Two-Year Program Yields Diploma

For Wine Shop Manager

By Nancy K. Crevier

At a time in life when most parents are happy to leave the studying to their children, Steve Small, general manger at Yankee Wine & Spirits and Stop & Save in Newtown, enrolled in a two-year course of study at the International Wine Center in Manhattan. Mr Small traveled to weekly classes in New York, and then buckled down into his practically forgotten art of studying and writing papers weekday mornings and in much of his spare time.

His efforts paid off, however, and in September, he was awarded a Diploma in Wine and Spirits from Wine and Spirits Education Trust, based out of London, England. The Diploma is the highest of three levels of study in the program, and a prerequisite to studies to become a Master of Wine, Mr Small’s ultimate goal.

Approximately 20 students started the program when Mr Small began, but because everyone proceeds at his or her own pace, not all 20 received the Diploma this past fall, he said.

“I’ve been in the wine and spirits business for 25 years,” Mr Small said, “but I thought it would be cool to study for my Master of Wine, and the Diploma is necessary to begin those studies.”

The six-part course was much more difficult that he had imagined, Mr Small said. “I thought I knew a lot going in, but I learned so much. Winemaking is a science, and to get into the nitty-gritty of it is incredible. The more you know, the more you need to know,” he said.

The course consisted of six units that provided detailed information to be memorized, including lists of terms, every wine region in the world, every grape, and every regulation. The Oxford Companion to Wine, an 800-page tome, was the text for just the third unit alone, he said. Written tests required absolute knowledge of the details provided in classes.

“I think one of the most memorable moments of this course, for me, was when one of our instructors, who is in the Master of Wine program, mentioned that the Italian wine classification system is going to be changing soon,” recalled Mr Small. Every wine region has a legal structure regarding labeling, what goes into the bottle, and even farming techniques. In Italy, wines are classified as DOCG, the highest quality, or as DOC or IGT. “The reason this struck me, is that I had just finished memorizing the over 200 DOC designations for Italian wines,” he sighed.

Half of each exam consisted of very detailed and particular tastings, focused on the nuances of each wine or spirit. “This course is definitely not just about memorizing wine trivia,” Mr Small noted.

While the bulk of the course was about wines and fortified wines, said Mr Small, one entire unit was devoted to spirits, those liquors such as vodka, rum, gin, and cordials. “This was very difficult, too,” he said. For every spirit, memorization of the country of origin, the base ingredients, and distillation process, as well as the business side, was essential to pass the unit.

Earning the Diploma in Wine and Spirits has been beneficial to him on the job, Mr Small said. “It has increased my knowledge ten-fold. When customers ask questions, I feel much more confident,” he said. It has also helped him with networking within the industry, enabling him to recognize special opportunities and bring them to his customers.

Mr Small has not given up on his pursuit of a Master in Wine, of which there are only about 300 qualified people world wide, currently. He is, however taking a break for a year from his studies.

“I will definitely try for the Master in Wine designation at some point. This has been fascinating and challenging. To take it to the MW level will be very hard, but I will give it a go,” he said.

While he decides when to take on that challenge, he must make a more immediate decision. “Graduation is in London, in January,” he said, “so my wife, Sue, and I are thinking about whether to go or not. The woman who edited the Oxford Companion to Wine is the speaker, and it would be pretty cool to meet her,” he mused.