In this On The Road Special Edition, Stevie Kim sits down with Andrea Lonardi MW, Gabriele Gorelli MW and Pietro Russo MW, experts in the field of Italian wine who embarked on the difficult and grueling journey to achieve the prestigious title of Master of Wine.
They discuss the physical, mental and practical demands of becoming a Master of Wine, the areas of competence, and the importance of collaboration and teamwork. They also consider the particular challenges of the MW exam compared to other wine qualifications, and the satisfaction of achieving such a prestigious award. Describing their story can be of inspiration not only for other professionals engaged in the study of wine, but also for anyone who has an ambitious goal and is looking for an effective approach to achieve it. What matters in this story is not so much the goal, but how the protagonists chose to approach the journey. These same choices earned the three protagonists the nickname “The Three Musketeers of wine”: let us discover together the meaning of their personal “One for all, all for one.”
The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) is a membership organisation with an exceptional international reputation. For 70 years, its members – the Masters of Wine (MWs) – have been at the forefront of leadership and expertise in the world of wine. MWs must prove their comprehensive understanding of wine by passing the MW exam, recognised worldwide for its rigour and exacting standards. Today, there are 417 Masters of Wine based in 31 countries. The membership encompasses winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, journalists, shippers, consultants, academics, educators and more.
P.S.: these interviews have been recorder on June 2022.
ITA
In questa edizione speciale di On The Road, Stevie Kim intervista Andrea Lonardi MW, Gabriele Gorelli MW e Pietro Russo MW, esperti nel campo del vino italiano che hanno deciso di intraprendere il difficile ed estenuante percorso per conseguire il prestigioso titolo di Master of Wine.
Insieme, discutono delle esigenze fisiche, mentali e pratiche per diventare Master of Wine, delle competenza richieste e dell’importanza del lavoro di squadra. Considerano anche le particolari sfide che l’esame MW porta con sé rispetto ad altre qualifiche enologiche, e la soddisfazione di ottenere un riconoscimento così prestigioso. Descrivere la loro storia può essere d’ispirazione non solo per altri professionisti impegnati nello studio del vino, ma anche per chiunque abbia davanti a sé un obiettivo ambizioso e stia cercando un metodo per raggiungerlo. Quello che conta in questo racconto, infatti, non è tanto la meta, bensì il come i protagonisti abbiano scelto di affrontare il tragitto. Queste stesse scelte hanno valso ai tre protagonisti il soprannome di “I tre moschettieri del vino”: scopriamo allora insieme il significato del loro personale “Uno per tutti, tutti per uno”.
L’Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) è un’organizzazione associativa con un’eccezionale reputazione internazionale. Da 70 anni, i suoi membri – i Master of Wine (MW) – sono all’avanguardia per leadership e competenza nel mondo del vino. Chi intende diventare MW deve dimostrare di avere una conoscenza completa del vino superando l’esame MW, riconosciuto in tutto il mondo per il suo rigore e i suoi standard esigenti. Oggi ci sono 417 Masters of Wine in 31 paesi. I membri comprendono enologi, sommelier, buyer, giornalisti, importatori, consulenti, accademici, educatori e altri ancora.
P.S.: queste interviste sono state registrate in giugno 2022.
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MammaJumboShrimp is a podcast, a book and a wine school – and so much more!!
We love to eat, drink and travel, seeking out the very best that Italy has to offer!
Check out our “On the Road Special Editions” hosted by Stevie Kim, as well as our regular conversations with some of Italy’s most interesting wine personalities and producers.
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The beginning: The introductory Masterclass and the preselection exam I was pushed by a person who told me, “Why don’t you try this? It could be interesting”. Was it Pedron? It was Pedron. So, you did this because someone told you to. That’s right. And I did not want to do the exam
The last day. We did a three-day course Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday night, we were having dinner at Maffei restaurant and they were tasting and spitting for three days. They were tasting and spitting at the table, while eating. And that annoyed you, right? Yes, he went out for a gin tonic.
How can you trust someone like him? Hold on. And I thought, “Where are we?” I went out for a moment for a gin tonic. “Who are these people?” Then, I got back in and I still remember they were having a Taurasi brettato (Brett-like) and no one was saying that it was brettato (Brett-like)
Then I thought, “They understand nothing”. I went home. I woke up in the morning and went for a run. While running I thought, “I’ll never do the exam”. Then, Alberta, my wife, asked me, “What are you going to do?” “I’m not going”. “You have to go!” “You did that for three days
And you are not going?” Then I sprung into action. Let’s show those, who spit at the table, that you can pass the exam. See, this is an important factor, a wife’s responsibility was specifically that. I was in a moment when I wanted to train on anything I just completed my training
As an official taster at AIS (Italian Sommeliers Association), an exam missing for 10 years in Tuscany. In 2012, I did my official taster exam which I prepared really well. A year of blind tastings, it was fun. Then I asked myself, “What am I going to do? Speaker? It wasn’t politically possible
In that moment. So, I took a sailing licence. I went sailing, I did regattas. Training no matter what. In January, I read about this MWs Symposium in Florence. I did not know what it was. It looked as something with an international appeal. I read the program. It looked really interesting. I signed up
For the symposium and then I knew, as I was in their mailing list, about the introductory masterclass at Masi here in Valpolicella. And there my wife, my future wife. Your girlfriend. You had a son together. “This looks like fun. “Why don’t you try?” I could not resist and said yes. It was me
And a friend coming back after the Japan earthquake after living there for 10 years working in wine. Together we started this new adventure. Mine was more of a bump in the road. I did not know of the masterclass. I literally bumped into the program. I work for Donnafugata which is part of the
Istituto Grandi Marchi (Italy’s Top Producers Institute) promoting the event at Masi. During the weekend José Rallo was supposed to be there with one of her marketing staff. The son of my colleague, Laura, got sick the day before and she asked me to go. Instead of her? That’s right. In her place.
This is beautiful. One of the most curious stories in the program. I started then. I was quite hesitant. I had difficulties with English. Even there, my partner insisted, “Why not?” After the three days I didn’t want to do the exam. We had to go back to Bergamo an catch our flight.
I didn’t want to do the exam, but in the end I convinced myself and that’s how it went. The first contact with the MW world. The first year, the 7-day seminary at Neusiedl Lake in Austria at Weinakademie. We all met there. We were still on party mode, “It’s great to be here”.
The combination of the symposium and our exam results on April 23th and the symposium on May 10th was like a media explosion. Taking a picture with Marchese Antinori, “They will be the next…” a great exposure. Some collected all they could in terms of images. When you say, “I’m an MW student”
All doors open you can taste and go around. This was quite limited by the Institute. At the same time we realized, when in Rust, that the MWs, usually straight out of their studies, who come to teach in Rust they were sharing thoughts on their experience in Rust which were quite, let’s say, grotesque,
“I cried the whole week”. I believe that was the first time we started to collect many slaps in the face during the program. From the first day, there’s a welcome in the evening. The next day is already exams. We realized that the level of knowledge was far beyond what I personally had.
New styles of wines, new denominations. Wines I never tasted. Questions like, “What did he say?” “Ga… what?!” There are two ways of of entering the program. The prerequisites are the WSET Diploma. No one of you did the WSET. That’s right. The introductory masterclass for the program at the MW Institute was specifically
To have students from mediterranean countries bypassing the WSET Diploma. You were given a smattering. A systematic approach. That’s right. You were given a reading list, that together with that guy, since his employer was paying for everything, we bought all the books. And I read them. As if they were novels by Ken Follett.
Viticulture novels. I was quite used to the language, I was quite into it. But I did not have the structure. Then, the two technicians, who became really important in the journey. Something beautiful happened, in 2014, I purchased for an astronomical price “The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia”, the 6th edition, a used copy,
As they stopped printing it. Five years later, we three wrote the Italian part. That’s a great accomplishment. Yes. It’s not bad.