The Advanced Sommelier exam: how to prepare and pass

I passed the Advanced Sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers on 5 August 2019. It is a big step up from Certified: more theory, a faster tasting and a longer service exam. Here is what the exam is today, and how I would prepare for each part.

The exam, Court of Master Sommeliers Europe

• Before you start: you must hold the Certified Sommelier qualification.
• The course: five days, with the last two and a half days given to the exams.
• Theory: multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
• Tasting: six wines, blind, in 25 minutes.
• Service: a 45-minute practical test.
• To pass: 60% in each part, and all three parts must be passed together.

The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas runs its own Advanced exam with its own rules. Check the details with your Court: Europe or the Americas.

Theory: depth, not breadth

• Know the classifications, not just the regions: the 1855 Bordeaux classification, Burgundy's Grand Crus, Germany's VDP, Champagne terms such as liqueur de tirage and sur lattes.
• Learn producers and vineyards for the classic regions. At this level, a region without its best names is half an answer.
• Don't skip fortified wines and spirits. Sherry, Port, Madeira, cognac and armagnac are all part of the syllabus.
• Draw maps from memory. If you can draw it, you know it.
• Write short answers against the clock. Clear and complete beats long.

Tasting: six wines in 25 minutes

• About four minutes a wine. Practise with a timer from the first week, never without one.
• Same grid, same order, every time, out loud. Under pressure you fall back on habit, so make the habit perfect.
• Taste in flights of six, mixing whites and reds the way the exam does.
• Know the classic markers of each grape and region, and always commit to a conclusion, with your reasons.

Service: 45 minutes

• The Court lists what an Advanced Sommelier must do: serve aperitifs, spirits and liqueurs; set the right glassware; decant and serve wines efficiently; recommend wines with food; handle queries and complaints with diplomacy; and sell.
• Rehearse at home with a real table: sparkling wine service, decanting, a guest who changes their mind.
• Talk while you work. Service is hospitality, not just technique.

What I would tell myself before the exam

• Set the exam date first, then build the study plan backwards from it.
• Study a little every day. Ten minutes of questions beats a weekend of rereading.
• Taste with other candidates. They will catch what you can't see in yourself.
• Sleep. A tired palate fails tastings it would pass rested.

For daily theory questions, SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions and quizzes on any region you choose. Earlier in the journey? See my Level 1 practice test and what each sommelier pin means.

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