Introduction
What’s the difference between a Master of Wine (MW) and a Master Sommelier (MS)? How can you take advantage of your surroundings to become a better wine taster? Is there a benefit to focusing on tasting notes instead of scores? What is involved in each of the stages of the MW exam?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Jane Masters MW, Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine and independent consultant for the Opimian Society, Canada’s largest wine buying club.
You can find the wines we discussed here.
Highlights
- How did other Masters of Wine inspire Jane in her wine career?
- What key differences will you find between the Master of Wine (MW) and Master Sommelier (MS) programs?
- Which aspects of wine do you learn about in the MW study program?
- Why do you need stamina to become an MW?
- How long would it take for you to earn the MW designation?
- What was the focus of Jane’s research when she sat the MW exam?
- Are there any particularly interesting or notable holders of the MW?
- How can you become a better taster?
- How can you take advantage of your surroundings to improve your wine skills?
- How does Jane influence the Canadian wine world through the Opimian wine buying club?
- What should you expect from an Opimian membership?
- How can you benefit from Jane’s description and pairing-focused approach to wine?
- Which non-wine beverages does Jane find interesting?
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About Jane Masters
Jane Masters became a Master of Wine in 1997 and is currently one of 354. She was elected as Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine in September 2016. Jane is an independent wine consultant with over 30 years of experience and clients around the world. Her varied background enables her to work in all sectors of the trade including business strategy, quality improvement, sourcing, press & marketing communications, events organization and training.
Having originally trained as a winemaker at the Institute of Oenology in Bordeaux, Jane worked in wine production in France prior to joining the wine buying team at a major UK retailer. After 13 years in UK retail and running the Wine & Drinks Category for Marks & Spencer, Jane set up Mastering Wine in 2004.
A confident and engaging communicator Jane regularly writes about wine and hosts large tasting groups. She has filmed several wine shows and written sections for Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine and Wine Opus. She is a senior panel chair judge for the International Wine Challenge.
Jane has visited all major wine-growing regions around the world and is really excited to be coming back to Chile after many years. She lives between London and Nice in France where she enjoys the food, wine and lifestyle. Her wine experience is complemented by an MBA from London Business School.
Resources
- Connect with Jane
- Website: Opimian
- The Institute of Masters of Wine
- Antiyal Wine https://en.antiyal.com/inicio
- Niagara-on-the-Lake Wineries Shipping Direct to Home
- Ontario Wineries Shipping Direct to Home
- Nova Scotia Wineries Shipping Direct to Home
- British Columbia Wineries Shipping Direct to Home
- Join me LIVE on Facebook every second Wednesday at 7pm Eastern
- My new class The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner And How To Fix Them Forever
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Join me on Facebook Live Video every second Wednesday at 7 pm eastern for a casual wine chat. Want to know when we go live?
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Thirsty for more?
- Sign up for my free online wine video class where I’ll walk you through The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner (and how to fix them forever!)
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- You’ll find my books here, including Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.
- The new audio edition of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass is now available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and other country-specific Amazon sites; iTunes.ca, iTunes.com and other country-specific iTunes sites; Audible.ca and Audible.com.
Transcript & Takeaways
Welcome to episode 93!
What’s the difference between a Master of Wine (MW) and a Master Sommelier (MS)? How can you take advantage of your surroundings to become a better wine taster? Is there a benefit to focusing on tasting notes instead of scores? What is involved in each of the stages of the MW exam?
That’s exactly what you’ll discover in this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. I’m chatting with Jane Masters, former chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW). She herself became a Master of Wine (MW) in 1997. She also selects all of the wines for Canada’s largest wine buying club.
This conversation took place on my Facebook Live video show a couple of years ago so please keep that in mind as the context for Jane’s comments. Occasionally you’ll hear me respond to a viewer question.
I’ll include links to the wines we tasted, the Opimian Club, where you can find us on Facebook live every second Wednesday at 7 pm, including this evening if you’re listening to this podcast on the day it’s published, and how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class — that’s all in the show notes at nataliemaclean.com/93.
We’re just 7 episodes away from number 100. Do you have any ideas on how we can celebrate this milestone together? I’m going to give away 3 signed copies of my second book, Unquenchable, which Amazon named one of the best books of the year to 3 people who come up with the best ideas.
So please email me at [email protected][email protected] or tag me on social media with any ideas you have to make it fun. And there will be wine.
Okay, on with the show!
You can also watch the video interview with Jane that includes bonus content and behind-the-scenes questions and answers that weren’t included in this podcast.
Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed my chat with Jane Masters. Here are my take-aways:
- I like Jane’s take on wine scores versus tasting notes, and focusing on discovering the wines you enjoy.
- Her advice to pay attention to aromas in your environment is a great tip.
- I was interested to learn her behind-the-scenes process for tasting wines for Canada’s largest wine club. What a great job!
- I found Jane’s explanation on how the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier programs are different very helpful.
You won’t want to miss next week when I’ll be chatting with Arlene Dickinson, who is best known as a judge on the hit TV show Dragons’ Den as well as advising struggling companies on The Big Decision.
She’s the owner and CEO of Venture Communications, a powerhouse agency focused on marketing strategy, has been inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame and is the mother of four children.
She recently published a book called Persuasion as well as a line of luxury products with the same brand name, including skin care, chocolate, coffee, and what we’re going to talk about next week–wine.
In the meantime, if you missed episode 71 with Elyse Lambert who talks about how she became a Master Sommelier, go back and take a listen. You’ll get an even better sense of how that designation differs from the Master of Wine. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite.
If you liked this episode, please tell a friend about it, especially one who’s interested in the wine tips Jane shared.
You’ll find links to the wines we tasted, the Opimian Club, a full transcript of our conversation, where you can find us on Facebook live every second Wednesday at 7 pm, including this evening if you’re listening to this podcast on the day it’s published, and how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class — that’s all in the show notes at nataliemaclean.com/93.
Thank-you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week, perhaps a wine that masterfully captures your attention!
Transcript
Jane Masters 0:00
I think scores are important, but I don’t think they’re the be all and end all I think what is very important is that people find the wines that they enjoy. And that’s the description of the wines, what they taste like. And what they go with is more beneficial or more use more value to our members. So I like to focus on those descriptions and that people can find if they enjoy a Sauvignon from a particular region, that we’ve got alternative things that they might enjoy a similar style. They’ve been through other regions or maybe other great branches, which fall into that sort of category. So I do score lines, I score them out of 20 for my own benefit. And again, you know, if you’re looking at scores that anyone has written, you have to understand the context in which they’ve done it and why scores are not absolute scores. They’re scored in terms of the price of the wine and the value for money that offers so I prefer to actually concentrate on what wines actually tastes like than publishing schools.
Natalie MacLean 1:05
Do you have a thirst to learn about wine? Do you love stories about wonderfully obsessive people, hauntingly beautiful places, and amusingly awkward social situations? That’s the blend here on the unreserved wine talk podcast. I’m your host, Natalie MacLean. And each week, I share with you unfiltered conversations with celebrities in the wine world, as well as confessions from my own tipsy journey as I write my third book on this subject. I’m so glad you’re here. Now pass me that bottle please. And let’s get started. Welcome to Episode 93. What’s the difference between a master of wine and W and a master sommelier? Ms. How can you take advantage of your surroundings? To become a better taster Is there a benefit to focusing on tasting notes instead of scores? And what’s involved in each of the stages of the master fine exam? That’s exactly what you’ll learn in this episode of The unreserved wine talk podcast. I’m chatting with Jane masters former chair of the Institute of masters of wine. She also chooses all the wines for Canada’s largest wine buying club. This conversation took place on my Facebook Live video show a couple of years ago. So please keep that in mind as the context for Jane’s comments. Occasionally, you’ll hear me respond to a viewer question and I’ll include a link to the wines we tasted the opinion Wine Club, where you can find us on Facebook Live every second Wednesday at 7pm, including this evening, if you’re listening to this podcast on the day it’s published, and how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class. That’s all in the show. notes at Natalie MacLean comm forward slash 93. Okay, we’re just seven episodes from number 100. Woof. Do you have ideas on how we can celebrate this milestone together? I’m going to give away three signed copies of my second book unquenchable, which Amazon named one of the best books of the year to three people who come up with the best ideas or any ideas that I happen to use. So please email me at Natalie at Natalie MacLean calm or tag me on social media with any ideas you have to make it fun. And yes, there will be wine. Okay on with the show.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a master of wine? It’s the most prestigious designation. The most honoured certification in the world of wine. It takes years of study. It takes tasting hundreds, if not thousands of wines. Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to learn from our guest who joins me from California. She’s the lead selector for wines for the opinion Club, which is the country’s largest wine buying club. So she’s tasting hundreds, if not thousands of lines, and selecting hundreds for this group every year, if you can imagine that daunting, challenging tasks, and our guest tonight, is a master of wine. She received her own designation in 1997. And then she has become the chairman of the Institute of masters of wine based in London. And she joins me now. Welcome, Jane masters. Thanks me. Okay. All right. So Jane, maybe fill in a few details from your own background. When did you know that you wanted to become a master but you must have started on your wine journey? Well, before that, sort of every step.
Jane Masters 4:55
I did. I don’t know exactly when I started on my wine journey because we always had more At home when I was a kid, but I guess I got really serious about wine when I was at university in the UK. I actually went off to study winemaking in France had been in the trade for a number of years. But the moment I decided wasn’t one moment, but I decided to take my master of wine exams. Whilst I was working for a retail company in the UK, I’ve met many master wine of the years. Probably the first person I ever met was surina Sutcliffe. Many years ago, actually, before I’d ever decided or thought that it was possible to go into the wine trade as a proper job. And then when I did join the trade, I met so many masters of wine word, just fascinating in terms of the knowledge that they had their experience, and it just gave me the taste for it, so
Natalie MacLean 5:50
to speak. Yes. We had Elisa Lam bear on the show, and she was named Canada’s best simile, a fifth in the world, but she’s a master sommelier. So what would you say are the major differences between the master of wine programme and the master sommelier?
Jane Masters 6:05
Well, they are quite different on both test candidates knowledge at a very high level. Obviously masters familiars are extremely knowledgeable and gifted to the way in which we are tested and the threat. The syllabus, if you like, is quite different in that the Masters MLA exams on the smelly exams that lead up to that are very much focused on the entree. The restaurant trade service of wine is an important factor as well as tasting and evaluating wines. And in fact, all their exams as far as I know, I’ve never sat there master smelling exams, but they’re all done in person and orally. So, the master of wine exams are quite different. They are, if you like a little bit more academic and that they are written papers. We are tested on a very wide range of topics and you have to know Both the breadth and depth of each of the subjects. So we have five theory papers, and they test everything from how grapes are grown, how wine is made, how wine is mature and quality control. You’re tested on marketing on the commerce of wine, international trade. And then the more sort of philosophical aspects of wine are incorporated into the last paper as well. And then there’s the practical papers. Each practical exam is of just over two hour exam, where candidates are given a range of 12 wines. And basically, you’re presented with 12 glasses of wine and asked a series of questions. And what is very important isn’t just identifying that wine, it’s actually being able to explain why you believe it’s that grape or that region or that vintage or based on what you can actually taste and smell and the glass being able to actually communicate that and To evaluate the quality of the wine based on what you find in the glass is quite a different exam to the master smelly
Natalie MacLean 8:08
when you are taking it yourself or what you’ve seen others going through this process, what do you think is the absolute toughest part
Jane Masters 8:15
of the exam? Well, they’re tough exams. And I think people struggle with different bits of it, depending on you know, what your background in wine has been. So they are trade exams. Everyone works in the wine trade, but they work in different sectors of it. Okay. I think an important aspect of sit in the master of wine exams is not just your knowledge and being up to speed and sort of at the cutting edge of everything. It’s also being able to have the stamina to take the exams. We Oh, really, yeah. So you start the week you have a tasting exam every morning and a little break and then straight into the theory exam. So it’s a very demanding week. So tasting exam theory, taste exam theory and by the end of the week, You’re absolutely shattered. So you have to have a certain amount of stamina to get through it
Unknown Speaker 9:04
well, and emotional fortitude to. Absolutely.
Jane Masters 9:08
And then I think the other aspect that is important is to stay calm in those exams, particularly the practical exams where, you know, sometimes you’re faced with 12 losses, and you’re thinking, Oh, my God, I’ve got no idea what these are. They calm and so just make sure that you don’t try and second guess the examiners, your mind starts trying to play tricks with you. And actually, what you really need to do is just be very, very focused. And people approached exams in different ways. But the way in which I approached it was before even getting too into trying to answer the questions that were being asked on the exam paper actually smelling and tasting the wines, writing my notes down with a sort of clear objective viewpoint and then going back to the questions and saying, okay, where does that leave me?
Natalie MacLean 9:59
Wow. So once people get into the programme, how many years does it usually take to complete all the studies? I know it probably varies. And if you don’t pass, of course, it’s going to take a lot longer. But on average, how many years does it take for someone
Jane Masters 10:12
does vary, the absolute minimum that you can do it in is three years. So there are three stages to the programme stage one, which is obviously when people first joined the programme. So stage one really is the first year, people can get to understand more about themselves and the areas that they need to strengthen or foster in order to move on to stage two. At the end of stage one, there’s an exam, some people go straight through sometimes actually people may repeat stage one. Stage Two is generally the stage that takes the longest and the one where it can take another year or it could take up to five years. So you have to complete all the exams within now five years. But that is the preparation For sitting the people we’ve talked about that fill in the theory.
Natalie MacLean 11:05
Do you have to start over? If you don’t pass this over? Yes,
Jane Masters 11:08
yes. What happens quite often is that people may succeed either the practical side of the exams or the theory. And that often relates, I think, to their previous experience in the trade. So I pass my theory exams first. And I think that’s probably because I had trained as a winemaker, I’ve done a lot of theory about why making that was the easier part for me, but in some cases, it’s people that pass the practical and then take a little bit longer to do the theory. Once you’ve got both those parts, you then go on to the final stage, which is stage three, which is writing a research project on a topic that has been agreed that the student has put forward and has been agreed by the Institute is something that will be interesting to study something that they can actually come up with some original research and a conclusion. Within a sort of scope of what they’ve put forward, and that will add to the knowledge of the trade if you like, so that can take a year or people can set aside to take a little bit longer. So that’s why I say it’s difficult to say exactly how long it takes people but minimum three years probably averages about five or six.
Natalie MacLean 12:19
Okay, and what was the topic of your paper? What did you write about? Well, it
Jane Masters 12:23
my day was a long time ago. We’re talking 21 years ago now, we didn’t have a choice at that point. The dissertation at that point, we were given by different topics or titles to choose from. I think the one I chose was tradition versus innovation in British cultural research. I was very fortunate. I spent some time with Paul pantoea at Chateau Margaux and then with Richard smart at Ray Matt in Spain. So contrasting sort of two old world regions if you like, but one very, very traditional classic Bordeaux top Chateau with Raymond In Spain with Richard smart, who brought in all his theories and philosophies about canopy management, it was absolutely fascinating. You learn a huge amount from doing the dissertation, and then all the research paper now,
Natalie MacLean 13:13
it really sounds like a PhD for wine.
Jane Masters 13:15
Yeah, it’s not quite at the level of a PhD, but it’s original research. It makes you think, and it’s great.
Natalie MacLean 13:22
Wow. So who is some of the most interesting people you’ve met who have applied for the master of wine been successful? Tell us about a few of the candidates who either had a very interesting or different background or who now work in a very unusual type job and have come through the master of wine programme.
Jane Masters 13:41
Yeah, that’s a difficult question. That’s what the master one programme is aimed at trade. So people have to be in the trade and they have to have been in the trade for a number of years. Having said that, there are a number of people that have changed careers and have previous careers and then seeing the light Join the wine trade. So who the most interesting I’m not sure I know that we’ve got one of our Greek masters of wine was a fighter pilot. Ah, what else we got? I know that many of our masters of wine have done not just in their professional lives, but some really interesting things. JOHN Michel verlet, one of our previous chairman has climbed Mount Everest. I think we have fostered wine who’s rode across the Atlantic. These are real go getters. Yeah, some amazingly gifted musicians. Yeah, just
Unknown Speaker 14:31
interesting.
Jane Masters 14:32
But then the wine trade is full of fascinating people. It is, isn’t it?
Natalie MacLean 14:35
Yeah, may be. Okay. So for someone studying for the master of wine or anyone just wanting to up their game when it comes to tasting wine, do you have some tips when it comes to like tasting a wine or is there specific advice you give I mean, we always get the five stages the colour the body and so on. But is there anything you advise in particular that helps people become better tasters?
Jane Masters 14:59
Ah, I think Becoming a best tasters. A lot of it is about practice. So you know, as you say, you will know the five stages of tasting. I think it’s actually engaging the brain master doing those things as well. And I think as wine professionals, we do it you almost get into a routine of just swirling your glass and doing this. Yeah, I smell orange juice. I was gonna say we find ourselves doing it with glasses of water and all sorts of things, which means it’s sort of on autopilot. Yes. And so I think it’s very important. The experience is important. And practice is important, but making sure that you are actually thinking if you want to, I’m not saying you know that at the end of the day, when you just want to relax and have a glass of wine. We all need to sort of sit around and think about it too much. Wine is there to be enjoyed. And that’s how you should if you’re looking to improve your sort of knowledge and experience, it is just about tasting as many things as you can and paying attention when you can. For me I have to write no Because as much as I enjoy the wine at the time, and I think, Wow, this is amazing. I will remember this, sadly, I do for a few days. And then about a week later, I think what was the vintage of that wine I thought was so great. I can’t quite remember now. So I have to write things down. But you know, everyone is different. So yeah,
Natalie MacLean 16:18
but that’s a good point, Jane, you know, because when we’re at the beginning of learning to taste wine, it’s remembering to pay attention. Like somebody else said this. It’s not my original, but the difference between drinking and tasting is thinking. So I think when we start out, it’s paying attention, but you are right, you can taste so many wines, you get to farther and farther in your career, and you’re on autopilot, which is another form of absent mindedness. And you’ve got to get back to paying attention to what is it my glass, what am
Jane Masters 16:45
I and it’s not just about wine, I think it’s about paying attention to lots of smells and the things around us too. And you know, I’m very fortunate in that a lot of the time I’m in France and we have amazing fruit and vegetable markets and things and just smelling and tasting smelling different types of citrus fruits in the market when they’re in season paying attention to that, even when I’m travelling in the airport lounges, I’ll go, you know, if I’ve got some time to kill, then I’ll go into the perfume counters and sort of sniff some of those different perfumes and things. And I think you build up a databank, if you like in your mind, and having those points of reference also helps you when you’re trying to describe yourself or for other people, or the wine tastes like
Natalie MacLean 17:27
so that they have you ever taste it or smell the wine that was close to Chanel number five? No, no. That’s probably a good thing.
Jane Masters 17:35
All right. So Jane, I also want to make sure we talk about the opinion society because what would be your official title or job description with opionion, which is our country’s largest wine buying club? Well, I’m the consultant master of wine. So all the wines that appear in the Permian offerings have been tasted and selected by me and I also write about those wines and the offerings that go out to them. So, yeah, my official title. I’m not sure exactly what it will be. But I think it’s consultant master of wine,
Natalie MacLean 18:05
okay. And so you’re tasting and selecting hundreds of lines that go into thick. It’s about eight releases or catalogues that get mailed to about, I think about 20,000 people across the country. And they’re selecting based on your tasting notes, what they’re going to buy, and get shipped directly to their local liquor store where they pick it up. So I know I had one question from Carl Byrd, who is with the opinion he wanted to know, following becoming an MW, what was your first experience with opinion in this role? Can you remember
Jane Masters 18:35
your first role? I often remember my first experience of opinion with Okay, well, I was actually in the role and that was when I went to meet the board for the interview. That was quite an experience. I can tell you,
Unknown Speaker 18:48
how did they interview did you get your
Jane Masters 18:50
taste in front of them or they were 12 board members, I think three or four other members of staff in the room and I was quiz having flown in from New k Which is quite an experience. But no, seriously, when I was then appointed to opinion, a lot of the work that I do is remote to the office, obviously I do goes Canada but only two or three times a year. So all the tasting is done, everything gets sent to me from the producers directly to my office in London where it’s tasted. But I think my first sort of real moment would have been, and I’m not sure exactly what event it would have been. But the member events that opinion holds where I don’t know how much your listeners know about Permian but as well as it receiving catalogues. The club also has area reps, so people who are actually members and pinion themselves who are based in different regions around the country and who will held events tasting events that they organise and there will be guest speakers and I have participated in a number of those. And just any Every time I go to one of those, the mix of people there are members that have been members for many, many years are absolutely passionate. There are new members that join we always have. There’s just an electric atmosphere in the room just real enjoyment is people who enjoy wine. It’s not necessarily wanting the same level of knowledge as our students are preparing for exams, people are interested in the producers, in the wines where they come from, and then interested in second The other thing and just meeting other people. It’s fascinating.
Natalie MacLean 20:34
It’s a good fun, it’s really good social club for people who love wine. I’m a member as well. And I’ve been to some of those events that you talk about. And they are fun. I mean, opinion, society might sound highfalutin, and snobby. It is not it is really down to earth. It’s about people wanting to find great wines and share that experience with others, whether it’s at these events or they also have a Facebook group, and it’s really active, but maybe tell us about one of the most challenging wines, you had to find our most interesting story where you sourced the wine for me and I don’t know you had to go some extra mile or something was different. Well,
Jane Masters 21:09
it is difficult to pick one thing, but at the moment, I think the offering that’s opened members right now is a South American offering, which I worked on a few months ago now. And so it features Chile and Argentina. And one of the things I’m really pleased and I was actually in Chile, and so we’re a number of other premium members actually last November. And I’m so chuffed that we’ve actually included in that a couple of new producers and TL being one of them and Alvaro Espinosa, who I have known for many years actually we studied winemaking together in Bordeaux, but who is one of the best I believe one of the best wine makers in Chile, and also one of the leading experts on biodynamics, but one of the most humble individuals he is just such a fascinating person and makes absolutely amazing wine. And so to get him to agree to supply a premium exclusively when actually, you know he sought after, everywhere around the world for me was a little bit of a coup, I would have to say.
Unknown Speaker 22:17
That’s awesome and remind
Jane Masters 22:18
us the name of the winery, the winery is called MTL and TL and yell, okay, and the woman who is outro Espinosa. So I noticed like when I looked through the opinion catalogue, not all the wines are scored, you do score some of them, but I was just curious why you don’t score every wine with the tasting note that you’ll see any scores in there. Normally, I don’t score, I do score, but I score the wines for myself. And there’s a reason for that. And I think that I think scores are important, but I don’t think they’re the be all and end all I think what is very important is that people find the wines that they enjoy, and that’s the description of the wines what they taste like. What they go with is more beneficial or more use more value to our members. So I like to focus on those descriptions and that people can find, you know, if they enjoy Sauvignon from a particular region that we’ve got alternative things that they might enjoy a similar style, maybe, maybe not right, other regions or maybe other great branches, but which fall into that sort of category. So I do score wines, I score them out of 20 for my own benefit. And again, you know, if you’re looking at scores that anyone has written, you have to understand the context in which they’ve done it and why scores are not absolute scores. They’re scored in terms of the price of the wine and the value for money that offers so I prefer to actually concentrate on what wines actually tastes like the publishing schools. Yeah,
Natalie MacLean 23:48
absolutely. That is true. People really gravitate toward the score if they do that quick QPR quality meaning the score, price ratio and try to get the maximise the dollar in points. Score ratio, but it’s not always the case. All right, Mike welling question for Jane with her outstanding appreciation of wine. Does she favour any type of cuisine to complement her choices? Or are there any beverages she partakes in that she finds as interesting as wine? Okay, so just kind of two questions. So cuisines Do you favour certain cuisines that you find generally are very harmonious with wine? That’s the first question. JD Yeah, I mean,
Jane Masters 24:27
first of all, I love food. Probably as much as I love wine. So we do a lot of cooking at home. I wouldn’t say I favour any particular cuisine because I think some are more difficult to match to food than others. And probably one of the ones that I love, and which is very popular in the UK is Indian cuisine, and that I find quite difficult to match with wines, although there are a lot of more aromatic wines that go very, very nicely with Indian food. But no, we eat a lot of French Italian Thai food, Indian food, Japanese. So it’s the challenge of actually also when you’re cooking at home and designing a dish, what are we going to drink with it? because quite often it’s my other half that does the cooking. So I have the wine whereas I would sometimes work the other way around. I fancy this line, that’s fine. What we’re going to even witness
Natalie MacLean 25:20
Well, you sound like a good pairing. Who would you rather have food and wine well taken care of? And Mike also asked, Are there other beverages you partake in that you find as interesting as wine? I’m assuming you’re talking about alcohol,
Jane Masters 25:32
but maybe not maybe. I mean, both myself and Rob like gin can be a hugely I don’t know whether it’s taken off in Canada to the same extent, but in the UK and Spain and France. gin is a massive area now where people are launching new gins all the time. Many of them I have to say I’m not that keen, I come back to some of the old classics and things but yeah, we have been known to sit there doing gin comparisons and trying different gins of different tonic waters. Little bit anarchie about that spirit smell I don’t drink a lot of spirits but I did work in cognac when I was a student and sort of between studies and things so I am interested in cognac and the malt whiskey although I’m no by no means an expert on whiskey and the thing that has smells and flavours Yes, it’s interesting it’s just how much time do you have for
Unknown Speaker 26:24
all the room? How much can your liver take? I guess?
Natalie MacLean 26:28
Well, gee, this is just flown by but where can people find you online? If they want to attract Are you on Twitter or No? Okay, that’s all right. Facebook I guess through the opinion page we could find
Jane Masters 26:40
it there would be Yeah, yeah. Not that I don’t want to talk to be to be quite honest. I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to technology and social media and because I travel a lot and and emails and things. But no, of course if there are any questions or any contact then through opinion is better.
Unknown Speaker 26:59
Awesome.
Natalie MacLean 27:01
I really appreciate you joining us here, Jane. And I wish you best of luck with your travels the seminar and of course, all of the massive projects you have on the go from opinion to the Institute of nws. Congratulations on such an accomplished career and we look forward to what you do next.
Unknown Speaker 27:16
Great, thank you. Cheers. Take care. Bye. Bye bye.
Natalie MacLean 27:27
Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my chat with Jane masters. Here my takeaways. Number one, I like Jane’s take on wine scores versus tasting notes, and even more importantly, focusing on discovering the wines that you enjoy. To her advice to pay attention to aromas in your environment is a great tip three, I was interested to learn her behind the scenes process for tasting wines for Canada’s largest Wine Club. What a great job. And for I found Jane’s explanation of how the master of wine and master sommelier programmes are different, very helpful. You won’t want to miss next week when I’ll be chatting with Arlene Dickinson, who is best known as the judge on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den, as well as advising struggling companies on the television show called the big decision. She’s the owner and CEO of venture communications, a powerhouse agency focused on marketing strategy. She’s been inducted into Canada’s most powerful women top 100 Hall of Fame, and is the mother of four children. And she published a book called persuasion, as well as a line of luxury products with the same brand name including skincare, chocolate coffee, and what we’re going to talk about next week, wine. In the meantime, if you missed Episode 67 with a lease lamb bear, who talks about how she became a Masters Emily, go back and take a listen. You’ll get an even better sense of how that designation differs from the master of wine. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite always always celebrates before going for facing. How do you calibrate?
Unknown Speaker 29:18
Is it on Oak Hill? climate
Natalie MacLean 29:21
white? That’s what you’re drinking to calibrate your palate to get it right. Yes. Okay. That’s what made the difference for me.
Unknown Speaker 29:28
Calibration allows you to taste something, you know what it is all about. Okay, this is high acidity. This is so Sarah, this is Chablis. Okay. And this is where the acidity level is. So you are this salivation process, you know where you are. So when you get to try your first wine, you’re gonna be like, ready to go?
Natalie MacLean 29:48
Yeah, that’s like when musicians start by getting in tune with a note as they go, Ah, like, I can’t sing, but they’re doing it with the piano. So that there then we can begin
If you liked this episode, please tell a friend about it this week, especially one who’s interested in the wine tips that Jane shared. You’ll find links to the wines we tasted the opinion club, a full transcript of our conversation, where you can find us on Facebook Live every second Wednesday at 7pm. Eastern, including this evening if you’re listening to this podcast on the day it’s published, and how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class. That’s all in the show notes at Natalie MacLean comm forward slash 93 Thank you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week. Perhaps a wine that masterfully captures your attention.
You don’t want to miss one juicy episode of this podcast, especially the secret Full Body bonus episodes that I don’t announce on social media. So subscribe for free now at Natalie MacLean comm forward slash subscribe, maybe here next week cheers
