Since 1969, more people from this planet have journeyed into space than have earned the rarefied title of Master Sommelier.
There are, in fact, only 282 certified Master Sommeliers in the world – but two of that esteemed Court were in Edinburgh recently to oversee exams that put a number of Scottish hospitality professionals onto their own path to attaining that status.
Ronan Sayburn, who has previously worked in some of the world’s best restaurants, including Gordon Ramsay’s three-Michelin starred Royal Hospital Road, and Nigel Wilkinson, former wine importer and now brand ambassador and senior wine educator for Boutinot, both attained their Master Sommelier certification in 2005.
At Malmaison Edinburgh earlier this month, Sayburn and Wilkinson oversaw the tutelage and examinations of candidates for both the Introductory and Certified Sommelier exams that must be passed on the road to becoming a Master.
Among the candidates was Matilda Tsappis, co-owner of Perthshire boutique restaurant with rooms, Killiecrankie House, who successfully passed both exams, one of seven people out of the nine candidates who took the Certified exam to pass.
Alongside her, Killiecrankie’s restaurant manager, Lauren Henderson, successfully passed the Introductory exam, one of ten people to pass out of seventeen entrants.
The Certified Sommelier qualification is the primary certification for wine and beverage professionals in the hospitality industry. Its exam comes in three parts – service, theory, and blind tasting.
The first part required candidates to undertake a practical demonstration of their restaurant service competency, covering things like menu pairing, the presentation and preparation of wines for service, the correct glassware to be used with specific beverages and so on.
The second stage required that candidates to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge, covering aspects such as wine-producing regions, grape varieties, the correct handling and storage of a variety of drinks, the practical processes involved in various distillation formats and even international wine law.
The final part of the exam involved a practical 25-minute blind tasting, during which candidates had to be able to clearly and accurately describe two different wines, one white and one red.
This involved identifying, where appropriate, the grape varieties used, country of origin, district of origin and vintage of each of the wines tasted.
Tom Tsappis, head chef and co-owner of Killiecrankie House, commented: ‘’We’re very proud of what Matilda and Lauren have achieved.
“Lots of hard work, studying and dedication has paid off, with them both attaining their Introductory awards, with Matilda then going on to achieve her Certified Sommelier qualification.
“Both of these very prestigious awards recognise their real passion for wine, and their in-depth knowledge and we’re looking forward to seeing both of them continue to share their love and passion for wine in all its forms with our guests at Killiecrankie House as their respective wine journeys continue to develop and unfold.’’
