Wine Expert Exam🍷

Hello everyone🍷

Actually, I took the Wine Expert exam this year💪
I love wine so much that I tried to take it in 2023 as well, and I enrolled in an online school, but the volume was so overwhelming that I gave up quite early on🤷‍♀️
However, not wanting to give up this year, I started attending Academie du Vin in March, and finally finished with the announcement of the results on 10/16.

Just as I had feared when I took a peek at the textbook📕 two years ago, the volume is enormous, so while studying, I kept forgetting what I had learned over and over again.
I don't know how many times I asked myself, why am I studying this? lol

Moreover, the other examinees were all at a level where I thought their natural intelligence must be on a different level...
I couldn't imagine that an ordinary office worker like me could pass, and so began my days of anxiety.

Then came the day of the exam. Since it was the last day of school the night before, I went to a party with a few others🍷, and although I thought I would leave after 10 PM and study when I got home, that was obviously not possible🕰️ lol
I gave up and woke up at 5 AM to just keep solving past exam questions📖
I learned what it meant to be in the zone for the first time in my life lol
And before I knew it, it was time for the exam,
Perfectly sure ◯ -> 30%
Which one is it? △ -> 40%
No idea! × -> 30%
That was about how it went when the exam ended...
When I saw [Pass] displayed in the top right, I was truly just exhausted🥹

I remember calling my mother with shaking hands📞

As for me after the first exam, I went back to school to prepare for the second exam, but even though I hadn't learned such core grape varieties, I had a strange sense of confidence because I had gained experience, so my tasting form wasn't proper. This was not good.

For some reason, I took the second exam thinking I would manage somehow,
I don't think I've ever spent a week as nervously waiting for the results as I did then lol

As a result, I checked the Sommelier Association website exactly at 17:00 on 10/16. And I confirmed that my number was not there...🥹
Wait, the pass rate for the Expert exam last year was 90%, right? Isn't there hope even if I didn't guess the varieties or countries of origin correctly? I couldn't stop feeling uneasy, and for the next two days, I drank too much out of frustration and had a constant headache lol
It turns out the pass rate this year dropped significantly from last year🤣
No wonder I didn't pass lol
And it's even meaner than the Sommelier exam.

So I decided.
Next year, I will definitely get all the Expert questions right.

I have a competitive spirit, so I will definitely win next year.
And since there will be a one-year gap until my revenge, I decided to take the WSET Level 3 exam to solidify my tasting foundation while the knowledge from the first exam is still barely in my head.

For those who, like me, will be taking the Sommelier/Expert exam again next year, or those taking the WSET, I want to use this note to output information, answer any questions or requests you may have, and work hard together!

I will make the next year a year where I face wine even more than last year.
And lastly, to those who passed this year, congratulations. As a fellow enthusiast, I truly respect you.
Those of us, including myself, who are seeking revenge next year will definitely build up our strength and try again, so please wait for us🏋️