MW bootcamp 2014

(by peter & susie)

No wonder it was a warm weekend in early May.

A considerable amount of heat was being generated in the upper reaches of Winchester’s Guildhall by thirty powerful minds dissecting, analyzing and expounding on twelve wines a day over three days.

This was our fifth annual MW student bootcamp tasting weekend, designed to replicate the extremely testing exams that many of these highly talented wine people will be putting themselves through in early June. (You can find a list of the wines we used in the links at the end of this piece.)

We’d like to congratulate everyone who attended on their hard work. Thanks also to those who have so kindly written (immodestly, we reproduce a few of these comments, anonymously, below). Sincere thanks are also due to all the suppliers who helped us assemble this brilliant range of testing yet classic and often delicious wines: Liberty, The Wine Society, MMD, Stone Vine & Sun, Tesco, Fells, M&S and Waitrose.

We’ll be doing the same thing all over again next year and, in an outbreak of unusual efficiency, have already set the date: 9-11 May 2015. Please email us if you’d like to book a provisional place.

We would also like to wish all Master of Wine students, wherever they be in the world, and whatever stage they are at, the best of luck in the coming days with their studies. Especially, of course, for those doing the big exams next week. Forza!

A few feedback quotes

‘Thank you both for delivering undoubtedly the best tasting seminar I have attended to date. I finished the weekend inspired and with a clear sense of how to proceed with my studies. Invaluable. I am a new ambassador of your bootcamp.’

‘Thanks for a very constructive and challenging three days.’

‘Thank you for a brilliant weekend – good wines, well thought out questions, useful feedback and most importantly a positive approach!’

‘Thanks for a very enjoyable weekend’s intensive tasting. I enjoyed the wines, the choice of questions and your company. A pleasure to meet you and such a good group of people.’

‘Thanks for an excellent, challenging and enormously useful 3 days on Boot Camp.  Now on my 3rd year of being amongst the campers, it was as helpful and motivational as ever. The wording and types of questions you clearly took time to put together for us was excellent. And al fresco lunches on the roof terrace are just the way to recover from a morning of tasting!

Susie & Peter’s MW bootcamp 2015 wines

PAPER 1 Crib Sheet S&P MW bootcamp 2014

PAPER 2 Crib S&P MW bootcamp 2014

PAPER 3 Crib S&P bootcamp 2014