So you sign up for your first course and within a couple of days there’s a knock at the door. It’s your first Learning Pack. For me it was the Level 2 Pack. You get a study guide and a blue book full of all the stuff you need to know. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it?
Well I guess looking back it was, but at the time I was stuck. As I said first up, I only knew about Piemontese wines from Northern Italy. That was a sum total of half a page of the 80 page textbook. If I’d have had to do the exam the next day, I could maybe have scraped 10% if my guesses worked out. Yikes!
From years of the UK school system, I’ve become pretty decent at passing exams. I’m not the best, but I’ve got a bit of game. I didn’t panic, I just took things bit by bit.
What’s great about doing things bit by bit when you’re studying wine is that it gives you an excuse to read the material piecemeal, and then taste new wines every week. Well it’s revision isn’t it?!
You wouldn’t believe the things I didn’t know about. I cracked onto the chapter on German wines and all of a sudden found a new love in Riesling. Who knew they grew wine in New York State? All these things that most self-respecting wine-o just takes as read, I didn’t know any of it.
The great thing about Level 2 is it really covers the basics, and they’re lots of fun to find out about!
Cheers
Mike
