The Master Sommelier test is one of the hardest exams to pass in the world. Since the exam was created in 1977, only 274 people have passed and earned the title of Master Sommelier.
In order to take the exam, you must either be invited or recommended by someone in the industry and you need around 10-years of experience as a sommelier. You also need to have previously passed the Advanced exam. Those are the requirements just to TAKE the Master Sommelier test.
The exam itself consists of three parts: an oral exam about theory, a blind taste test of six wines that takes place in front of a panel of judges, and a test on your level of service. The exam’s meant to test every aspect of tasting, serving, and drinking wine at the highest of levels.
Netflix actually has a few documentaries about this available for streaming, most notably Somm. Watching that was the first glimpse I got of this insanely competitive world of wine drinking where the participants treat wine tasting like it’s a professional sport which in many ways for them it is because passing the exam means a lifetime of $$$$$.
VICE News recently published this clip of Vincent Morrow who lives in San Francisco and has created a workout routine that pairs masterfully with his wine-tasting. This is all in preparation to take the Master Sommelier test.
As noted in the video’s description, a record 24 sommeliers passed the test in 2018. It was later alleged that someone leaked the wines in the blind taste test portion ahead of the exam and all 24 Master Sommeliers had their titles revoked and are being forced to take the test again.
For more on what it takes to complete a Master Sommelier certification and a list of the master somms in the world you can click here to check out their website.