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The Master of Wine exam, according to the website, is designed to test the “breadth and depth of a candidate’s theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the art, science and business of wine.”
That still wasn’t enough to put off Blank Canvas owner Sophie Parker-Thomson.
The 33-year-old has been named among the 10 new Masters of Wine worldwide, with the other nine in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Parker-Thomson is the first Master of Wine from the South Island, with the other 14 from New Zealand on the North Island.
Last Friday, Parker-Thomson was nervously walking down the hallway of her home when she received a call from the London-based Institute of Masters of Wine.
“It was 8.15pm,” Parker-Thomson said. “It was great to receive the good news. I was overjoyed. It was a relief … It’s been such a long and difficult road to get there. “
In 2014, Parker-Thomson completed the two-year Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma. After this, he started the Master in Wine program in 2016,
“I started the Master of Wine in 2016, but I took a year off in 2017 because it was intense, I had a 2-year-old son at the time, we were renovating the house … so I needed a break.”
Parker-Thomson passed the theory exam in 2018 and the blind test exam, on her second attempt, in 2019.
“It is probably one of the most challenging blind tasting exams in the wine industry. On average, one person in 10 would get it every year. “
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Sophie Parker-Thomson checks the grapes on a block of chardonnay.
From a Franco-Hungarian cabernet to a Chilean carmenere and a Uruguayan tannat, Parker-Thomson had to identify 36 wines in four days.
“You have two minutes for wine and eight minutes to write a page or more, depending on the questions,” he said.
The exams were held in London, San Francisco and Adelaide, and Parker-Thomson traveled to Australia six times in three years.
In December, Parker-Thomson finished the course by submitting a 10,000 word article on a topic of her choice.
He investigated what could cause wine intolerance.
“I call it the ‘neglected hangover’ because you know when you deserve one from consuming too much alcohol. With wine intolerance, consuming even a small amount of wine can cause some people ill effects such as headache, congestion, flushing or heart palpitations. “
“These effects are often attributed to sensitivity to SO2. However, all my background research showed that there is no conclusive link between SO2 and headaches. Genuine sensitivity to SO2 affects a small percentage of acute asthmatics and is almost exclusively a respiratory response. “
“In exploring what else could cause these reactions, it became clear that BAs (like histamine) were the main culprits, as toxicity mimics the allergic response. Because bacteria produce BA, it made sense to study the impact of SO2 additions on wine, since SO2 is antibacterial.
“The data showed that wines without any addition of SO2 had the highest levels of BA, while the addition of SO2 before fermentation resulted in the lowest levels of BA.
“The research provides important guidance for the wine industry and the document is accessible through the Master of Wine website.”
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Sophie Parker-Thomson is one of the 10 new Masters of Wine in the world.
Parker-Thompson said that he had wine almost imprinted in his DNA and realized during his law studies that his future career had to involve the wine industry.
Raised in the New Zealand wine regions of Gisborne and Central Otago, she moved to Marlborough for the 2011 vintage, where she met her husband, Matt Thompson.
Together they founded their premium wine company, Blank Canvas, in 2013, making small batch wines and recently launched their consulting business, Lock, Stock & Barrel Consulting.
Parker-Thomson said she hoped her coveted new title would help her profile.
“The Master of Wine community is very close, so it is a good network and connection throughout the world.”
There were 418 Master of Wines worldwide, in 32 countries, 149 of them women.
