JOURNEY TO MW: PART 2 - APPLICATION PROCESS
The best advice I heard about applying to the Master of Wine program was from an MW who said (paraphrasing here), “If you’re curious about the program, the best thing to do is just apply. If you get in, you’ll have some incredible experiences, meet interesting people, and if it’s ultimately not for you, you can always leave the program. But, you’ll have had the experience. If you don’t go for it, you’ll always wonder”.
This MW also said that a club with not many members is not a very successful club, but let’s unpack that later!
Applying to the IMW
Completing the application was very involved, as you might expect! There was an online application with essay component, which took about 6 hours of writing and editing. A current MW needs to sponsor your application and submit their recommendation and reference. Then, there's an online entry exam, with timed tasting and theory tests of 90 minutes each that could be done on separate days.
If I could give advice to a prospective student about the process of applying, it would include:
Spend time plotting out your personal essay components of the application. Write them in a word document or similar, rather than composing in the online portal (avoids the possibility of losing valuable writing). Focus on what you can offer and how you will support the IMW and the wine community. Have time to get your responses looked over, making sure there are no grammatical errors. Read them again the next morning after you think they’re ready.
The reference is more important than I initially gave credence to. It’s paramount to know that the person acting as your reference truly supports your candidacy. If they are lukewarm or vaguely supportive, find someone else.
Watch the videos on the IMW website, which are designed to help you structure your responses during the online entrance exam. The style and clarity of your answers will be judged!
Put in your all. It’s expensive to apply (and even more expensive to get in), so make sure you are 100%. If you don't have the time to spend on preparing your application, finding a reference, and practicing for the entrance exam, consider waiting for the next year like I did (see Part 1).
Don’t wait till the last day to do your entrance exam. Split up the tasting/theory components to separate days if possible, as they are mentally taxing.
OK, this one isn’t about the application process, but about the decision itself… Consider what your life will be like if you do get in. Will you have the time and money to finance this considerable investment? The most successful students I’ve met all spend dedicated time each week (and many each day) practising essays, parsing through past exams, and doing mock tasting exams. Remember, this is a certifying body, not an educational one! Your studies will largely be independent.
I prepared for applying by talking with MW students about their experience, and looking at past MW exam questions, making a spreadsheet of potential topics and pertinent examples from the world of wine. The online questions will come from past exams. The spreadsheet I made contained specific examples I could use on the theory exam (for example, winemaker X at winery X in Napa that does a specific kind of winemaking etc…). The IMW is obsessed with examples (how else to gauge your real world knowledge of wine), so have some covering each part of the syllabus and different parts of the world to potentially use in your responses where they’re pertinent.
Four tasting wines were given in advance, in this case a pair of Pinot Gris/Grigio, and a Cream Sherry/Rutherglen Muscat. I was told I could buy them and taste in real time, or do a dry tasting. I chose a dry tasting of specific producer wines, getting the tech sheets for them and making a spreadsheet in advance (abv, flavours/aromas, how they were made, quality…). When you get the wines for your entrance test, make note of the viti/vini factors and how they influence style/quality (aged in new French oak barriques 36 months > powerful oak aromas of vanilla, tannic structure…).
The theory exam questions were given only when I logged into the exam, and they were all technical in nature. I had to choose 1 question of the 3 options provided. One of the best things you could do to prepare for the questions, is to look at past exams, and jot down a brief for each one, outlining the scope of the question and how you would structure a response. For example, if a question is asking about skin contact in winemaking, you could structure a response by listing the types of wine (red, rosé, white, sparkling, orange) and discussing skin contact for each.
There was no wide ranging essay question akin to "is wine a social good?" among the three I was given, but instead they covered winemaking and marketing challenges. Perhaps the MW Institute is aiming to winnow out less technically adept applicants (as they’ve made several references to tightening the applications in various Stage 1 presentations and webinars).
Although I'm quick at the keyboard, I managed to run out of time on both sections. There’s little time to edit or re-edit!
The tasting questions were written in such a way that unless a close reading was done, one could easily answer with the wrong details. Make sure you read the questions carefully before charging ahead with an answer. You know the old adage teachers say, ‘we’re not trying to trick you’, well, some of these questions were a bit tricksy.
You do get some brief feedback on your entrance exam when you’re informed of acceptance/rejection. Mine noted good use of examples in the theory, and that I should tie more winemaking factors in the wines into the tasting responses.
Good luck with your application!
Have advice for prospective students? Chime in below.