Master Sommelier vs. Master of Wine - What's the Difference?

Master Somme or Master of Wine, what is the difference? First of all, a couple of very passionate consumers, producers, importers, exporters, business people in the world of wine established the Institute of Masters of Wine in 1955. Every year since then, select members of the trade with the acumen, the experience, have been selected to be able to participate in this pursuit to become a Master of Wine. It is difficult. The pass rate is very low. There is approximately 300 Masters of Wine in the world. So the Institute of Masters of Wine, the hotel industries, the restaurant industry got together and composed this new credential to elevate service. And the court of Master Sommeliers was established in the late 1970s. These are service industry professionals that serve cocktails, cigars, and wine with absolute, the highest level of service standard. And I think Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine are coursed to elevate the wine and spirits industry. The Masters of Wine are dedicated only to wine and the Master Sommes have to be a little bit more well-rounded in all beverage. Maybe there's a little bit more intense knowledge required about vineyard, about vine disease, about winemaking, about viticulture, plant growth, things like that inside of the Master of Wine category. And there's more knowledge needed about all levels of service, cocktails, spirits, cigars, and wine for Master Somme. Neither is superior to the other, just different roads. And I wanted to take a minute to explain those roads and help you understand why there's about 300 Masters of Wine and maybe about 400 Master Sommes. And I hope that you decide to get involved in wine education. There's all different types of roads that you can take. I hope that you'll participate in our programs and the programs of others. Thank you for listening.