WSET One: Part One
We had always been into wine, and we were anxious to see how little we actually knew.
It had been years of visiting wineries and learning about the grape growing process. Why wines tasted the way they do, had always been a topic of interest and would often elicit a conversation or debate between my wife and I. We had the opportunity to taste in places like Greece, France, Italy, New Zealand, California and New York. We even had Cabernet Franc grapes growing in our back yard. My wife and I were sinking deeper into the wine game and loving every minute of it.
We have had the pleasure of experiencing the majority of wineries in Maryland, and many others in the surrounding states. We are active supporters of the wine industry in Maryland and their, “A rising tide lifts all boats” mentality. Maryland is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the US. The state boasts a diverse array of varietals that grow well, and of course the fair prices.
One day at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Maryland, we were in the midst of a tasting. We were about to get to my favorite wine, the Landmark Reserve. After speaking with the tasting room professional about the flavor profiles of the samples and where they all came from, he asked my wife and I, “What wine meant to us and what do any of us really do with all of the knowledge we pick up? Was this just a moderately expensive hobby or is this something we could do for a living?” After considering the comment for a moment, I still didn’t have an answer. I continued to reflect on the question into the evening and finally came to the point where I had to ask myself, why not us? I thought at first the motivation was from the wine, but it never went away.
As Maryland residents we thought it fitting to find a local school where we could cultivate our knowledge in a more formal manor. There were a few things to figure out first. Are there independent schools that can certify you in wine? Where were they, and how do you enroll? After a brief Google search, we landed on the only wine school in Maryland, The Charm City Wine School. CCWS is located in Towson just north of Baltimore on York Road. Classes take place in the bottom floor of a large black building. We reached out to the instructor, filled out a few registration forms and were given our start date, time and location. We were in!
Tim O’Hare is the instructional Sommelier and the founder of the Charm City Wine School. He graduated from the Baltimore International Culinary College and was the former Salesman of the Year with Breakthru Beverage Group, which he’s been employed with for over 29 years. In October 2009 Tim became a Bordeaux Wine Trade Educator through the prestigious Bordeaux L’Ecole Du Vin. In 2022 Tim became a Certified TIPS Trainer and has previously been a judge in the Virginia’s Governors Cup. In addition, he passed the WSET L3 Spirits/Wine program. Currently he’s studying for the Diploma Level to complete the program. Needless to say, this was our guy.
Once class was paid for, Tim personally drove to our house and dropped off our textbooks. We had a week before the first class and had already established an email chain briming with study material. It was official, we were going to start our WSET 1 Award in Wine.
