CMS Advanced Sommelier study plan

Build a reusable deductive tasting grid covering sight, nose, palate, and initial conclusions, and calibrate it against six classic benchmark wines (one each: Chablis, German Riesling Kabinett, red Burgundy, left-bank Bordeaux, Barolo, vintage Port).

Drill the structural markers that separate Old World from New World in blind tasting: acid-to-alcohol balance, tannin texture, oak signature, and ripeness, writing a one-line rationale for each of the six wines.

Map the major French regions onto a single hand-drawn outline map from memory, labeling climate, dominant soil type, and top three appellations per region.

Define the vocabulary of viticulture and vinification (whole-cluster, malolactic, lees contact, batonnage, maceration length, oak toast) and explain in writing how each shifts a wine's sensory profile.

Assemble a tasting notebook template with fixed fields so every future flight is recorded identically.

Blind-taste eight wines spanning Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, and Loire and write full deductive conclusions, then self-grade against the reveal.

Compare the classified growths system, Burgundy's climats and hierarchy, and Rhône's cru structure, and articulate in writing how each hierarchy maps to price and quality signals.

Analyze the effect of grape variety, clone, and rootstock choice on wine style using at least three concrete examples.

Explain the major fault compounds (TCA, Brettanomyces, volatile acidity, reduction, oxidation) and describe how each presents on the palate.

Practice articulating a conclusion aloud in under 90 seconds per wine, recording each attempt.

Blind-taste six wines covering Italy, Spain, and Portugal and correctly place at least four by region using structure and variety signatures.

Compare Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Touriga Nacional by tannin, acid, and aromatic profile, and write a comparison table.

Explain the appellation systems of Italy (DOCG/DOC/IGT), Spain (DO/DOCa), and Portugal (DOC/IPR) and how aging terms (Riserva, Reserva, Gran Reserva) change legally required minimums.

Map the New World - California, Oregon, Washington, Australia, New Zealand - onto an outline map with key varieties and climate drivers per zone.

Draft a one-page cheat sheet of variety-to-region signatures to be revised in later weeks.

Blind-taste six wines from Germany, Austria, Alsace, and the Southern Hemisphere and write full conclusions under timed conditions (8 minutes per wine).

Explain the German Prädikat system, the VDP classification, and the difference between trocken, halbtrocken, and feinherb using at least three example wines.

Analyze how altitude, ocean influence, and diurnal shift shape styles in South America, South Africa, and Australia, with one example region each.

Revisit and correct the week 1 tasting grid based on accumulated blind-tasting errors.

Deliver a 10-minute spoken flight presentation on three wines, as if to a guest, and record it.

Build a service sequence checklist covering greeting, wine presentation, decanting, opening still and sparkling wine, pouring, and glassware choice, and rehearse it end to end.

Demonstrate correct decanting of a mature red and a vintage Port, explaining sediment handling and the aeration rationale for each.

Explain storage, holding temperature, and by-the-glass preservation systems and how each affects wine quality and cost.

Draft a short wine list section (20 entries) with pricing logic, by-the-glass program, and food-pairing notes.

Rehearse handling a guest complaint (corked bottle, wrong temperature, refused wine) and write a response script for each scenario.

Blind-taste six spirits - single malt Scotch, bourbon, Cognac, London dry gin, tequila, aged rum - and identify base material, production method, and age indicators.

Explain distillation (pot vs. column), barrel aging, and the legal requirements of major spirit categories, and write a comparison table.

Compare beer styles by fermentation type, hopping, and water chemistry, and match three styles to specific food pairings.

Explain sake classification by polishing ratio (junmai, ginjo, daiginjo) and the role of koji, yeast, and water, and describe service temperature ranges.

Build a pairing framework that assigns beverage categories (wine, beer, sake, spirits) to a five-course menu with written justification.

Blind-taste six beverages across categories (spirits, beer, sake, fortified, dessert) and describe each in the vocabulary of its own category.

Explain the production and service of fortified wines (Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala) and dessert wines (Sauternes, Tokaji, icewine) and their pairing logic.

Rehearse cocktail and aperitif service, including measurement, glassware, garnish, and responsible-service considerations.

Write a beverage-by-beverage cost and margin analysis for a by-the-glass program covering wine, beer, sake, and spirits.

Practice a spoken explanation of one spirit and one sake to a guest in under two minutes each.

Run a full mock exam simulation: 12 blind wines and 6 blind spirits/beers/sakes under strict timing, with written conclusions for each.

Self-grade the simulation against reveal data and identify the three weakest deduction steps for targeted review.

Rehearse the spoken service and hospitality scenarios (list presentation, pairing recommendation, complaint handling) end to end.

Consolidate all cheat sheets into one indexed reference and review every corrected error from weeks 1-7.

Draft a personal exam-day plan covering timing per question, tasting order, and stress management.