#MWStudyBuddy EXTRA: what I wish I knew when I started MW studies
I knew that it stood for Master of Wine, at least.
I enrolled in the MW programme back in 2009, when the hottest topic in wine was still screwcap versus cork. It took me six years until I passed, during which I wrote a monthly diary of my experiences on JancisRobinson.com, and during which cork and screwcap learned to co-exist peacefully.
This article is all about what I wish I’d known when I started my studies, and it’s based on a session I delivered at the stage one seminar in 2016, the year after I passed. I’m pretty sure it is just as relevant today.
What it feels like to be an MW student
Firstly, this advice is only intended to make sense for MW students - especially those who are just beginning. And that’s my first point: nobody else gets it. Your colleagues and loved ones may be able to sympathise, but only fellow MWs and students really understand what it’s like, no matter how much you try to explain. That exclusivity of feeling can create strong bonds within the MW world, but it can also create a sense of alienation.
But there is no other way, and no better way. If you want to become an MW, there’s only one path. It is frustrating and lengthy and all-consuming, but - in case you have any doubts - it is also totally, completely and utterly worthwhile. Passing is obviously the goal, but the intrinsic experience of being a student by itself offers huge benefits.
There should be no rush to pass (although I would never have believed that at the time). Plus, your personal reasons for wanting to pass may well change along the way - mine certainly did. But once you get there, nobody really cares how long it took - just like it doesn’t matter if you are the youngest, oldest or tallest MW.
You might hear conspiracy theories about how to pass, and ulterior motives within the IMW. None of them are true. The IMW may not be perfect, and they certainly make mistakes (my name was left off the 2015 graduation booklet 🤦🏻♂️) but there’s also a lot of good will and good intentions among those who run it. Working with them is the only sensible way to go.
One more feeling you will become familiar with: the mortification of getting a wine completely wrong in front of your peers - especially if you get quality wrong, there is no bigger embarrassment. Everyone does it. I still do. But nobody else will remember your mistakes - just make sure you figure out why they happened, and move on.
