There are four stages involved in attaining the top qualifications of Master Sommelier: 1) Introductory Sommelier Examination; 2) Certified Sommelier Examination; 3) Advanced Sommelier Examination; and 4) Master Sommelier Diploma Examination. The master sommelier examination has often been called “the hardest test you’ve never heard of.” Since its inception in 1969, just 274 people have passed the grueling exam, which involves years, sometimes even decades, of preparation. The tasting portion is what first made the exam the object of popular fascination: In 25 minutes, a candidate must taste six wines, blind, and identify each one’s grape variety, region of origin and vintage.  October 9, 2018 
 
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 
 CONTACT: Kathleen Lewis (707) 255-5056 x11, klewis@mastersommeliers.org 
 
 Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas Board of Directors Takes Unanimous Actions to Preserve Integrity of Examination Process 
 
 NAPA, CA – The Board of Directors of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas unanimously voted to invalidate the results of the tasting portion of the 2018 Master Sommelier Diploma Examination for all candidates due to clear evidence that a Master breached the confidentiality with respect to the wines presented for tasting. In turn, the court would have to take back the diplomas from 23 newly minted master sommeliers who had just passed the exam last month in St. Louis. In an Oct. 9 letter sent to all master sommeliers, CMS board chairman Devon Broglie, MS, wrote that the board had “received a report from outside legal counsel that a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas disclosed confidential information pertinent to the tasting portion of the 2018 Master Sommelier Diploma Examination prior to the examination.” 
 
 Broglie did not name the master sommelier responsible for the information breach, though it seems likely that the person may have been one of the exam proctors. “Maintaining the integrity of the examination process must be our highest priority, lest we risk diminishing the value of, and the respect earned from, becoming a Master Sommelier.” 
 
 ABOUT THE COURT OF MASTER SOMMELIERS, AMERICAS 
 
 The Court of Master Sommeliers was established in England in 1977 to encourage improved standards of beverage knowledge and service in hotels and restaurants. “Our credential is known throughout the hospitality industry worldwide, and it guarantees that the holder of the Master Sommelier title is among the most qualified of all wine industry professionals. “We are committed to developing an expedited process so that all eligible candidates can retake the tasting examination.” 
 
 The Board of Directors has barred the Master involved from participating in any Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas programs or events and has voted unanimously to initiate the process of terminating membership pursuant to the organization’s bylaws. Morgan Harris, the only master sommelier in the class of 2018 whose diploma was not invalidated, told The Post the sommelier community is a small one and this scandal has left it devastated. “It’s heartbreaking and incredibly disappointing for me and for everyone else who passed the exam in a fair and honest way,” Harris said. “I know that’s why the decision was made — to maintain the integrity of the exam.” 
 
 Update: This story was updated on Oct. 10 to reflect the CMS’ announcement of the protocol for the re-tests. Because he had already passed the tasting portion of the exam in 2017, this year he needed to pass only the service portion, which was not affected by the scandal. “It sounds crazy, but that’s the whole idea: You pass the exam, and you’re done.” 
 
 Now they’re not done. The CMS website claims that about 25 to 30 percent of test takers pass the Advanced exam, and only about 10 percent pass the theory portion of the Master exam. Steven McDonald told the Houston Chronicle after he passed that he was “floating.” 
 
 “I know what he’s feeling,” Guy Stout, who became a master sommelier in 2005 and mentored McDonald, told the Chronicle. “I can only imagine how hard it hit everyone to learn that something they worked so hard for was tainted by the actions of a single individual.”
– The exam to become a master sommelier is notoriously difficult. The years, even decades, of study required to conquer the three-part test of wine knowledge—broken down into theory, table service, and tasting—mean that fewer than 300 people have managed it over 49 years. Now 23 sommeliers who thought they'd joined the upper ranks last month will have to do it over again. The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas announced Tuesday it would invalidate the results of the blind tasting administered in St. Louis because of "clear evidence" of cheating. An unnamed court master "breached the confidentiality" of the test by releasing "detailed information concerning wines in the tasting flight" ahead of time, the court says, per the Washington Post. The offending master (unnamed) will be stripped of title and court membership, and 23 of 24 newly minted masters must retake the 25-minute tasting test—in which they're asked to identify six wines, down to the year, grape, and region, per the San Francisco Chronicle—before next summer. "It's a tremendous amount of waste and heartbreak for everybody who passed in an honest way," says the sole member of the 2018 class to keep his title, having passed the tasting portion last year. "There are people who have put relationships, marriages, parenting of their children on hold so they can make sure they're professionally successful at this." CMS board chairman Devon Broglie is sympathetic. "I can only imagine how hard it hit everyone to learn that something they worked so hard for was tainted by the actions of a single individual," he says. (You can be a tea sommelier, too.)