The Court of Master Sommeliers is the only membership organization that offers the title Master Sommelier to its graduates. Originally founded in the United Kingdom in 1969, it became an international organization by 1977. The Court offers four sequential educational programs and exams. Acceptance to the two-day introductory course requires a minimum of three years' experience in the hospitality industry, and you must be 21 years of age, or the legal drinking age of the state in which you take the course. Sessions are held throughout the United States during the year. Completion of the introductory course does not entitle a student to call himself a certified sommelier. That is achieved after taking the certifying exam. Once a student is certified and has five years' experience in the industry, he is qualified to enter the advanced certified sommelier course and exam. This is followed by the three-part Master Sommelier exam. Students are given three years to pass the three segments. Pass rate is 10%, indicating the strength of those who do hold a Master Sommelier rating.
Located in the heart of America's wine country, the Culinary Institute of America's Wine Studies program is taught at the school's Greystone campus in the Napa Valley. Named as one of the five best wine education centers by "Food and Wine Magazine," it offers courses for enthusiasts, professionals and those seeking certification in wine studies. Greystone's Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies is a professional wine facility complete with a 4,500 bottle wine cellar and a professional setting for wine study, including a special air handler that keeps odors from penetrating the airspace, lighting placed to clearly illuminate the wine, and a professional wineglass dishwasher. Students in the 30-week Accelerated Wine and Beverage Certificate Program are introduced to the Napa Valley and its winemaking vineyards and the restaurants serving their wines. The CIA also teaches wine enthusiast classes at its Hyde Park campus.
Located throughout the United States, members in the American Sommelier Association are proponents of wine education. The headquarters of the organization is located in New York City, where three sommelier courses are taught. An eight-week foundation course introduces enthusiasts and those on a career-path to the world of wine. A 24-week viticulture and vinification (V and V) course, or an intensive five-day V and V course, held in the Bahamas, is the second round of classwork. The 16-week blind tasting course is the third step. There are no prerequisites to this course; however, it is suggested that students complete the V and V program before registering. Passing the exam qualifies students to receive the American Sommelier Blind Tasting Certificate.
The Sommelier Society of America offers its 21-week certification program twice yearly in New York City. The oldest of the wine-educating associations in America, the Society was founded in 1954. The course is designed for restaurant owners, hoteliers, wait-staff, bartenders, owners, retailers and wine managers. An exam is given at the end of the course, and those who pass receive a Sommelier Society of America certificate. Less intensive wine education classes and tastings are available for those who want to learn about wine.
The wine education program offered by the International Wine Guild, located in Denver, has been named one of the five top professional wine schools by "Food and Wine" magazine. Courses are structured for the wine enthusiast through to the professional. Certification programs can be taken as a one-week intensive or as a 12-week course. The Level II Certification Course prepares you for a career in the field of wine, and a diploma is awarded. In addition to the Denver campus, the Guild offers their programs at locations around the United States.
From wine fundamentals to the sommelier diploma program, the International Sommelier Guild has classes for all levels of wine appreciation. Their courses are offered at locations throughout the United States, Canada and China. Successful completion of the six-month sommelier diploma program results in the recipient receiving a certificate. Basic Fundamentals are taught at two levels for the enthusiast; also, there is a wine-educator course in most states.