Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061132
{ SOMMjournal.com } 87 We also invest our time: hours of class, of blind-tasting practice, of essay writing, of tests. And we invest ourselves. We commit to a qualification and may fail many times before we achieve it. Some of us may never succeed. Friends and family members can find it difficult to understand the purpose of the journey. The response I hear most often to the news that I'm pursuing the Master of Wine qualification is, "What will you do with it?" I will keep doing exactly what I'm already doing, I reply: teaching about wine, writing about wine, enjoying wine, and sharing my knowledge. I try to explain that most students who attempt to earn the MW title don't ever achieve it. The pass rate for the exams is so notoriously—and outrageously—low that I sometimes say it's like the Olympics. Not everyone gets a medal, but I'm proud to compete. That may be my game face, but the reality is much more complicated, with ups and downs, thrilling moments of discovery, and many more of self-doubt. When I first began my formal wine studies in a Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 class at the International Wine Center in New York, I felt comfortable right up until the exam . . . and then I panicked. The course had covered more material than seemed possible to master, but I passed. I was hooked. I continued with the WSET Advanced and Diploma classes even after my family and I moved to France. There I found a fine band of fellow Diploma students, who constituted my first and best study group. We drove from our various homes— Marie-Josée on the Rhône, Fabien in the Languedoc, Regis and Olivier from Swit - zerland—and met in Mâcon at "Esprits de Vins," a WSET school run by the wonder- ful Hélène Touras. During the weekend-long courses, we would study and eat together, laugh, learn, make mistakes, and encourage each other. That community of like-minded people made the process a pleasure. Many of us traveled to London to celebrate together as we collected our Diplomas at the grand Guildhall ceremony. My subsequent Master of Wine jour - ney, though, has often been lonely. It's a self-study program, which means the bulk of the work is meant to be completed alone rather than with classes and tutors. We do form study groups, and I've been lucky to work with some exceptionally gifted and lovely people, but the program itself doesn't seem to foster the same kind of camaraderie I enjoyed during my Diploma years. It can feel competitive at times, which doesn't make sense. It's easy to get discouraged. So I was thrilled when, last May, I was awarded the inaugural David A. Carpen - ter Masters of Wine scholarship through SommFoundation, an organization that assists wine and spirits professionals to "achieve the highest level of proficiency and accreditation." The scholarship came with a cash award that generously covered my exam fees, flight, room and board during the exam—but even more valuable was the vote of confidence. I'd never met David and Diane Carpenter, but they were on my side. When I walked to the exam site each of the three morn - ings, I felt less alone. I didn't pass the MW practical exam this year, disappointingly, but because of the Carpenters and SommFoundation, I'm not giving up yet. If you're also on the winding road of wine study, I hope we cross paths sometime. I know how difficult it is—but with a little help from each other, we'll get much further than we ever could alone. "Educational scholar- ships have been the great gifts of my life, and they all came from people who began as absolute strangers." SommFoundation scholarship recipient Jessica Green poses in a Chilean vineyard.