As a writer covering wineries, winemakers and brands for more than 11 years, I can say that I have learned a lot through experience. This year I committed to formally increasing my wine knowledge by working on my certifications through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. And while both experience and education have started to truly cement the way I want to move forward in the industry, I quickly found out I have, let’s say, a little (or a lot) more learning to do after completing my first Master the World™ tasting kit experience.
The brainchild of industry veterans Limeng Stroh (co-founder/CEO) and master sommelier Evan Goldstein (co-founder/chief wine officer) Master the World™ is an education platform for professionals and consumers looking to sharpen their wine palates. Through a subscription program that offers three plans, subscribers will receive curated blind-tasting kits with six 187 ml wine bottles. You. Taste alone or with friends for a more competitive but fun time.
Set up an account online to input your answers to questions that range from appearance, body, and acidity and then slowly start to more challenging as you get into specific notes as well as whether it is an old or new world wine and the country, all the way down to the region. This is serious tasting business.
When picking the wines to include in the kits, Goldstein says, “Regardless of provenance, every wine comes from a top-notch winery, many of which are celebrated household names. We taste dozens of wines before zeroing in on our finalists.”
My kit contained both red and white wines that were a mixture of old and new world. There is a reason why studying to be a master sommelier is as stressful as it is. While I was able to pick the right varietal, being precise about the country of origin and region and the descriptive notes down to the soil was just way out of my league, but I had a good time pretending to be an expert.
These kits will put the ultimate wine snobs to the test and for the average wine lover such as myself, provide both entertainment in addition to education.
Based in San Mateo, California, Master The World™ launched this year in 45 states, making the kits the perfect gift for yourself or a fellow wine lover across the country. Each one is labeled with a kit number required to complete the online evaluation of the blind tasting.
Recorded webinars are available for the first three kits, so you can either watch it and taste along as the answers are revealed at the end or do your own tasting or watch it later after doing your tastings to hear the discussion. A fourth kit was just released earlier this month.
Kits start at $70 for an annual subscription, $80 for a monthly subscription and $90 for a la carte purchases.
You definitely won’t be disappointed whether you do it once or a couple of times. Of course, the more you practice, the closer you will get to claiming total bragging rights as a true wine connoisseur. I highly suggest doing the blind tasting with others for a more engaging experience and dialogue.
To learn more and to purchase your kit, visit www.mtwwines.com.