And when I say all about I mean ALL about. 9-5 in the classroom, straight home and studying from 6-11ish every night then from 5-8 the next morning before class started. I signed up to do it this way knowing that it was going to be super intense and with a realistic expectation that it may be too much and I may fail the exam. Before the course started I was ok with this. Learn at the school (I wouldn't want to do it at a distance), make good contacts and accept the fact that I might need to then do a degree of self study ahead of resitting a failed exam.
Then I got there and my natural instincts kicked in...fail? Not if I've got anything to do with it and certainly not without knowing I had done all I possibly could to get through it. That's not to say I'm overly dogmatic...I had come into this wanting a pass with distinction (80%) and very quickly realised success would be redefined as a pass (55%)!!
So the head got buried in the books for the full week. And one of the biggest lessons....the brain truly is a muscle. It needs exercised and thrives on it but if you overdo it then it gets to saturation point, is over stretched and stops working! By Thursday night I had stopped taking information in. By Friday mornings classes it was a case of every bit of information that went in, another one or two left. I may have been understanding how to make fortified wine but I'd forgotten where France is! Even functioning to get the train or my coffee made me feel somewhat spangled. What's been even more fascinating is how that muscle called my brain has recovered. There was no brain strenuous work this weekend just friends, good times, magazines and films. Saturday I was apparently still suffering from brain overuse...conversations stopped as the words wouldn't come and the point of the conversation left me...Sunday was just tired. But here we are on Monday with a full recovery leaving me fitter than I was when I started....my brain is now full of everything I learned last week, I can recall lots of stuff I couldn't last week. Not only that but it is sparking full of how I take my new business ideas forward and raring to go (more on that after Easter). So my summary of last week....it was like a brain boot camp but so worth it.
So what did I learn? Tonnes and I won't go into it all now....if you like wine and want to know more about wines from certain places or the style of a wine / grape from different parts of the world, or how it goes with food or to go and explore some wine regions of the world then again watch this space. In the meantime I will say this...it is a simple but complex industry...from the choice of vineyard sites, to how you grow and manage the grapes, how you decide when to pick them, to press the grapes or not press the grapes, carbonic maceration (get me) or not, fermenting it, additions, extractions, age in oak or not, how long to age in oak, lees stirring, age in the bottle, making sure it tastes the same every year even though the grapes won't, distribution, tax, marketing....so on and so forth. Not only that but it can make it to our shelves for anything from £5 (£2.50 of which is tax and distribution costs). There are amazing bargains out there but I have a newfound appreciation for what I am paying for when I spend a reasonable amount of money on a bottle of wine and will enjoy it so much more from this point on and intend to help you do the same.
So the course is done, the exam was completed (the quickest three hours of my life) and the results are between eight and ten weeks away...I'm quietly confident I'll have done well enough to pass but we'll wait and see. That doesn't mean the learning is over...it's more like it has just begun. I need to consolidate everything I've learned and use that as the basis for building wine tasting workshops for you all to enjoy. It's also not put me off doing more, in fact the prospectus for the Diploma is in my bag!
I also met and spent the week with some wonderful new friends who shared the pain with me. Isabella, Arthur, Sachin, Vas and Keri thank you so much for your company and support in getting through. I look forward to staying in touch with you all and celebrate our success when the results come in.
Whilst in London with my head in the books I...
...HUNG OUT...with my text books in the school, on the train, in the dining room, in my bed!! Not only that but there was a pretty embarrassing train journey home when I got talking to the girl next to me who seemed somewhat focused on my mouth as I spoke. I put it down to the accent and needing to focus on what I was saying...turns out (as I discovered when I got home) it was due to the black lips, teeth and tongue; the result of a day of studying Spain, Portugal and Italy and all their big red wines. With hindsight I probably smelled of wine too...not a good look and pretty hard to explain!
...WINED ON...eighty different reds, whites, roses, sparkling, fortified wines and spirits (12yo Chivas Regal at 9:10am on Thursday was almost a step too far). There were a couple of real good value standouts I'll share with you but my notes are now boxed up awaiting the courier to arrive and take them north so you'll need to wait until next week.
...DINED ON...a lovely homemade Chicken Tikka followed by Lemon Syllabub made by Lindsey's fair hand and shared with her lovely neighbours Yvonne and Gareth.
Next week....Finally returning to Glasgow!!!
Have an amazing week and will finally see you soon.
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