My Mission: to complete and of course pass both the internationally recognised Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications WSET 1 & WSET 2. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, founded in 1969 and often referred to as WSET, is a global organisation which arranges courses and exams in the field of wine, spirits and sake, their Headquarters being based in London and who are regarded as one of the world's leading providers of wine education.
An unusual set of circumstances but welcome ones, sent me back on a journey to my new favourite spot under the sun in Portugal. It isn`t as if I couldn`t have attended the courses here in Germany, they take place worldwide and, in many languages too, but a recent connection made me decide to complete my next self-set challenge abroad.
A young man by the name of Kai Schierke, owner and founder of Orbis Vini, himself a Wine Merchant and Importer of Portuguese wines here in Germany, was responsible for my decision. His own connections to Portugal go back many years and luckily for me, he could recommend not only a Portuguese Wine School (International Wine School Plansel) offering both courses in the English language, but also put me in touch personally with the winery owner, Dorina Lindemann and the schools`founding owner, Wilmy Matton.
Orbis Vini offers a wide selection of fine Portuguese wines from carefully chosen Portuguese Wineries, some of the best addresses in the country with Quinta Da Plansel being one of them. Although a specialist for Portuguese Wine, Kai`s Portfolio also includes other authentic and slightly exotic wines and specialities. Should you be interested in finding out more about Kai`s collection, having a taste or better still, purchasing something, you`ll find him in Mainz. Alternatively, you can obviously visit his website or just get in touch with me. I soon hope to be assisting Kai on his Wine Mission.
An incredible weeks Wine Tour earlier in the year with Surfwinetours (who I can highly recommend) sparked off my appreciation for Portuguese people, their wines and of course - the weather, so the decision wasn`t a difficult one.
The Course took place in what I naively presumed was the beginning of Portugal’s “off-Season” - climate wise, so I certainly didn`t expect such heat on getting off the plane, meaning too, I`d packed totally the wrong attire in my Carry-On-Bag.
Thanks for the pic
The first pics of Portugal were taken from the plane although due to my aisle seat, I admit to not having taken them personally. Well, I couldn`t exactly lean over the young girl sitting on seat “D” in the middle of the row (herself already taking up more than her fair share of room), so I was forced to approach the rather serious but good-looking young gentleman sitting in seat “F” at the window.
On receipt of my business card, he later kindly sent me his pictures, but by then I had totally forgotten my request. Sometimes spontaneity and a little cheekiness does though, pay off. A tactic I`ll be noting for the future and certainly one way of spreading around those freshly printed business cards.
Having kindly been invited to reside at the Quinta itself, I`d opted out of getting a hire car. Simply the thought of driving out of the busy Lisbon airport made my knees weak, so I chose private transfer with a recommended young man called Tiago Vicente. Tiago became my trusty and very reliable driver for the whole trip and although slightly more expensive than a bus or a train, meant a stress-free journey to my destination in an air-conditioned car.
On arrival at Quinta da Plansel Milena kindly showed me to my room in their Pool-House, an apartment built next to, well literally under the very welcoming looking swimming pool.
Dinner and lunch were to be taken at Restaurante a Ribeira just a stone`s throw from the Quinta - a stone’s throw at 38 degrees in the shade feeling more like a marathon, but the food was very good and well worth the walk. The Menu is sung to the guests by the friendly restaurant owner but myself not speaking even a snippet of Portuguese, I didn`t understand a word he was singing, although he was highly entertaining.
On her own arrival, Dorina personally showed me the ins and outs of her Establishment, the kitchen and most importantly, the coffee machine, and then invited me to a small reception she was giving for some guests early evening. I’ve said it before and I`ll say it again - “it would be rude not to” - so at 19 pm I found myself sitting on a poolside sofa with a very refreshing glass of bubbly in my hand. Life can be a bitch I thought, whilst desperately trying to suppress my increasing nervousness caused by the two encroaching qualifications.
Dorina gave me an interesting insight into the history of the Quinta, described her own upbringing and her and her father`s extremely hard work in achieving what they have today.
A story of years of hard labour and determination, research and dedication to the trade and Portugal`s indigenous grape varieties and one I suggest you read yourselves: https://plansel.com/website/en/winery/, in fact it would be much better, if you had a go at their wine range.
Dorina`s father Jorge Böhm, himself nothing less than a Pioneer in the World of Portuguese Wines, bought the land many years ago when prices were still affordable and in 1997 the winery was established. Today, Dorina, together with her two daughters Julia and Luisa Lindemann, are responsible for the success of 75 hectares of vines and obviously doing a grand job.
Their reward; a growing and extensive list of well-deserved accolades and many happy customers worldwide. They too, have a damn good team of employees.
Dorina, Luisa & Julia Lindemann
For me, no more than an early night was on the menu, so having admired the most beautiful sunset, taken a few photos myself this time, I retired to my room, as did the mosquitos…
Challenge Nr. 1 - WSET 1
The Wine and Spirit Education Trust describe their course as follows:
“A Wine course for beginners. For individuals new to wine study, this qualification provides a hands-on introduction to the world of wine. You’ll explore the main types and styles of wine through sight, smell, and taste, while also gaining the basic skills to describe wines accurately and make food and wine pairings. Upon successful completion, you will receive a WSET certificate and lapel pin.”
To be honest, I wasn`t too worried about the pin, thought this would be a doddle and although I now know I didn`t get all 30 Multiple-Choice questions right, I am confident to have passed course 1. In London though, they have extremely high standards and the content reflects just that. It`s a day’s course – from 9am – 5pm - with a 45-minute examination immediately thereafter, so you either take it in or you don`t, as you have no time to revise.
During the 8-hour long day we tasted several wines, learnt the basics of wine-making, wine storage and service, how NOT to open a bottle and the importance of the correct glassware, about Food and Wine Pairing and what could ruin an otherwise enjoyable night out.
About the effects of weather and climate - two quite different things as we were to learn later - and about the differing types and styles of wine. I am very sorry to say that in the UK, most table-waiters still determine wine purely by their colour or the glass size, so there`s certainly room for improvement in this department.
Wilmy & Niklas
Our Course Tutor and Founding Owner of the school, a young Dutch lady by the name of Wilmy Matton, presented the course with nerves of steel and an awful lot of patience. I say young, because this makes me feel younger.. 😉. Wilmy led the course with great enthusiasm, sound knowledge of Worldwide Wines and her inspiring manner was catching. She took her time in answering all our questions and didn`t move on until she was convinced we had understood the material in question, aspiring to leave no-one behind. Having been a presenter myself, I appreciated these qualities, her sharp focus and eye for detail, also her concentration which kept the group in line.
We were a small but very soon a familiar bunch - six participants in all. Nicolas, a young Canadian living in Lisbon and who comes from the World of Art, yet has very interesting plans for some old vineyards in Tuscany and who takes great delight in hearing the name Zinfandel. A charming young lady called Joana, herself on an internship at Quinta da Plansel and presently finishing her studies in Tourism, making the most of and quite rightly so, all opportunities thrown her way. Then we had a second Niklas - making life name-wise an awful lot easier for all of us (particularly after glass number 6) - so you could say we were seeing double right from the start.
Niklas is in the process of completing his studies where all young up and coming future German wine talents land – at the Rhine-based University in Geisenheim, Germany. Having already completed his 3-year Winemaking Training elsewhere, he certainly had an upper hand.
Sophie, a lovely French Entrepreneur who has been based in Portugal for many years and who has an unforgiveable command of not only Portuguese, English and German, but obviously also French. Last and certainly not least, the group was complete with Wolfgang – a yearlong friend of the Lindemann family, himself a self-declared beer-drinker from Bavaria with an excellent sense of humour which contributed to greatly reducing the groups nervousness, despite having plenty of such himself.
In WSET 1 the focus is on the principle grape varieties worldwide, where you`ll find them and depending on location and climate, their regional characteristics. From Riesling in Alsace to Chardonnay from California, Sauvignon Blanc in Australia to Pinot Gris from Italy, not to mention all the black grape varieties (in Germany we say red, just to confuse matters), nothing was left out.
At the end of the day, we were of course, all experts in body (not necessarily our own), structure, acidity, tannins and most importantly, alcohol levels with our own now somewhat higher than to begin with. Following a very long but fascinating day one, we all sat the exam.
45 minutes for 30 multiple-choice questions. I personally was finished just 20 minutes or so into time. I mean, you either know the answer or you don`t, so for me it was cross fingers and now time for a cold glass of wine and the most beautiful evening views…
Challenge Nr. 2 - WSET 2
Following the first day of study and having completed the WSET 1 exam, it was serious business time and day one of WSET 2 confirmed my suspicions; it was going to be a bumpy ride. Following an early start, a very bad nights` sleep probably due to the unfamiliar surroundings and growing nervousness, the next challenge was on.
International Wine School Plansel
WSET 2 meant a change of participants. We lost Sophie and Nicolas Number 1 (well, not literally, I`m sure they`re fine) and gained Portuguese Joana Number 2 and Nara, who is from somewhere probably quite unpronounceable in Kazakhstan. Joana was of a serious and quiet nature, knew what she was talking about in accordance with her Wine- and Port-Wine background and was a force to be reckoned with. Joana, I wish you not only the success you deserve in this exam, but safe travels and valuable experience-collecting “Down-Under”! Nara was a character, in a positive and bubbly sense, herself not in the Wine Industry but obviously very interested in learning much more on the subject. As you can see, this really is an international school and an ideal address for all nationalities.
The Wine and Spirit Education Trust describe the WSET course 2 as follows:
“WSET's Level 2 Award in Wines is a beginner- to intermediate-level qualification exploring wines, suitable for industry professionals and wine enthusiasts.You’ll gain knowledge of the principal and regionally important grape varieties of the world, the regions in which they are grown, and the styles of wine they produce. Through a combination of tasting and theory, you’ll explore the factors that impact style and quality and learn how to describe these wines with confidence.”
This didn`t sound all that difficult appearing very similar to Level 1 although the accompanying workbooks are more extensive. The description then goes on to name the eight principle grape varieties, claiming you`ll find out about how environmental factors, grape growing, wine-making, and maturation options influence wine styles. So far so good. “Climate Change” is something everyone seems to be talking about these days and is, I`m told, something to do with CO2. Having said that, we shouldn`t forget that vines, as do we humans, need Carbon-Dioxide to survive. Just saying…
On reading further there`s the mention of 22 more grape varieties and 70 geographical indications also known as GI`s, which up until now, were what I thought was an abbreviation for American soldiers.
Although I`d looked at the course books back home, there`s a difference between looking, reading, and studying. I had looked at home, also read a lot on the plane but as for the studying lark, it seems that would now take place after dark.
The Wine and Spirit Education Trust themselves recommend a period of 11 hours self-study and revision but didn`t state where..
Fortunately, I read this 3 days before my travels, although most definitely not early enough, so my first and very important recommendation to all thinking of completing the course is 1. make sure you receive the course material well in advance and 2. read and study it!
One point in the book I underestimated was the chapter on “key labelling terms used to indicate origin, style and quality” but the course books` name - Wines: Looking behind the label – should have been a wake-up call.
Most of us know where France is (especially the Brits) and you may well have happy childhood-camping-memories on a site there. If you haven`t, it`s nothing to fret about.
Germany should also be on your radar, not to mention, their wine labels. These and German wine names are renowned for not only being difficult to pronounce, but even more so, to understand. They may as well be printed in Braille, which in fact, some are. Deciphering a German wine label for most, is comparable with reading the London Underground map blindfold or trying to uncork a wine bottle with a corkscrew for left-handers.
Let`s look behind France`s labelling terms as an example, not forgetting that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to WORLDWIDE wines. According to statistics, the French produced 37,8 million hectolitres of wine in 2021 which does suggest they boast a serious number of vineyards.
French wine regions are dotted all over the place from Champagne in the north, through Burgundy, also known as Bourgogne – which is probably where your beef stew came from - to Languedoc-Roussillon (try pronouncing that after you`ve had a few) in the south.
Most wine drinkers are familiar with names like Chablis (northern Burgundy), Bordeaux or the Loire Valley, yet most knowledge will generally end there, as admittedly, mine did. To date, I have only really concentrated on Wines of Germany and the UK (yes, we have plenty) so I`ll use that as an excuse. WSET 2`s high standards expect you to be familiar with all wine regions and their typical grape varieties and be capable of explaining such French terms as Premier Cru, Grand Cru, Cru Classé and Bordeaux Supérieur, to name but a few.
Within each French wine-growing region there are defined sub-regions or Protected Designations of Origin, AOC or Appellation d’ Origine Contrôlée for short. Bordeaux alone has 65 such regions.
Taking the banks of the river Gironde, for example, is a good way of showing just how tricky this can all get. The right bank of the river is best known for its Merlot and on the left side, it`s Cabernet Sauvignon. In my attempt to remember at least some of these regions and their subsequent sub-regions, I applied the art of association with admittedly, marginal or no success.
Margaux (a wine-region in Bordeaux) rhymes with Brigitte Bardot, well sort of, but is it a sexy wine? Pauillac, if pronounced by a Brit, would probably sound a bit like Pollack, a white fish closely related to cod. Pomerol, near Saint-Émilion, reminded me of Mr. Pomeroy in Freddie Frinton’s Dinner for One, although in the sketch I think they drank way more Port- than red wine.
The Loire Valley is Sauvignon Blanc country. If you`re familiar with this magnificent variety, you`ll also know that these wines have a unique character and aromas often described as being herbaceous.
Two famous French names we were insistently told we should learn were Pouilly Fumé near Sancerre and Pouilly-Fuissé near Mâcon, noting too, the regional grape varieties.
Geography was one of my favourite subjects at school but only because I enjoyed drawing soil and tectonic profiles. No wonder I then went on to study Fine Art. Anyway, we all know what “they” say about women drivers and yes, it`s a wonder I even find my way home sometimes.
But when I do drive long distances, I prefer to use an old-fashioned map than a modern-day Sat-Nav. That way I at least see the start and finish of my journey, in principle, and have far better orientation being for me, more important than knowing where the next McDonalds is situated. My German Bord Computer drives me mad but it`s hilarious when it tries to pronounce names on a trip to the UK.
This weekend, I was to refer to a map of the world more than once and I suggest you do the same – in advance.
Back to those French terms. Pouilly Fumé is renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc (Pouilly-Fuissé being an appellation famous for its Chardonnay), so I was desperate to find some sort of association here - for possible later reference. The first thing which sprang to mind on hearing the word Fumé was of course smoke, or something with an unpleasant odour. If harvested too early, Sauvignon Blanc, particularly from New Zealand, can have a taste professionals label “Cat-Pee”, this due to the high proportion of so-called pyrazines, not poor quality.
I`m a Sauvignon Blanc fan myself but have admittedly never tried to drink out of a litter-tray and certainly don`t plan on doing so, but my Fumé association was a good recall, should the question come up later. Even Joana found my interpretation helpful. 😉.
The curriculum covered not only the Old World of Wines, but also those of the New World, meaning the USA, Chile, South-Africa, New-Zealand and Australia. As you can imagine, this rather increased the intake and expected knowledge. At the end of day one our heads were buzzing, and I assure you, this had nothing to do with alcohol. When tasting we “Experts” Spit, we don`t Swallow, so how on earth could any alcohol possibly enter our bloodstream?
Day one also introduced us to the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting wine, SAT for short. Having been a judge on a board of Wine Jurors myself, this wasn`t totally new ground and is an excellent wine assessment language, understood and communicated worldwide. We practised this on all three days obviously accompanied by a fair number of wines at the end of which, it definitely SAT. The most entertaining, but certainly not amateur wine presentations were Wolfgang`s. Wolfgang, many thanks for everything, most of all for your beautifully empathetic manner.
The topic of Food & Wine Pairing was also on our agenda, proved a mouthful of info to swallow – excuse the pun - and after three intensive days of discussion and food tasting, we`d digested all. My favourite association here was the one for UMAMI. If you have never heard of this term, then you`re forgiven, as most of us hadn`t either.
UMAMI - think of Tsunami - is something which is capable of annihilating everything in sight, including the best meant and chosen wine, if you`re not careful. Umami describes strong meaty flavours, for example, and if not paired well, can kill even the bests of wines , unless a strong-bodied one.
Do you have any idea which wine goes best with Asian food or Curry?
Or what salt in a dish has for an effect on your favourite dinner?
These are just some of the things we learnt, including the ins and outs of our tongues but I won`t elaborate on that one.
Day Two`s goal was to deepen our understanding of the principal and regionally important grape varieties of the world. This included their characteristics, the regions in which they are grown, and the styles of wine they produce, also introducing us to the first of the further 22 varieties covered in the course. Yes, you read it right – 22.
At the end of Day Two my head was exploding, my tongue had disappeared down the back of my throat and regarding Day Three`s still untouched curriculum, it was time for serious night-time study and a great deal of water.
That evening I received an unexpected message with a bunch of pictures. It was my incoming flights window-seat-sitter with some lovely Photos, which for some reason, I had totally forgotten about. At that moment in time, I truly wished Scotty from Star Wars would beam me back onto that plane or somewhere like the spot seen below.
Day Three introduced us to no less than 14 more wines, this time mainly from Spain and Italy. And finally, we discussed and tasted Champagne and other sparkling Wines and learnt about their varying production techniques but the Grande Finale was still to come.
The World of Port Wine and Sherry was to give us that final kick of adrenalin (as if we really needed it..) prior to the exam.
When I was a teenager – that`s a few years ago now, one of the only affordable drinks we could legally buy in a supermarket was Asti. It was drinkable, sweet- if I remember rightly – and more often than not, had the desired effect. It also looked kind of cool to have it in your tent on a camping holiday in Wales with the girls. Far cooler in fact, than our tents appearance, especially having been put up in a howling Welsh gale and after an 8-hour journey getting there.
Back in the good old days, neither myself nor my tent buddies were too worried about how Asti was made and certainly had no idea that there`s a difference between Champagne and Cava (which we couldn`t afford anyway) , or Asti and Prosecco. Most readers will probably believe that it was a certain French monk - Dom Pérignon, who was responsible for wines first bubbles. If you`re interested to learn more, please read my article here: https://www.gailtreuer.com/post/england-wine-producers-you-re-pulling-my-leg.
What I am sure you do know, is that the British weren`t always the best of friends with the French. Whether this has changed today, certainly in consideration of new fishing policies in the wake of Brexit or the number of “Dinghy Divers” reaching English shores, I`d rather not comment. But it may surely be said that the Brits had quite an influence on not only the “Discovery” of Port-Wine, but also on the Port-Wine Industry in general. The same may be said for Sherry. Both topics are taken into consideration in the WSET 2 course including the tasting of both, but only play a small role in the examination.
The exam itself was brought forward an hour because we`d all been such attentive students and were obviously showcase specimens. 60 Minutes later and with all 50 questions answered, the tension finally broke.
Not knowing whether we had passed the exam or not (that will take at least 2 months and I`ve already written to Santa), our relief still filled the air like a hot air balloon, and we deservedly as a team, enjoyed a glass of Quinta da Plansel`s Touriga Nacional. A special feeling of achievement, comradeship, joint-collaboration and mutual support, determination and hard work was our reward and I think I speak for all of us saying so.
I take my hat off to all who took part, am happy to have made so many new friends and hope to see all the team again in the future. I also wish you all the very best of luck.
My last evening was spent in the idyllic town of Cascais before flying out from Lisbon the next afternoon.
My instinctive and born in love of the sea took me there, also the necessity for a cold beer..
Many many thanks indeed to the whole team at Quinta da Plansel, but in particular to:
Kai Schierke at Orbis Vini
Dorina Lindemann at Quinta da Plansel
not to forget
Wilmy Matton at the International Wine School Plansel
Be warned, I`ll be back.
Saudade,
Gail
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