LOST: Wine Blogger. Goes by the Name ‘The Ceci Sipper’

If you find her, or have any information concerning her disappearance, please contact local authorities.

The Ceci Sipper was last seen studying insanely for a huge wine exam for this man.

He is Steve Charters, Master of Wine. Local authorities say he assigned the students at the Master (MSc) of Wine Business an exam on Tuesday May 10, 2010. The Ceci Sipper is part of this program and friends and family said the last time they spoke to her, she was stressing a lot over this exam. Her wine blog readers said her last post was on April 27th and that it is unlike the Ceci Sipper to let more than a week go by without posting something. The last time she was seen was this last Sunday at a wine tasting festival in the Burgundian wine village of Savigny-les-Beaune. But no sightings since then. Everyone is concerned. Our last hope is that she will turn up to the exam on Tuesday. Please … if you know anything about the whereabouts of The Ceci Sipper, anything at all, contact the local authorities.

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[::RING::RING::]

Local Authorities: “Hello. Local Authorities. What is your call concerning?”

Caller: [suffering, weak sounding voice] “Yes. Pleeee …. pleeee…….please help-p-p meee. I am stuck behind a mountain of wine books.”

Local Authorities: “Ma’am. Stay call. We will help you. What is your name?”

Caller: “The Ceci Sipper”

Local Authorities: “WOOOOOHOOOOO!! Bout’ damn time we found you!! I am a fan of your wine blog and I was having withdraws from not having a post from you!! … Stay put, we will come get you out. Would you like us to bring you wine ?”

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So……
do you think I can be a play writer??

I am still here!!! The Ceci Sipper has not abandoned you! I have just been weighed down under a mountain of wine books trying to study as much as possible for a major wine exam we have in our Masters in Wine Business program with the Master of Wine, Steve Charters. We have a 5 part exam this coming Tuesday and I feel sooooo overwhelmed. It’s one thing to be able to talk about wine and be able to talk about it socially or prepare for a presentation on it, but when you are tested on your knowledge …… the stress mounts!

The exam consists of a tasting portion where we taste 6 wines and have to write a tasting note for each one. Three of them we are able to see the wine bottle and three of them it is a blind tasting.

For the second part, we are given a map of a wine region/country and 3 appellations that we must identify on the map, then speak about the style of wine from that region and the factors affecting wine production in those appellations.

In the third section, we will be given a choice of two countries (could be any) and we have to choose one of them and then pick 8 wines that we think would be a good representation of that country’s wines. (It will be specified on the exam whether we need to pick 8 whites, 8 reds, or 8 different colors of wine to represent the country … so of course we have to prepare for the three options)

The fourth part is an identification question. We will be given a list of 8 wine regions around the world (could be from anywhere) and we have to pick four of them and write 100-150 words about each one. (Soil, climate, wine production, wine styles, etc.)

The fifth question is a longer essay style question about a more general topic in the wine industry. For example: How significant is terroir in shaping wine styles? Support your analysis by examining the wines and wine regions of a minimum of 3 countries, including at least one from Europe and one from the ‘New World’.

And the 6th part …..

is to drink lots and lots and lots of wine afterward to release all the pent us stress I have been harboring in the weeks leading up to this exam! (Ok, I added that one myself, but it is totally necessary!)

It is not so much that the format is difficult, it is just that each part can be over any region, any country. (Thats a lot!) Of course it would have been nice if the scope had been narrowed down so that for each question we had a small list of a few countries we could be tested on instead of ALL of them……but Steve Charters is a Master of Wine and he is just trying to challenge us….and challenged I am!!

OK, enough of me venting. I am soooo sorry for being absent for so long. I am just really freaking out about this test.

I will try and take another breather from studying sometime this weekend to show you pictures from the wine tasting festival I went to in Savigny-les-Beaune this last weekend.

Back to the books …. yeesh! Wish me luck!! Any comments of encouragement will gladly be accepted! =)

Missing you all tremendously! It is just not the same when I am torn away from my wine blog and my Vinous Readers!

Vinously Speaking & Vinously Yours,
The Ceci Sipper

P.S. I head off to London International Wine Fair in 11 days!!! AND…….I have the extreme honor of being invited to attend the pre-expo conference: “Winning Wine Export Sales – Understanding the UK market and making the most of On-line Media” . This is a brand new event taking place the day before LIWF opens and is organized in partnership with Punch Events, a new company formed by Judy Kendrick and Hazel Murphy.

The confirmed line-up of speakers includes: (names are linked to bio page and some links to their respective websites)

• Jancis Robinson, OBE MW, www.JancisRobinson.com
  
• David Cox, director Europe, New Zealand Winegrowers
• Robert Joseph, international writer and communicator
• Arend Heijbroek, global industry specialist, Rabobank
• Vicki Arnold, general manager, Glaetzer Wines, Australia
• Ryan Opaz, founder, Catavino Marketing
• Andre Gregson, founder, Media 140
• Carlos Fonseca, Quinta das Cerejeiras