When Sandy Block first started studying for the Master of Wine certification, he didn't even expect to pass. It's not hard to see why: Out of the only 80 or so candidates selected to take the exam every year, usually just five to seven advance to become Masters of Wine.

Potential candidates must apply to the Institute of Masters of Wine before even being allowed into the program. If accepted, the two-year ordeal includes four papers, three blind-tastings and a dissertation.

When Block, the vice president of beverage operations for Legal Seafoods first decided to start the process, no American had ever earned the honor from the London-based organization.

Heady Mix

“It requires a number of different skills,” explained Block. “You have to write essays, which can be a stumbling block for some people.” Knowledge areas covered include “chemistry, biology, wine production, wine regions of the world and the commercial aspects of the industry.” Then there are the tastings. “You have to assess the identity of 36 different wines,” through taste alone, he recalled.

Beyond knowledge and skill, candidates have a better chance at attaining the prestigious rank if they posses, certain qualities: “a sense of humor, humility, the ability to look in the mirror, figure out what your weaknesses are,” and address them honestly, and, of course, “curiosity.” Among the mix of passions, proclivities and personality traits, “there’s no real blue print” for a Master of Wine (MW).

But despite its difficulty, asserted Block, “it's just an exam.” While the prestigious honorific, first given in 1953, is recognized internationally, Block insists it’s not the be all and end all of oenophile aptitude. “There are some really brilliant people who decided not to pursue it.”

So why do it? “Because it's hard. It's a really hard exam,” explained Block. “If you like the challenge, some people gravitate to towards that.” In Block’s case, he entered into study “not for end result, for the process.”

Because It’s There

“I didn't intend to do it to earn MW,” he said, “just to learn the material that I thought would be fascinating.” Already involved in the wine industry, Block had long been interested in learning as much as he could about wine, but “would always put it off.” He claimed the structure of the exam “allowed me to learn things I probably would have delayed. Sometimes when you have a structure and a force to direct your energies it helps.”

While illustrious, Master of Wine is probably not usually applicable to people who work in a restaurants, noted Edward M Korry, MA CWE, department chairman, Beverage and Dining Service at Johnson & Wales University.

Naming Sandy Block’s involvement in the restaurant industry as the “exception to the rule,” he explained, “for the most part, MWs work with suppliers or for big wine conglomerates.”

With a focus on career education, Johnson & Wales includes hands-on study that helps students find success in the beverage industry, through partnerships with several internationally-recognized organizations.

We’ve Got Spirit

As the only university in the nation to offer certifications from the British-based Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), Johnson & Wales provides students the opportunity to earn certifications that will be recognized globally. The WSET Level 4 Diploma is a strongly recommended by the Institute of Masters of Wine as preparation for applying for the MW exam.

J&W also offers classes for the Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Wine Educator certifications from the Society of Wine Educators. A variety of other certifications and professional credentials exist, each with varying implications and specializations.

Korry noted that the beverage industry has just recently begun the level of professionalization that has long existed among other fields. For too long, he recalled, in the vacuum of formal training and certification, misinformation passed from distributors to buyers to front-of-the-house staff, and ultimately, to the customer.

But the tide has turned. Korry described beverage education as “a recent trend getting a lot of traction, due to the confluence of many different factors,” including consumers’ “sophisticated palates,” and the “growing number” of products available. “All of these need education,” he explained, noting a proliferation of career paths in the hospitality industry tied to the beverage field in foodservice, hotel, retail, media, wholesale and marketing. In foodservice especially, successful managers “need to teach their staff to be effective sales people.”

Pour it On

According to Korry, wine consumption is “growing significantly on a number of fronts” in this country. “Consumption is increasing by more than three gallons per adult every year,” he noted. With over 300 million cases sold per year in the US, the median age of wine drinkers is also dropping and the formerly female-skewed gender divide is equaling out.

The second largest wine market in the world, the United States is “projected to be the biggest in 2010, if not earlier.” With all those thirsty Americans up for grabs, “everyone who's producing wine around the world wants to market them here.”

Sandy Block, Master of Wine, agrees that the wine industry in the US is booming. “It’s expanding,” he asserted. “We're drinking more wine, better wine and taking it more seriously.”

In that type of environment, “the more knowledge you have the better.”