CMS Certified Sommelier case studies
CMS Certified Sommelier · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Sommelier Examination is the second of the four levels in the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas education program. The pathway begins with the Introductory Sommelier Course and Examination, continues through the Certified Sommelier Examination and the Advanced Sommelier Course and Examination, and culminates in the Master Sommelier Diploma Examination. The Certified credential is aimed at working beverage professionals - restaurant sommeliers, floor captains, buyers, and serious hospitality students - who already have foundational knowledge and now need to demonstrate it under exam conditions rather than in conversation. Candidates are assessed across three broad fronts: wine theory (viticulture, vinification, grape varieties, regions, spirits, and beverage service knowledge), practical restaurant service, and deductive blind tasting using a structured method. The CMS Certified Sommelier case studies are 5 cases and about 4,464 words.
1Stuck Ferment: Twelve Grams Left and a Friday Deadline
A 4.5-tonne lot of Chardonnay was whole-cluster pressed, settled and inoculated with a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae; 30% of the lot went to new barrels. Juice was 24.8 °Brix with YAN of 95 mg/L.
871 words, about 4 min2Saturday 7:40 p.m.: One Sommelier, Eight Guests, Three Problems
Saturday, 7:40 p.m., a 95-seat room. You are the only sommelier; two servers are on the floor and the pass is running 20 minutes behind.
893 words, about 4 min3Blind White: High Acid at 13.5% and a Bitter Grip
Glass one, served at 11 °C, no label, poured from a decanter after 20 minutes. Appearance: pale gold with a green fleck at the rim, medium intensity, slow thick tears.
796 words, about 4 min4September 18: Forty-Five Millimetres and One Crew
The forecast shows 45 mm of rain in about 60 hours, followed by dry, warm weather. Two blocks are still hanging.
960 words, about 5 min5Blind Red: 'It's Pale, So It Must Be Pinot'
Glass four, poured from a decanter after 90 minutes and served at 17 °C. Appearance: pale ruby with a garnet rim, medium intensity, medium-plus viscosity, fine brick-red sediment.
944 words, about 5 min