To be honest, I’m not completely sure what I’m doing here. Just a few months ago, I was a wine drinker–meaning a normal lady who drinks wine. A little knowledge here and there, a few opinions and preferences. I’ve seen “Sideways” once, maybe twice. I have Wine Folly on my coffee table. I always bring an unusual-but-approachable bottle to the party, and I can use a corkscrew. But that’s it. You know, the normal stuff.
This is something else. This is not normal. Not just a wine drinker any longer, I’m now a wine person–meaning a person who has caught the wine bug. So here I am, about to meet some even crazier wine people and earn my WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) Level 2 certificate.
The Level 2 class is taught at Dallas Wine Education Center–the educational arm of the Blind Bishop wine bar–over two weekends. It’s a total of 16 hours of classroom time. The exam takes place on the second Sunday. If I pass, it will be my first formal credential in the world of wine. (I wrote about my decision to skip Level 1 in an earlier post…you can check that out here if you’re interested.)
As I write this, it’s a Saturday morning in January, and I’m sitting in a classroom in South Dallas after a long car trip. Ice from a winter storm is blanketing the roads and local drivers are losing their minds because they’ve never seen the white stuff. Even weirder than snow in Texas is the feeling that I’m here to learn, and not just to drink wine.
I got up just after sunrise in order to get across town in the iffy weather. I didn’t have any coffee. (Gotta keep my palate fresh!) But the excitement and nervousness is pushing away the morning haze. I feel alive and awake and ready to hear some corks popping.
This feels different than any wine class I’ve ever taken–and not just because it’s morning. There’s no charcuterie board in this room and no jazz piano. There’s just my spiral-bound workbook full of regional maps, six empty glasses on the table in front of me, and a slide projector on the far wall. And unlike any wine class I’ve ever taken before, there will be a test at the end.
The rest of the Level 2 students filter in, about 15 of us in total. Introductions begin, and I start to feel even more nervous. There’s brewers and bartenders in the mix. Wine tour guides and hotel managers, collectors and corporate buyers. When it’s my turn I nervously proffer my bio: Born in Dallas, went to school here, not in the food and beverage sector anymore. I’m just an amateur wine lover and blogger trying to learn as much as I can.
Suddenly, I feel under-prepared. Everyone seems to know more than me, everyone seems to have a better reason to be here than me. Every single person is earnest and focused. We each paid upwards of $900 to be here so I would expect my classmates to be somewhat serious about wine. Even so, the level of knowledge and experience is notable and just a little surprising for what’s supposed to be a beginner- to intermediate-level class. I’m not shy about sharing a tasting note here on the blog–but in front of a room full of wine pros is a different story.
The class is held in a lecture format, with frequent pauses for discussion and review. We study the basics of wine production, important grapes, labeling conventions, and regional differences in climate and winemaking. We taste wines together–many of the major world styles that are covered in the Level 2 curriculum–and ask questions. We take short breaks for water and crackers. By Sunday afternoon, the ice has been broken and we’re all sharing study tips, restaurant recommendations, and White Zinfandel stories between chapters in the course.
This WSET Level 2 class is taught by Dilek Caner, proprietor of the Blind Bishop. She holds the title of Master of Wine–as if I wasn’t already intimidated by all the brains and accomplishments in the room. But she’s warm and funny and deft at managing a classroom. The WSET materials can be somewhat dry, but she presents them with both clarity and nuance. She structures the tastings in a way that the differences between each pour really come alive, and I thank my lucky stars that I decided to take Level 2 in person instead of online.
So far, it’s been a totally worthwhile experience. I already feel like I’ve learned a lot, and I’m riding a wine-fueled wave of joy and excitement. Wine class is great! Wine people are cool! The wine bug is real!
I’ll be back in class this weekend for the second half of the course and to take my exam. I plan to publish at least two more WSET Level 2 updates on the blog: One post after completing the classroom portion, and another post when the exam results come in. Fingers crossed for “Passed with Distinction”!
See also: My experience preparing for WSET Level 2
Links:
Wine & Spirits Education Trust (London)
Blind Bishop (Dallas, TX)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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