I recently participated in the Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 Course and Exam which is the first of four required steps to become a master sommelier. The programme is given over a two-day period and includes intensive review, instruction and training by a team of master sommeliers on wines and spirits knowledge, proper wine service, and blind-tasting.

Over these two days we had to blind-taste 20 wines and we were required to present these wines to the class using the master sommelier’s deductive tasting method. This includes describing what we see as we swirl the wine in the glass, describe what we smell and what we taste. Based on all the clues, you need to definitively state what grape variety or blend, country/region/appellation, quality level, and vintage you believe this wine is from.

OLD WORLD VS NEW WORLD

My big takeaway from the course was how limited I had allowed my wine choices to become. Of the 20 wines, 16 were from the Old World or Europe, while the other four were from the New World or wine-producing countries, such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, or Argentina; essentially all wine-producing countries outside of Europe. The terms Old World and New World are used to give a general description of the style of the wine and, by extension, how the wine is made. New World wines are typically more fruit- forward and varietal driven, while Old World wines tend to be more earthy, with a sense of place, a structure-driven style of wine. Most Jamaican wine drinkers tend to prefer the New World styles and I am here to suggest that it is time that we start to broaden the range of wines that we drink.

With more retail wine organisations in the market, we have more opportunities to taste a lot more wines from a range of different places. At recent events in Kingston I had the great opportunity to taste a range of Italian wines produced by Caposaldo at a tasting hosted at Bin 26 Wine Bar. I tried and enjoyed Caposaldo Pinot Grigio, Chianti and the Prosecco.

LYMING WITH WINE

On Thursdays The Wine Shop in Southdale Plaza has been hosting a series of tastings dubbed “Lyming with Wine” in association with The Terrace at Susie’s. The majority of The Wine Shop’s portfolio is from the “old world” wine-producing countries. I tried and enjoyed wines from Pellehaut and Java.

Do reach out of your New World comfort zone and try an Old World wine today.

Christopher Reckord – Businessman, Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter: @DeVineWines @Reckord