Maybe another court is warranted.
No question. It’s sad, scary and infuriating to see how much crap these guys have gotten away with.
Just read that, Victor. Some famous names accused: BobBath/FredDame/GeoffKnuth.
Things not looking good for Court of MasterSommeliers. Really a sad situation.
Tom
The organization as it currently exists is beyond reform. Massive, massive change is necessary.
And, realistically, we need to ask if the Court itself is necessary.
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Victor- Thread needs a better title. Some horrific details of really shitty behavior by seemingly important and powerful men in the Court.
Seems like quite a stark contrast from what I’ve experienced with the WSET.
Perhaps the WSET/MW programs should be more widely embraced by the service industry.
+100 to this. The title is not at all reflective of the story.
Done.
Holy crap! I met one of the men last night at a wine dinner!
Think of the James Beard Society culture, with the additional ingredients of money and alcohol.
While I’m firmly opposed to almost all bureaucratification/middle management-ification of wine, it does seem that the WSET and MW streams are far less male dominated and have had more women in its ranks from the beginning.
The CMS is definitely more designed to appeal to competitive, testosterone-filled, dick-waving types.
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I would be really pissed if I put in all that time, money, and sweat to get certified, then had the whole credential tainted. Maybe some of the principal’s involved are not as smart as they seem. Calling Mario Battali…
Just tack an “*” onto the credential, as is done in baseball.
Wow, what a bunch of creeps.
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In its current format, I reckon the CMS has fundamentally failed many of its members, not just because of the rampant sexual harassment, but I do think there is likely some value in having a hospitality focused wine education/accreditation organisation.
Last year, Bobby Stuckey talked on the VinePair podcast about how he saw the role/value of some type of formal wine accreditation/education. The way he described it was seeing these types of programs, whether the CMS, MW, WSET was as a form of market signal to employers. It serves to employers as a signal a particular person understands not only about wine, but also about wine as business and it role in the context of running a successful and financially viable restaurant, like any other type of higher level degree in other industries (MBAs, PhDs, etc.)
Even as that the CMS seems to have failed. You hear so many stories of people taking years and years to pass and spending more on tastings, classes, and exam fees than what the pay bump in their salary ends up being post accreditation.
There’s some serious reform that needs to happen, and it’s unlikely that the organisation itself can undergo that. More likely than not, a new organisation founded from the ground up with a different set of principles and goals is required.
If the allegations are true, a CMS professional designation seems as valuable as being a Managing Director at Lehman Brothers.
Maybe, the institution can offer refunds.
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I’m deeply unconvinced by that argument. Of course MSs believe it’s relevant; it allows them to become gatekeepers, accumulate power and influence, perpetuate a system of credentialism and unnecessary “skills” (does anyone give a blue f*** about your ability to rattle off the soil types of the Middle Loire?) and, above all, make some money. Many start sommelier schools or other tutoring businesses to continue the pyramid scheme-like of taking thousands of dollars from would-be Certified/Advanced/Master Sommeliers and bolster the importance of that training. I believe in learning for the sake of learning, so wine education CAN be an enriching, positive, community-focused atmosphere. I’m a member of a couple tasting groups where that’s the case. I do not believe applying the principles of middle management and modern-capitalist (sorry to get academic here!) structures to a cultural cornerstone like wine is an inherently good thing. And, like you said, the Court itself and the people involved in it are handsomely rewarded for their efforts to apply these principles through exams, tastings, industry connections, etcetera.
Combine these factors with unbridled arrogance, pervasive entitlement, and male-dominated organizational opacity and you have all the ingredients for a toxic cocktail of misogyny and harassment.
I’m a restaurant worker and have quite a few friends and colleagues/industry folks who have gone through various levels of the CMS. I’m moderate acquaintances with one of Canada’s half-dozen MSs - who has a somm school, natch - and I respect him. Many of them are very good at their jobs; I see many others struggle to translate their Somm School skills into talking about, selling, and most importantly, COMMUNICATING about wine with other people or restaurant guests when they’ve been trained to approach wine a certain way.
horrible but not surprising
thanks for posting victor
These women are courageous for speaking out. I hope they and the other women who have suffered this abuse find peace, and justice, to the extent that’s possible. And I also hope that this can be the beginning of real change within the Court.
The disgusting behavior documented is shocking but not surprising. The article really establishes a clear pattern of behavior by many powerful people in the CMS, even using some of the same tactics, lines, and excuses. I think it shows that the problems are endemic and structural, and it sure seems that the organization is beyond reform. I think having an educational credential for the wine industry is important, but it is clear that this is not the organization to administer it. The time has come for the CMS to end.