After record-breaking results from the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas’ (CMSA) advanced sommelier exam in July, with 55 candidates passing, just one person achieved what many set out to accomplish at this year’s Master Sommelier Diploma test. Out of the 23 candidates that qualified to sit the practical and tasting portions of the CMSA’s highest exam, held in Houston on September 3 and 4, only David Reuss, MS, earned the prestigious title.
Each year, a limited number of candidates have the opportunity to attempt the exam. After passing the advanced exam, candidates can apply to sit the Master Sommelier Diploma exam, which consists of three separate sections—theory, service, and tasting. Candidates must pass each part within three years. After a relatively large number of candidates passed in 2022, just one or two candidates have passed in each of the past three years. Reuss is now one of fewer than 300 Master Sommeliers in the world.
Despite a tumultuous few years for the CMSA, the MS exam remains among the industry’s most prestigious achievements, and every year wine students are eager to learn how the newly minted Master Sommeliers reached such a high goal. This year, SevenFifty Daily reached out to Reuss to find out more about his background, his tried-and-true study tips, and his reflections on such a momentous journey.
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Reuss, now the national education director for Jackson Family Wines, began his wine career in 2014 working in Boulder, Colorado, at Frasca Food and Wine, where he had the opportunity to learn from another Master Sommelier, Bobby Stuckey. He then went on to become the wine director of Shanahan’s Steakhouse in Denver, which gave him much of the practical, in-depth floor experience needed to later pass the service portion of the exam. Reuss has also worked as a consultant, helping clients with cellar management, liquidation, and wine education. He dove headfirst into prep for the Master Sommelier exam as soon as he passed the Advanced exam in 2019. Over six years of study, he learned an incredible amount—including what it takes to actually pass one of the industry’s toughest exams.
SevenFifty Daily: What was the most difficult part of the journey to becoming a Master Sommelier?
David Reuss: Blind tasting for sure. Blinding has always been difficult for me, even from the beginning. I even managed to fail my first attempt at the certified [sommelier] exam, due to a poor tasting performance. I’ll never forget coming out of the exam room in Vail, Colorado, and every single candidate saying, “That was for sure Pinot Grigio.” And I meekly asked, “Did anyone else think it was Cali Chard?”
How many attempts did it take you to pass?
Five at the Master level; three at the advanced; two at the certified; and I crushed my intro exam on the first try back in 2014.
What study strategy proved most effective?
Theory: noise-canceling headphones with lo-fi hip hop playing, and a two-hour timer every evening after we got the kids to bed. Block all social media and do the work. I would build Quizlet [an online study tool that lets you build flashcards] decks of 100 each night, then review them during the day—at last count, I have somewhere over 200 decks. Quizlet has a cool speaking option, so you can get asked questions while you’re driving or doing chores.
Service: Working the floor almost every night for 10 years. I’m not sure passing the service exam is possible without real high-volume, high-end restaurant experience. It has to be effortless muscle memory or else you’ll crash and burn.
Tasting: Comparative single blinds. I would pour six wines that I would often confuse, then set them on a rotating cake-decorating stand and spin the wheel. Write the name of the wine on the base of the stem, close your eyes, and try to find exactly what defines each wine in terms of aroma.
What was the most helpful resource in preparing for the exam?
The network of CMS candidates and MSs throughout the country. I don’t think anyone—from certified to Master—ever refused to help me when I asked for a flight, service practical, theory exam, etc. In fact, one MS I’d never even met poured me a flight the day after a tree fell on his car after a windstorm in Texas.
What was the best piece of advice you received as an MS candidate?
Jonathan Eichholz, MS, and I have been friends for a long time. We’ve studied together a lot, and he told me this often: “When blinding, if you don’t feel great about the call you’re making, you’re probably wrong.” He said it recently on a GuildSomm podcast as well.
What tips would you offer a future MS candidate?
Reach out. You can’t do this alone.
How did you celebrate and what did you drink?
I had an amazing lunch with the MSs, and then flew home that night to find that my wife, Sarah, had bought six bottles of Champagne, all from different houses we’d visited before. I ate leftover pizza and drank 2007 Clos Lanson and Gran Moraine Brut Rosé—classic pairing.
What are your future plans as a newly minted Master Sommelier?
My schedule is pretty full already as the national education director for Jackson Family Wines, but I’m so looking forward to teaching intro and certified classes with the CMS. The Court has changed my life in so many beautiful, amazing ways and I can’t wait to pay it forward and help teach the next generation.
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Caitlin A. Miller is a New York-based wine writer and a senior editor for SevenFifty Daily. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Vinous, and Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines, the WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits, and was the recipient of the 2020 Vinous Young Wine Writer Fellowship.
