WSET Level 3 – We’re on it!

The train journey down to London on Sunday night was less than inspiring. Floods on the roads to Welshpool, freezing cold in Wolverhampton. It was nice to arrive to a crisp moonlit night in the city and after a quick meal out, a walk down to the Thames we packed ourselves to bed for an early night before a tutored tasting day in Bermondsey.

Everyone laughs when we say it’s work, but seriously, it’s hard going! Emma, Terri and I have enrolled on the Wset Level 3 Wine course and the exams are in April. This day is to prepare for the blind tasting part of the final assessment. Not a drop is drunk. Well, a little may have slipped down in my weaker moments but on the whole, it was a solid 7 hours of learn, taste, analyse, repeat.

Essentially, we were learning how to analyse wine and make a judgement about its quality and main features. Is it balanced? Is it simple or complex? You are required to judge the sweetness, tannin, flavours etc and there are so many factors to consider. It’s a big step up from Level 2 which we sat a few years ago.

We like to keep developing professionally and it’s a brilliant challenge. It fires you up about the subject even more and keeps the work interesting for everyone. The result, we hope, is a confident team who are able to guide and advise confidently to the wine that suits you and to encourage customers to experiment if they want to. Part of the fun of the shop is to help people discover new styles or grapes.

The wine world is a complex and often tough one for the winemakers with their battle against weather and disease and the myriad of decisions they have to make from the planting of the vine to the bottling: every step affecting the style, quality and price. A course like this educates us but also breeds enormous respect for what they do. Call in and we’ll tell you about it!

Roedd taith lawr i Lundain ar Nos Sul ddim yn ddelfrydol yn ystod y Mis Bach. Ar ôl glaw ar y ffordd i Trallwng a rhewi o oer yn Wolverhampton braf oedd cyrraedd i noson glir a braf yn y ddinas. Dro bach ar ôl cinio i weld Tower Bridge a Thŵr Llundain wedi’u goleuo’n brydferth a gwely cynnar i baratoi am gwrs blasu gwin yn Bermondsey.

Peidiwch â chwerthin pan dwi’n dweud fod hyn yn waith caled! Mae Emma, Terri a fi ar gwrs Lefel 3 Gwin ac angen paratoi at arholiadau ym Mis Ebrill. Er mwyn paratoi at y darn blasu o’r arholiad, mae’r diwrnod yma. Dim tropyn yn cael ei yfed. Wel, efallai lithrodd rhyw ychydig lawr fy ngwddf ambell dro. Ond dim llawer, oherwydd o 9yb tan 5yh roedd angen canolbwyntio’n llwyr. Dysgu, trafod, blasu, dadansoddi. Drosodd a drosodd.

Dysgu sut i feirniadu safon gwin ydi’r amcan. Ydi hwn yn win wedi’u gynhyrchu’n dda? Oes balans rhwng ffrwyth ac asid? Ydi o’n syml neu gymhleth? Mae gymaint o ffactorau i’w hystyried ond wanwyl oedden ni’n tair wedi dysgu gymaint! Mae hwn yn gam mawr o’r Lefel 2 rhai blynyddoedd yn ôl

Dechrau Ebrill byddwn yn ôl lawr yn yr adeilad Wset (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) i sefyll un arholiad blasu ac un ysgrifenedig ar ôl 3 mis o astudio ar lein. Mae’r buddsoddiad yma’n fawr i ni gyd. 10 awr yr wythnos ychwanegol o astudio. Mae Emma a minnau’n cwrdd am 8.30 y bore i geisio dal y blaen!

Hoffwn feddwl am waith yn Dylanwad fel proffesiwn. Felly mae datblygiad proffesiynol yn hanfodol. I gadw aelodau staff gwerthfawr rhaid buddsoddi a chadw’r gwaith yn ddiddorol – a heriol! Y canlyniad gobeithio yw tîm sy’n hyderus i arwain cwsmeriaid i brynu beth maent yn hoffi ac i fentro i arbrofi gyda gwin.

Mae’n fyd cymhleth a chaled i’r cynhyrchwyr. Un peth oedden ni’n tair yn gytûn arno, y mwyaf ni’n dysgu’r mwyaf mae’n barch yn tyfu at y gwinwyr a’r myrdd o ddewisiadau rhaid gwneud yn pob cam o’r winllan i’r botel. A’r dewisiadau yma sy’n dylanwadu ar y steil, safon a’r pris.

Galwch heibio i holi cwestiwn a rhoi sialens i Terri ac Emma!