the way to Chile.

Last edited by iluv2fly; Sep 18, 2016 at 10:25 pm Reason: merge
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Old Sep 22, 2016, 9:48 am
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Mendoza is a magical city, I just got back from there, so many amazing wineries from large to small. If you decide to go let me know and I'll give me you my list of wineries and restaurants that I visited.
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Old Sep 29, 2016, 6:00 am
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I just finished my WSET level 1 last weekend and now realise how much I need to know. Does anyone know any good books that would be good for teaching the wine regions of the world?
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