Q&A with Sophie Parker-Thomson Master of Wine

Sophie Parker-Thomson, co-owner of Blank Canvas Wines, is the latest Kiwi to achieve her Master of Wine. She’s the first to do so from the South Island and just the 15th in New Zealand! I asked her a few questions about the exam, her research paper, and what’s next.

The Master of Wine exam is one of the hardest qualifications in the world. Can you tell me a bit about the exam itself and how you prepared for this?

The lofty goal of one day achieving the MW title was seeded first by my mother, over dinner one night at a Dunedin restaurant during my Scarfie days, because she knew how much I was captivated by wine. But then this goal was seriously set alight by my now husband Matt when we first met just over ten years ago. The MW has pre-requisites – with candidates needing either the Diploma in Wine & Spirits from WSET or a winemaking degree – plus several years’ experience in the wine industry. Those fulfilling these criteria can then sit the entrance exam, and if successful, an invitation will be extended to join the programme. A first-year exam is sat comprising a blind tasting exam and written theory exam in one of the three exam centres around the world (London, San Francisco or Adelaide) and if one passes this, the student can then proceed to the formidable Stage 2.

The final MW exam consists of three distinct parts. The theory and practical examinations take place at the end of Stage 2, which are essentially an examination marathon taking place over four days. There are three blind tasting exams to sit each morning of the first three days (12 blind wines per exam with 2hrs 15mins to complete the exam). This was followed by 3 hour written theory exams each afternoon and the final day comprising two written theory exams. Therefore, it is essentially over 5 hours of intense examination for four days straight. To pass the blind tasting and theory exams, you must pass every single paper. If you pass two blind tasting exams but miss the third, you will fail the whole thing (and the pass rate is 65%). The same goes with the theory exams, but they are a little more accommodating in that if you fail one, you can proceed to a single paper resit of the failed paper the following year.

Much of the advice for the MW exams is to focus on either the theory or the practical exam first and attempt to pass because it’s incredibly rare to pass both parts of the exam in one year – though legendarily it has been done. I got onto the programme for the 2016 year, passing the first-year exam and then I took a year off in 2017. I passed the theory exams in 2018, and the practical exams in 2019. Although I did focus on both disciplines in the year leading up to 2018’s exam I was mostly preoccupied with theory - buried in wine textbooks and speaking in-depth to people from every facet of the wine industry to gain my global examples (which is a key part to the theory examinations). Once I got through the theory, my attention then turned purely to blind tasting and strategy. I tasted as widely as I could and then in as much detail as I could – looking at the nuances of all the classic regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy communes, vintages and quality comparisons (commune, premier cru and grand cru), as these are the kinds of questions and detail you’re expected to be able to glean from those mystery glasses of wine.

The third and final part of the exams is the research paper – a 10,000-word piece of research on a topic of your choice which must ultimately benefit the industry. I submitted my paper in December 2020, waited for it to be examined and heard the result last Friday.

What was the single most difficult piece in all your training? Be it the exam, finding time for family or balancing the rest of your life!

It was definitely trying to find the right balance between work, study and family. The study demands are so extreme, and most people when studying for the MW also have a full or at least part-time job to fulfil. Matt and I own and operate our little wine company Blank Canvas, but we also have a consultancy business. Coupled with raising our six-year-old daughter there were always conflicting demands and desires, but I was incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive family who ensured I could get the study done. Matt was instrumental in pulling together mock blind tasting exams, and we ended up having a great tasting group in Marlborough who would join in on weekends of practice. Matt and I still serve blind wines to each other just about every night.

Your research paper has provided invaluable information on wine intolerance. I have a feeling I may know the answer to this already, but why did you focus on this particular topic?

There is a very clear public health interest in this subject and I felt strongly about redressing the misinformation about wine intolerance and SO2. It came about two years ago when we were asked to do a general presentation on SO2 to a team of sales reps, and after reading the medical and scientific literature on SO2 it became very clear that it is unfairly demonised in wine. Only a very small percentage of the acute asthmatic population (3-10%) has a genuine sulphite sensitivity, which is overwhelmingly a respiratory response. The life-threatening nature of these reactions therefore entirely warrants sulphite labelling on all foods and beverages, because all SO2 containing products must be avoided by these acutely sensitive individuals.

However, it became even more compelling when we saw the true likely culprit in many wine intolerance reactions are biogenic amines (BAs) – causing things like headaches/migraines, nausea, congestion, flushes and heart palpitations. There are many BAs, but some of the more commonly known are histamine and tyramine. It was like a lightbulb moment when we realised that SO2 could be a crucial tool in preventing BA accumulation, because BAs are produced by bacteria, and SO2 is antibacterial. As I did more reading into this specific relationship in wine, I was amazed to find it had never been meaningfully studied.

It was then that I decided to research this topic. I designed the study just over a year ago and worked in the Plant & Food Research lab here in Blenheim analysing the BA levels in a whole range of wines that had undergone different SO2 regimes, from zero addition through to the higher end of industry standard additions. This study had never been done before. The findings are ironic, but also the data was even more compelling than I ever imagined showing that SO2 is the one tool that is crucial in preventing accumulation of toxic levels of BAs in wine.

What wine region have you not visited but would love to? When we get the chance!

Jerez in Spain – I adore great sherry (all styles but particularly Oloroso and Palo Cortado). I would love to visit Jerez in Andalucia to experience the sherry bodegas and vineyards, drink sherry and eat jamon!

All things wine aside – what’s next for you?

Firstly, to get through the 2021 vintage. We’ll be hand harvesting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay this week but because of the early vintage in Marlborough, we should be all wrapped up before the end of March. Next month, after vintage, I’d like to take some time out down in Central Otago where Matt and I both have family. Work wise, there are a number of things on the go including editing the New Zealand section of the Oxford Companion of Wine, a cartography project, our newly launched consultancy business, and of course delicious Blank Canvas wines to make and sell.

I recently tasted Blank Canvas ‘Element’ Syrah 2018. A unique and intriguing wine, that was simply delicious. I look forward to tasting some of their wines from 2021 in the years to come.