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I f you think the bar or CPA exams are the gold standard in terms of degree of difficulty, a unique new series premiering this week on Esquire Network might convince you otherwise. In "Uncorked," a six-part, hourlong series premiering Tuesday, Nov. 10, six wine experts prepare to take the master sommelier exam, a test whose body of knowledge is so all-encompassing that only 230 people have passed it in its 40-plus-year history. The exam is in three parts: service, where you must exhibit the skills to perfectly present and serve wine to the most discerning of palates; taste, where you must be able to identify a wine's varietal, year and even the village where the grapes were grown just by blind sipping; and theory, the written portion in which you're asked about such things as alcohol content and the elevation in which some varietals are grown. And there's no way to cram for this exam, according to one of the sommeliers on the show, Josh Nadel. Much of the knowledge contained in these tests can be acquired only through experience. "When you get into service and tasting, part of that's going to be experience on the floor and comfort in a service environment that you get from working over the course of a minimum of a few years in the restaurant business," the native New Yorker says. "If you started a sommelier with the sole goal of passing the master sommelier exam, I would think you'd probably be ready for the service exam an absolute minimum of three to four years – maybe. And that's literally having no other goal besides being ready for that. And then the tasting exam is also something that takes years to master and years of exposure. So it's less cramming and more relentless and methodical and kind of maniacal focus over the course of many years on a very consistent basis." Passing the exam means entry into a highly exclusive world where membership can lead to the most desirable jobs in the food and wine industry. B ut Nadel, already the executive beverage director for seven restaurants in New York and Miami, intends to use his certification to teach. "Everybody in my family, literally, on my mom and dad's side, is a teacher or has been involved in education in some way, shape or form for like three generations," he says. "So there's something in my genes that makes me want to teach. And the Court of Master Sommelier has quickly become the gold standard for education and mentoring of the best and the brightest sommeliers around the world, and that's the motivation for me." What book are you currently reading? "To be perfectly honest, I am reading a book called 'The Quest' by Daniel Yergin. And it is a book about energy security and the remaking of the modern world. It's basically one of the world's foremost authorities on the history of oil and gas exploration going back to the Rockefellers." What did you have for dinner last night? "For dinner last night ... I made refried bean buckwheat tacos (laughs) with organic brown rice in California." What is your next project? "My next project is to learn how to play the piano." When was the last vacation you took, where and why? "The last vacation I took was ... I went to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara with my wife in the springtime." BY GEORGE DICKIE Sommeliers hit the bottle to hit the books on Esquire's 'UNCORKED' Pictured: Josh Nadel Page 8 November 9 - 15, 2015 Don't Miss Monday's Food Page You'll find Great Recipes and Food Advertisements only in 574-533-2151 Nobody Knows Our Hometown Better! • Carpet • Vinyl • Ceramic Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 65669 US 33 East • Goshen 642-4770 TOLL FREE 1-877-642-4770 Area's Largest Selection of Remnants Large Inventory of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles! OEC Super Buffet 4024 Elkhart Rd Goshen IN 46526 Tel: 574-875-1298 Elk Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Adult $7.25 Children 2 years old $1.99 3-6 years old $3.50 7-10 years old $5.00 *Saturday Lunch $7.75 Dinner Monday-Friday 3pm-9:30 pm Adult $10.75 Children 2 years old $2.99 3-6 years old $4.50 7-10 years old $6.00 *Sunday Dinner Price ALL DAY $10.75 SENIOR DISCOUNT 10% PRICE

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