In 2012, many wine Aficionados were pleasantly surprised by the gentle documentary SOMM. It told the story of the struggles of several candidates who were trying to pass the difficult Master Sommelier exam. At the time of this writing, only about 279—out of thousands—have been able to succeed. It’s just that difficult, although those who have been able to pass the Master of Wine exam may beg to differ. But that’s another post!
I fell in love with the movie because, especially during that time, I was actively exploring my own wine certification journey. While I have been able to try and pass (and not pass) a few, the goal of reaching the “master” level will not be something I’m going to attempt. Mainly because I’m old (Boomer), and that takes more years and dollars than I’m willing to expend!
Since then, SOMM has developed a streaming channel of everything wine and food-related and it’s easily one of my favorites. I gladly pay the current $60 annual subscription fee to enjoy the vast selection (I think about 400) of movies, series, master classes, podcasts, and other informational items they have available.
For instance, they have a series called Sommelier’s Notebook. Absolutely perfect! Each episode touches on something very important for a wine lover. The episodes range from about three minutes to about half an hour, and you learn something from each one. They have topics such as acidity, grafting, soil, phylloxera, and a few other items as well. Currently, there are 32 episodes.
By the way, the movies are all available on other channels, such as Peacock, Tubi, and even YouTube, and are free with ads.
While my certification goals are, by design, limited, it is almost impossible to spend time watching the programs, listening to the podcasts, or enjoying the movies without wanting to push ahead to gain the credibility that certifications provide. I currently only have two more certifications that I’d like to complete before deciding to simply just enjoy wine, I will be using the SOMM offerings as a source of continuing education.
