WSET DIPLOMA: D3 EXAM

 Hi everybody,

The dreaded D3 exam dates: the 26th and 27th of October have come and now passed.

After 5 months of dedicating basically every waking hour to studying I sat the WSET Diploma D3 Exam; probably one of the most difficult exams I have ever had to take.

The D3 Exam of the Diploma is a two day examination based on 'The Wines of the World', basically its enography and ampelography of the most important grape varities, wine styles and GIs from all over the world regarding only still, unfortified wines (the D4 and D5 exams are dedicated to the Sparkling and Fortified Wines of the World).  The book spans some 600 pages of just bulk information on the wine regions in the world, starting of course from Bordeaux, France, through the USA, Australia, Argentina and ending in China. As I have already told you the spectrum of information given is huge and honestly 5 months to prepare were barely enough I thought.

But let's talk about what you're here for: the actual exam. The 26th at 11 am we sat down in a classroom of the Rust Weinakademie for the first part of the written theory exam. 

Laid in front of us was a brown envelop onto which we had to write our special, 4 digit registration number used only for the D3 exam. Once we went over the rules for the exam (requests, timing and those sort of things) we were allowed to open the envelope and start the exam.

As I opened the envelope my heart was rushing, all kind of scenarios went through my head, what if a question on Riverina came up? I didn't remeber anything about it and was starting to think I was screwed.

As I read the first four questions of which we had to choose three I really thought that I could answer at best at the first one. Then I took a deep breath and went trough the questions again, trying to be more analytycal. Here were the questions as they were written and with the weightings:

1) Compare the production method (60%) and commercial success (40%) of rosé wines from Anjou, Provence and Navarra

2) Describe the growing environment (30%) and grape varieties (30%) of Jura. Explain how winemaking influence the range of styles of wine produced (40%)

3) Assess the strenghts and weaknesses of Portugal as a wine producing country

4) How have wine laws and regulations relating to DOCs, DOCGs and IGTs in Tuscany have evolved from the 1960s up to today regarding red wine production(40%)? Determine the factors that influence style in:

Bolgheri Rosso Superiore 

Brunello di Montalcino (60% together)

After reading them carefully I realized I knew something and could actually write down a coherent answer. Funnily enough I didn't answer the question about Tuscany! I started off with Portugal, looking at the question, in my opinion, not much actual factual knowledge was needed (like what grapes are allowed where, maximum yields or whatnot) but it was a fairly generic one. I mentioned how having a wide array of native grape varieties that are seldom grown outside of Portugal can give an edge on export markets, relatively cheap prices also help exports, the big Alentejo region has a warm dry climate that allows the production of high volume inexpensive wines but also given the favourable climate the production of natural or biodynamic wines which are very trendy these days. On the weaknesses I mentioned how low involvement consumers will be reluctant to try new grape varieties they never heard of (making native grape varieties a double edged sword), Portugal is a country suceptible to very big vintage variation for example a  very rainy growing seasons can seriously reduce wine production in the North of Portugal (but on the contrary it boosts the production in Alentejo which is very dry), this problem is now being enhanced by climate change. In my opinion I covered more than a few points for each strenghts and weaknesses and overall the answer was linear and made sense.

I then dove into the rosé question. Provence was fairly straight forward being the 'inventor' of the light and fruity rosé wine; produced from Grenache Noir, Cinsaut and Tibouren using direct pressing, fermented and aged in stainless steel to make a delicate, fresh and fruity wine and being marketed as part of the 'Riviera Lifestyle' and many celebrities (like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) own wineries here making it more prestigious. 

In Anjou they make two types of rosés Rosé d'Anjou and Cabernet d'Anjou. The Rosé d'Anjou can be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau Noir, Cot (Malbec) and Gamay, mostly Grolleau. The Cabernet d'Anjou can be made from the two Cabernets, the most important difference betweeen these and Provence is that the Loire rosés are more deeply coloured (still a medium colour intensity) with a orange hue and they are medium sweet, not dry. Of course with consumer preference shifting towards drier wines and rosé trends going towards the popular Provence style these wines can suffer in the future commercially speaking.

Navarra rosés are made mainly from Garnacha, so a point in common with Provence (Garnacha is Grenache Noir). These are made in a completely different styles from the other two: these are deeply coloured, full bodied, intense often high alcohol wines. These wines can be made only by short maceration (grapes are crushed and the juice is left to macerate on the skins, this method increases extraction) direct pressing (which is used in Provence to make the famous delicate, light style) is not permitted. I am ashamed to admit that I confused the two and said that short maceration was not permitted and only direct pressing could be used! I hope that this doesn't hinder too much the grading of this questions since everything else I wrote was fairly correct and the style and commercial considerations I made were kinda solid.

The last question for this paper I decided to answer was the one on Jura, a region that I like and has stuck with me (sort of) during my studies. From the past papers I managed to look up this was the first question on Jura after many, many years. I think since it is now a hot topic it only made sense that this question would pop up on the exam.

I have to be honest and admit that the answer I gave was comprehensive but at times superficial. I rembered that Jura suffers from hail and frosts hence big vintage variations and what can growers and producers do to try and mitigate these risks. I know that the grape varieties used are Savagnin, Chardonnay, Poulsard or Ploussard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir. Of poulsard and Trousseau I only wrote that the first gives very pale almost translucent wines with red fruits aromas whereas the second gives more deeply coloured wines; that was the only thin I rembered about them; for the others I gave a more ample description.

The last part of the question was easier in my opinion, in Jura there arefour styles of wines produced: conventional wines (red, white, rosé, sparkling), Vin de Paille, Vin Jaune and oxidative style.

The conventional wines are just... conventional, they are made with stainless steel or oak and are like wines from other regions, Vin de Paille is a sweet wine made by drying the grapes off the vine on straw beds. The most famous wine in Jura is, of course, Vin Jaune, and oxidative style wine made from Savagnin. After fermentation the wines are aged in small barrels with an ullage (the barrels are not comletely full) this encourages oxidation of the wine. On these wines a thin layer of yeasts (similar to flor in Sherry), to classify as Vin Jaune they have to age under the voile for 5 years without racking or topping up. These wines are very interesting and a bit weird but I like them a lot; they have oxidative notes of green apple, nuts, ginger, bread dough, they have high acidity and high alcohol. The xoidative style wines are made by withdrawing some oxidative ageing barrels of Savagnin earlier (two to three years under the voile) and then blended with a conventional wine (Savagnin or Chardonnay) to give oxidative notes but also fresh fruit.

The two hours were enough to write down the questions and then review them. I spared about 5 minutes, like most of the other candidates. Honestly I was feeling kinda good after this paper and I was slightly less tense and stressed.

After a 1 hour brake we started with paper two. These were the three questions fo which we had to choos and answer to:

5) Outline briefly the characteristics of the Chardonnay vine (20%) Compare the growing environment in Chablis and Russian River Valley (30%) What techniques use in these two regions to enhance aromas and texture of the wine made from Chardonnay (50%).

6) Explain how growing environment conditions influence winemaking decisions in the Niagara Peninsula

7) How do growing environment and commercial considerations influence the choice of grape varieties used in these Districts:

a) Stellenbosh

b) Robertson

c) Walker Bay

I quickly went through the questions, when i got to the last one, on South Africa my mind went full blank; the only thing I could remember about South Africa was Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and the Cape Doctor. So I had very little choice about which questions I could answer and went ahead with number 5 and 6.

Chardonnay is an early budding (hence at risk of spring frosts) and early ripening (can ripen i cool climates and avoids early autumn rains during harvest); it is a very versatile grape since it can be grown successfully in a range of climates, has high affinity with oak and is sort of a winemakers grape because basically evrything can be donw with it and it can me made in ahuge range of styles. 

Chablis and Russian River Valley are very different from eachother, in Chablis the climate is cool and the main focus is to choose the best sites to ensure that Chardonnay actually ripens 8so south or south east facing slopes) and avoiding the everpresent spring frosts. There are differences in terms of sites in Petit Chablis (cooler sites) and Chablis Premier Crus and Grand Cru where vineyards are planted on slopes (maximise sun interception and lowers frost risk) to give more full bodied wines.

Russian River Valley is in California with a maritime climate but it is one of the coolest regions in California. Here cold is brought in by the Ocean from San Pablo Bay near San Francisco. In the afternoon the warm air over the land rises and sucks in cold air from the Ocean bringing also fogs with it. These fogs cool the vineyard and in Russian River Valley they aren't burnt off until the following morning, giving very cool nights that help to retain acidity and aromas.

In both these regions producers might use a short period of cold maceration before fermentation to enhance flavours and aromas, some may use ambient yeasts to pormote complexity. Most in Russian River Valley use barrels with a high proportion of new oak to give oaky, vanilla , toast and smoke aromas to the wine whereas in Chablis most producers ferment in stainless steel to maintain the fresh fruit flavours and when oak is used it is almost always old oak that will only enhance the texture of the wine.

In both regions lees ageing is used after the fermentation but in two different ways, in Russian River Valley the lees will be left undisturbed sothat reductive sulphur compunds develop and lead to struck match aromas in the wines, whereas in Chablis lees will be stirred failry regularly to give a creaminess and fuller body to the wine. Fairly straight forward question on two important and famous regions.

The Niagara Peninsula question could hav put off many people at first glance since it is a region that is often overlooked but actually the only things that I had to know about this region to answer it properly where: extreme continental climate, lakes, winter freeze; knowing this the D1 (Wine production) knowledge was what was needed to answer this questions.

The extreme continetal climate means that the growing season is really short and thus early ripening varieties are more suited to this region like Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The regions also suffers from severe spring frosts so planting late budding varieties such as Riesling can help reduce the risk of losing the crop. After the growing season ends temperatures drop quickly and dip below zero quite soon; this means that leaving the grapes to hang on the vine will lead to them freezing allowing for the production of Icewine, in fact Canada is the world largest producer of this wine style. 

The two hours were just enough to cover what I wanted to write down and I finished my paper just a few minutes before the time was up. First day was done, arguably the hardest part. I was exhausted and couldn't think straight, the built up tension really did a number on me and talking with my other mates who did the exam we were all on the same boat. We went for a quick spot of lunch and then back at the hotel for a nap.

We regrouped for dinner at this typical restaurant we always go to when we're in Rust and Claus, our Danish friend brought a treat for us since the written exam was done we should celebrate. He opened for us a Patrimony Estate! This Paso Roble, Adelaida District Cabernet Sauvignon from 2018 is amazing; not your typical american Cab with overt coconut, fully overripe fruit; this is elegant ripe red and black fruit with intense but perfectly integrated new French oak notes of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and toast, still a full bodied win but perfectly balanced and harmonious. I don't like wine critics giving scores to wine but I have to say that Robert Parker gave a 97-99pts to this wine and they are all accounted for.

After this mesmerizing bottle of wine that we headed back tot he hotel to get our sleep in.

The next morning I woke up early had a nice breakfast at the hotel and decided to head out into the morning fog for a walk to clear my head. I followed the lake's coast and headed into the vineyard and I finally managed to see with my own eyes botrytized grapes. These grapes have been hit by Botrytis Cinerea but thanks to sunny warm afternoons the spread of the rot is blocked, water from inside the berry evaporates and the grape shrivels concentrating its juice, these grapes are made into Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines; these are sweet wines made in limited quantities and are also very expensive.

Botrytized grapes, the net is there to prevent birds from eating them

We all met back at the Akademie and we heaed in for the last part of the D3 exam, the tasting. The tasting is divided into two 1 and a half hours papers, each with 6 wines divided into 2 flights of three.

The first three flights have a common theme, in our case the first flight was from the same grape variety, the second flight was from the same country, the third flight was from the same region, the fourth and last flight was what is called a 'mixed bag' basically no correlation between the wines.

I sat down and had 6 glasse in front of me and as soon as I could I started my tasting. I decided to go chronologically and just start from wine 1 and finish with number 6. The first 3 wines were Pinot Gris and which I answered correctly. The second flight was from Chile but sadly I answered New Zealand because of the Sauvignon Blanc! I had a glimpse in my head telling that this Sauvignon was a bit too green with no tropical fruit to be from Marlborough but then I thought what more than a few teachers told us "If you hear hooves think horse not zebra" so I went for New Zealand and identified the Don Maximiano as a Cabernet Sauvignon which was correct but the Carmenere really had me in trouble and I just couldn't pinpoint it. If I'm honest even if I made that mistake I think my tasting notes were fairly good.

List fo the wines we had at the tasting exam

After a quick lunch break we walked into the examination room for the last leg of the journey that has been the D3. Again six glasses in front of use and 1 and half hours to finish. The first 3 wines were from the Rhone Valley which I identified correctly thanks to the Condrieau which is what would be called a 'banker' basically a wine style made only in one place. For the mixed bag flight focus was more on the quality judgement of the wines, origin and grape varieties counted only for 1 mark each.  I only guessed the Mosel Riesling correctly but that was not important. Again I thought my tasting notes were okay.

Finished this exam I was again exhausted, I hopped into a taxi headed to the airport and with a bit of melancholy in my heart knowing I wouldn't be seeing my mates until march I flew back home.

The D3 exam results will be released in late January so it is still a long way ahead, I really hope I passed at least the theory exam because I cannot go through this again. This was, as I said, probably the most difficult exam I have ever taken in my life and it took a toll on me and honestly I hope I never have to open that book ever again!

For now I am preparing for my D2: Wine Business exam and writing my D6 dissertation and starting to enjoy wine again and not analyze every glass I have and think what grape is it, where is it from, is the acidity high or just medium+. 

Thanks guys

Bye!