Liz Thach | First Female Master of Wine in West | Sonoma State

A Newly Minted Master

Sonoma State's Liz Thach is one of only seven women in the U.S. to achieve Master of Wine status.

By Virginie Boone | Tuesday, 28 June 2011 | 06:42

Master of Wine

This past spring, Elizabeth "Liz" Thach of Sonoma State University's Wine Business Institute, became the first female on the West Coast to achieve the distinction of Master of Wine. Fewer than 300 individuals have earned this distinction, and Thach is one of only seven women in the United States to achieve the honor.

The Institute of Masters of Wine, based in London, has been giving exams on the subject of wine since 1953, originally opening up the test only to members of the wine trade. The rigorous exam has been designed since the get-go to recognize only those with a truly masterful level of knowledge on all aspects of wine. They must also possess a superior ability to communicate that knowledge clearly -- only six of 21 people passed the first test, and it wasn't until 1970 that the first woman earned the title. It's a thinking man's and woman's title, one held by a number of professors, writers and critics across the world, including, perhaps most famously, the British wine writer Jancis Robinson, the first person from outside the wine trade allowed to take the test and earn the title.

Thach's recent achievement of that same title comes in the middle of a busy time in her work life. In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate wine business students, she's also writing a book on the top 10 vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, planning to work the upcoming crush at a winery in California's North Coast, developing research on the wine preferences of Millennials, and continuing her work on various boards and not-for-profits in the wine industry.

Liz Thach will be formally inducted to the membership of the Institute of Masters of Wine at its annual awards ceremony and reception at Vintners' Hall in London on Nov. 9 of this year. We caught up with her recently to ask how tough the test really is and get her thoughts on the state of the wine world today.

VB: Is it true you pursued the MW on a dare?

LT: Ironically, it began with a challenge from one of my SSU wine business students. At the end of each semester I have a lecture in which I describe continuing education programs in wine. Then I say, "I hope that one of our SSU Wine Biz grads will one day become an MW or MS." It was after this statement that Christian Pillsbury, a graduate who is now working in the Hong Kong wine industry, shouted out, "Why don't you?" Shortly after that in Napa Valley at the book signing for my first co-authored wine book, I was approached by Peter Marks MW and Tim Hanni MW. They both encouraged me to apply to the Institute of Masters of Wine, and I was accepted into the program in 2006.

VB: The majority of people fail the MW exam. How hard is it, really?

LT: I knew the MW would be difficult, but I wasn't prepared for how incredibly rigorous it was. Now I know why there are only 27 MWs in the United States (289 worldwide). In order to be accepted into the program you have to have five years of experience in the wine industry. Once admitted, you study for two years before you are allowed to take the three-and-a-half-day exam -- which is estimated to have a 90 percent failure rate on the first try. Most of the process is self-study with the exception of an annual five-day seminar each spring. You have to be very self-disciplined in order to learn all of the material.

I was fortunate enough to pass the Theory portion of the exam on the first try, but it took three more attempts before I passed the tasting part, which is referred to as the Practical. The blind tasting portion requires that you identify 36 wines from around the world with a B- or above to pass. It is a timed exam and you are expected to identify varietal, origin, quality level, winemaking, style, and in some cases vintage. Since I had a California palate when I started the program, I had to join many tasting groups and travel to different wine regions in order to pass.

VB: Did you make any unexpected discoveries as you trained for the MW exam?

LT: Yes, I learned that studying to pass the MW made me a much better wine business professor. I was forced to learn a lot about enology and viticulture that I didn't know before, and I have been able to integrate this into my wine business lectures and exercises. For example, one of the Theory questions I had to answer on the exam was: "How can the negative effects of volatile sulphur compounds in wine best be managed?" Before starting the MW, I didn't know anything about this topic, but now I can address these types of issues and also talk about cost and quality ramifications.

The other unexpected discovery is the wonderful network of wine people around the world with whom I am now connected. Even when I was training, I could reach out to MWs for introductions to key winemakers, distributors and retailers. For example, the semester before I sat the exam for the first time, I took a partial sabbatical and traveled for one month to France and one month to Australia to meet with winemakers and viticulturists. The MW network allowed me to meet with key people in both of these countries, and it was through those interviews that I was able to write essay answers that helped me pass Theory.

VB: The exam requires multiple essays and a long dissertation. What did you choose as your dissertation topic?

LT: For the three-and-a-half day exam, you actually write 11 timed essays with three on viticulture, three on winemaking, three on wine business and two on contemporary/social issues. This is called the Theory part of the exam and takes place in the afternoon, whereas the tasting portion occurs in the morning. Once you pass Theory, then you are allowed to begin your dissertation that is a 10,000-word original study. The topic of my dissertation was "Identifying and Analyzing Differences in Wine-Drinking Occasions for Male and Female Wine Consumers in California."

VB: What parts of the world are making exciting wines right now?

LT: There are many exciting wine regions of the world, so it is impossible to select one. I recently visited Argentina and was fascinated with the level of energy and passion amongst the wine community, as well as the excellent quality wines for good prices. China is also thrilling as the sixth-largest wine producing country in the world. I've visited there twice now and am amazed at the size of their vineyards and their plans for expansion in the future.

In the U.S., I am always the cheerleader for the small wine regions in our 50 states. California is, of course, outstanding, but I've also recently visited wineries in Virginia, New York, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Washington and Oregon that are producing fabulous wines. In June, I head to a conference in France, which is a country that has always been near and dear to my heart. I've visited France more than 10 times. This time I will visit Bordeaux and the Loire again. In the fall I'm taking a trip to Croatia and Greece with my mother and look forward to trying some of the unique varietals of those countries.

VB: What trends in winemaking and wine consuming do you think will have the most impact over the next five to 10 years?

LT: I am so thrilled that the U.S. is now the largest wine-consuming nation in the world, as well as the largest market in terms of wine sales. We now have so many more people drinking wine in the U.S. compared to 10 years ago when I started working at SSU. Much of this has to do with a change in our culture with more focus on food, wine and the "good life." It also has to do with the Millennials embracing wine as part of their lifestyle.

Because of this, I see wine moving in multiple directions. We will continue to see value wines at the supermarkets to help introduce consumers to approachable and fruity styles. I think we will see growth in sweet and semi-sweet white wines as many Millennials enjoy this style, as well as big fruity reds. Sparkling wines in the $8 to $15 price range will most likely increase as well because this is another style enjoyed by the younger generation.

At the same time, the ultra-premium and luxury wine market will rebound. This is not just because the recession has ended, but because as more people are introduced to wine, they will eventually want to trade up and experiment with more specialty higher-priced selections. In some parts of the world, such as China, the icon wines have become even more valuable, and this trend will continue.

Virginie Boone is a Sonoma Valley-based wine writer. She has reported on the Northern California wine scene for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and its affiliate food and wine magazine, Savor, and is a contributing reviewer of California wines for Wine Enthusiast.

Photo: Liz Thach of Sonoma State University's Wine Business Institute. Courtesy of Liz Thach