Don’t forget there is a fully searchable transcript too!

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I will also be recording my responses to the Stage Two Exam in separate videos, which will be for paid subscribers only, and will be released over the next few days.

If you have any requests or comments, please let me know and I will do my best to help. Don’t forget that paid subscribers get access to the chat, as well as the full archive of posts.

And please share this post with anyone you think would find it useful.

Happy studies,
Richard.

PS: my guess that Rutherglen Muscat would be 150-160 g/l of residual sugar was way off! I meant to say 250-260 g/l. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Wine tech info

1. Bollinger, Special Cuvée Brut NV Champagne (12%)
60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Meunier. Aged on lees for at least three years. Dosage 7-8 g/l.
£42

2. Bollinger, La Grande Année Brut 2015 Champagne (12.5%)
79% Grand Cru, 21% Premier Cru. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. All oak-fermented. Dosage 8 g/l.
£175

3. Domaine des Baumard, Clos de St Yves 2020 Savennieres (13%)
No oak.
£36

4. David & Nadia, Chenin Blanc 2023 Swartland (12.5%)
Whole-bunch pressed, matured for 11 months in neutral 300-litre French oak barrels. 25% of the blend was aged in concrete.
£25

5. Duckhorn, Decoy Red Blend 2019 California (14%)
35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 16% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah, 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Syrah, 2% Carignan. Aged 12 months in 100% French oak (30% new).
£32

6. Torbreck, The Steading 2022 Barossa Valley (15%)
50% Grenache, 31% Shiraz, 19% Mataro. Aged in large old oak for 20 months.
£37

7. Onix, Classic 2023 Priorat (15%)
50% Garnacha, 50% Mazeulo. Stainless steel.
£25

8. Dr. Crusius, Mühlberg Riesling Eiswein 2020 Nahe (8%)
RS ?? g/l
£??

9. Kracher, No. 5 Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese 2021 Burgenland (6.5%)
RS ?? g/l
£??

10. Domaine de Bila-Haut 2021 Banyuls (17%)
RS 108 g/l
£21

11. Chambers Rosewood Muscat NV Rutherglen (17.7%)
RS 249 g/l
£18 (375 ml)

12. Boplaas, Cape Vintage 2022 Western Cape (17.8%)
80% Touriga Nacional, 10% Tinta Barocca, 10% Souzao. RS 93 g/l.
£23

This is the last #MWStudyBuddy before the Stage One Assessment and the Stage Two Exams in early June. For everyone sitting this year: GOOD LUCK!

If you need last-minute help, paid subscribers have access to the chat to ask me direct questions, to which I reply within 24 hours. I also offer private tuition, ether one-one-one or group – I’m already working with six students this year and have capacity for a few more. Email me or WhatsApp me to find out more.

In the next #MWStudyBuddy, I will give an assessment of this year’s exam papers.

Happy studies,
Richard.

Theory

Paper one

• Articles written by MWs often feature examples that are perfect for exams. This 2023 piece by Anne Kriebehl MW has several illustrations of how growers encourage various animals to control pests – for instance, a Tuscan estate that bought predatory mites to feed on the spider mites that were damaging their vines.

• Vitibot, the autonomous vineyard robot, can cultivate under vine at an operating cost of less than €2 per hour. Thanks to Jamie Goode’s post, we know that it is used by Domaine Louis Latour in Corton Charlemagne.

  

Paper two

• New research in Catalonia in conjunction with Raimat aims to capture the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation. One of the key benefits is apparently the ability to capture aromatic compounds and return them to the wine. If that works, it theoretically allows fermentations to take place at higher temperatures, because any lost aromas will be captured and returned, which could result a saving of 30% on cooling costs.

• In Bordeaux, what can the percentage of press wine used tell you about winemaking and stylistic intention? At Rauzan-Ségla, the percentage of press wine was 12% in 2024, 14% in 2023 and 17% (the highest ever) in 2022 (see these tasting notes).

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Paper three

• If you don’t have specific, winery-level examples for certain aspects of P3, you can at least use generic references, such as the EU oenological regulations (search for appendix 10 to see the limits for sulphur dioxide levels, for example) and the US permitted wine treatments. These are dense, bureaucratic documents – but it’s good practice to go direct to the source.

• Encirc360 is the UK’s largest wine bottling company: they bottle 18 of the UK’s top-20 wine brands. It’s a carbon-neutral, zero-waste operation and is moving towards ‘ultra-low carbon furnaces at its Cheshire site from 2029 onwards’.

Paper four

• In 2021, as a way to bypass China’s punitive tax on Australian wines, Rawson’s Retreat discreetly used fruit from South Africa for that export market.

• A recent Knight Frank report on the price of one hectare of vineyard gives a great way to compare costs. For example, Barolo vineyard land is apparently more than twice as expensive than Brunello di Montalcino; while Champagne’s Cote de Blancs appears to be 17 times more expensive than Kent or Sussex. It’s also worth cross-checking other sources as well: this data shows a wider range of prices for Champagne, for example.

Paper five

• For P5, it’s useful to have a few examples of what is currently being experienced in the wine world. These three articles tell a similar story for the 2026 growing cycle: frost damage is being exacerbated by earlier budbreaks that are caused by warmer springs. Champagne was significantly affected, and so was the US east coast. Meanwhile in California, Tablas Creek describe how their budbreak is two weeks ahead of average in 2026, and they include budbreak dates for the last 12 years, which is great for comparisons.

• Another contemporary number to be aware of is production numbers. In this post, The Wine Economist Mike Veseth has crunched some numbers from US production statistics, comparing estimates for 2026 with figures for 2016. Gallo is estimated to make 90m cases of wine in 2026, which is 20% higher than 2016, and there are several other useful examples cited in the article.

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Practical

• Misreading quality is one of the most mortifying and prejudicial mistakes you can make in an exam. It’s easy to overestimate less expensive wines when you are unfamiliar with them, so it’s worthwhile to taste the bestselling supermarket brands – brands such as 19 Crimes, Nicolas Feuillatte, Faustino Rioja, Casillero del Diablo and so on.

• When tasting, if you’re unsure of a particular component such as residual sugar or alcohol, make sure you know the theory that supports the most likely options. If you think you have a Riesling with 20 g/l RS and 13% alcohol, then it’s either improbably rare (a feinherb perhaps?) or you are misreading those structural elements. Or perhaps it’s a Chenin Blanc instead!

Research Paper

• Here’s an intriguing subject: do wine aerators actually make a difference, and can it be quantified? There are no shortage of products on the market that you could test. Designing the experiment would be reasonably straightforward. And your results could have real commercial value as well, which is always a good motivation!

• This 2021 article by Sophie Parker-Thomson MW is particularly useful for RP candidates. It’s her analysis of her research paper, written in response to some criticism it received after publication. She explains the thought processes and methodologies used to create her RP, but it also allows her to defend her research, showing how important it is to have rock-solid data and logical interpretations in your work.

As the June exam dates approach, I hope your studies are in full flow! Don’t forget to check the full archive of posts to make the most of those resources. Also, remember that paid subscribers get access to the chat, where the most recent conversation discusses whether double penalties can apply in the practical papers.

Any UK-based MW students, don’t fo…

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There are now over 440 subscribers to this newsletter - many thanks to you all! Feel free to keep in touch by replying to this email or using the subscriber chat. Requests and suggestions are always welcome.

Happy studies,
Richard.

Theory

Paper one

• Pests and diseases are a common topic for P1. This pest management guide is a comprehensive guide for growers in Oregon. The level of detail goes beyond what you need, but includes helpful tables of reference – for example, the level of Botrytis risk depending on bunch temperature and duration of wetness.

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I would love to see for you, and everyone else, to throw in paper 4 and 5 potential topics - these tend to repeat less than 1,2,3 and be more dynamic with what’s around us.

Here are my thoughts on which themes are most relevant this year. Use the comments to add your own suggestions!

Happy studies,
Richard.

To begin, here’s a reminder of how P4 and P5 are described in the syllabus:

Paper four – The business of wine: examines your knowledge and understanding of current financial, commercial and marketing aspects of the international wine industry.

Paper five – Contemporary issues: examines your ability to demonstrate communication skills, personal insights, and understanding by writing authoritatively on subjects that are of relevance to today’s global wine industry.

To consider potential topics for these papers, let’s look at P4 first, before moving on to P5 – because the approaches aren’t the same.

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Now that the MW seminar weeks are almost over, the countdown to the exam begins in earnest! For paid subscribers, look out for more #MWStudybuddy EXTRA issues coming soon – and let me know via the chat if you have any requests.

Happy studies,
Richard.

Theory

Paper one

• The 2025 California Harvest Report gives several examples of how growers reacted to vintage conditions, including direct quotes on how different producers responded to late-season rain – useful for examples – as well as general overviews of vintage conditions across the state.

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This ask-me-anything answers six questions that one of my lovely subscribers asked in the chat:

1. How to select producers and/or regions for our examples

2. How to approach producers we would like to have a conversation with

3. Books, websites, newsletters, magazines, YouTube channels, Substacks, people on social media, among others, that you recommend. Here I would include not only more theoretical content, but possibly also some motivational material, although to a lesser extent

4. How to filter the most interesting information from the enormous number of sources that exist

5. Still on the previous point, and knowing that technology has taken a major leap forward since you completed the MW, what suggestions do you have for aggregating the information we collect so that we can consult it quickly and efficiently?

6. What to do if one starts falling behind the study plan that had been set? (Other than simply devoting more hours to studying.)

To find out the answers, read on!

Happy studies,
Richard.

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1) How to select producers and/or regions for our examples

To build up an effective collection of examples, you need to understand what makes them useful. There are three ways to define this.

The first definition is examples that are general enough to have relevance for many MW exam topics: for example, per-capita consumption in key markets; global production trends; average costs of barrels and dry goods (bottles, corks etc); knowing the most common clones, rootstocks and yeasts used internationally.

The second definition is to find examples that can be compared and contrasted. If you are answering a question about Cabernet Sauvignon winemaking, then you ideally need an example of what is practiced in

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As this newsletter moves towards 50 paying subscribers (thanks so much!), I will be increasing the amount of paid-only content this year. Meanwhile, this monthly newsletter will remain free – so you are welcome share it widely.

A reminder for paid subscribers: make the most of the chat to be in touch with me and your fellow MW students!

Happy studies,
Richard.

Theory

Paper one

• The Klima website explains how their robotic vine-pruning technology works, including some real-life references for where it has been used.

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After launching in September, there are now 400 subscribers to #MWStudyBuddy. Previous posts are now going behind the paywall, so if you’re not a paid subscriber and haven’t decided what to buy yourself for Christmas, then a paid subscription is the answer!

Wishing you a great festive season, and I hope you will open plenty of good wine to enjoy, not just study.

Happy Christmas!
Richard.

PS episode five of The Jancis Robinson Story podcast includes her account of what it was like enrolling in the MW programme back in 1984 – out now!

Theory

Paper one

• In September this month, French authorities prohibited the use of 20 fungicides containing copper due to apparent health risks for users. Some copper-based applications are still permitted, albeit with stricter limits, which has particular implications for organic producers.

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This article is the first #MWStudyBuddy to be paywalled. There are currently 30 wine students paying for a subscription – please consider joining them if you are a free subscriber that finds these newsletters useful.

Happy studies,
Richard.

In the decade since passing the MW in 2015, I have mentored or tutored 18 students. Three of them became MWs, six are still studying and nine left the programme for a variety of reasons. All of them had different backgrounds, approaches, skills and experiences, but they all faced the same fundamental challenge of passing the MW exams.

To write this piece, I’ve reviewed the folder full of documents I’ve accumulated over ten years of mentoring. Spoiler alert: I haven’t uncovered the secret formula to passing. Instead, I identified a common set of questions that MW students ask themselves. What follows is a summary of those questions, then my general advice to anyone on the MW programme.

I don’t claim any new or original answers here – but since the same questions keep coming up, I hope this proves useful.

The most common questions of MW students

The first question sounds simple: do you really understand? MW-style answers tend to follow a strict formula, and that risks sounding – well, formulaic, rather than truly comprehending.

Practical answers on commercial potential are a good example. Consider a Riesling that is described as ‘suitable for grocery stores, by-the-glass in restaurants and in specialist merchants’.

That statement is too generic to demonstrate true understanding. After all, in many markets – perhaps most markets - Riesling is not an especially easy sell, so that is worth saying! Then give more detail about where might sell. German Riesling had a high-profile moment in China this year, for example, with lots of online sales during the Summer of Riesling campaign (see details in #MWStudyBuddy 001).

Another example to consider is explaining origin for a top-level Burgundy. The trouble is that comments on balance, MLC, oak, intensity, persistence, complexity and ageability could describe good Chardonnay from anywhere. Flavour profile doesn’t necessarily help either.

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Welcome to the third #MWStudyBuddy. Older posts will go behind the paywall soon, with access for paid subscribers only. Other paid benefits include access to the chat, where our introduce-yourself thread includes posts from MW students based in Portugal, Dubai, California, Singapore, Sydney, Arkansas, Austria, India, France, Texas and Turkey – I’d be delighted for you to join them!

Happy studies,
Richard.

PS, the first episode of my new podcast The Jancis Robinson Story is out now in case you need some inspiration!

Theory

Paper one

• Long spur pruning is becoming popular for Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough because it can half the amount of time (and therefore cost) needed to prune vines, according to this report.

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Within a month of launch, there are now almost 300 subscribers to this newsletter. That’s almost a Paper Four fact in itself. Welcome to you all!

Particular thanks to my lovely paid subscribers, who get access to the full archive ask-me-anything chat as well as additional services such as webinars, one-on-one tuition and more. And don’t forget that all previous posts go behind the paywall after two months.

Feel free to add comments if you have any follow-up questions or additional info to share.

Raising my glass to you,
Richard.

Theory

Paper one

• RootWave is a tractor attachment that uses electricity ‘to give better weed

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There are nine months between the start of the academic year and the MW exams in early June. This amount of time seems simultaneously insufficient to gather and manage such a huge amount of information (the marathon) yet still allowing plenty of run-up to the exam itself (the sprint).

Practical: making the most of MW seminars and course days

Seminars and course days are your prime opportunities throughout the academic year to undergo practical papers in exam conditions. There are usually at least four full-length 12-wine papers available, and it’s worth taking full advantage.

Your approach depends on which stage you are in and how close you are to to the exam. They are a golden opportunity to develop exam technique: your systems for timing, note-taking (eg grid), writing (typed or hand-written), glassware and any other variables.

In stage one, you can use these opportunities to experiment with new techniques. For example, you might want to try new glassware, or change your timing approach. If it goes wrong, you might end up wasting the paper - but it’s better to do that on a course day than in the exam room itself.

If you are in stage two, then at the seminar your techniques should ideally allow you to

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I enrolled in the MW programme back in 2009, when the hottest topic in wine was still screwcap versus cork. It took me six years until I passed, during which I wrote a monthly diary of my experiences on JancisRobinson.com, and during which cork and screwcap learned to co-exist peacefully.

This article is all about what I wish I’d known when I started my studies, and it’s based on a session I delivered at the stage one seminar in 2016, the year after I passed. I’m pretty sure it is just as relevant today.

What it feels like to be an MW student

Firstly, this advice is only intended to make sense for MW students - especially those who are just beginning. And that’s my first point: nobody else gets it. Your colleagues and loved ones may be able to sympathise, but only fellow MWs and students really understand what it’s like, no matter how much you try to explain. That exclusivity of feeling can create strong bonds within the MW world, but it can also create a sense of alienation.

But there is no other way, and no better way. If you want to become an MW, there’s only one path. It is frustrating and lengthy and all-consuming, but - in case you have any doubts - it is also totally, completely and utterly worthwhile. Passing is obviously the goal, but the intrinsic experience of being a student by itself offers huge benefits.

There should be no rush to pass (although I would never have believed that at the time). Plus, your personal reasons for wanting to pass may well change along the way - mine certainly did. But once you get there, nobody really cares how long it took - just like it doesn’t matter if you are the youngest, oldest or tallest MW.

You might hear conspiracy theories about how to pass, and ulterior motives within the IMW. None of them are true. The IMW may not be perfect, and they certainly make mistakes (my name was left off the 2015 graduation booklet 🤦🏻‍♂️) but there’s also a lot of good will and good intentions among those who run it. Working with them is the only sensible way to go.

One more feeling you will become familiar with: the mortification of getting a wine completely wrong in front of your peers - especially if you get quality wrong, there is no bigger embarrassment. Everyone does it. I still do. But nobody else will remember your mistakes - just make sure you figure out why they happened, and move on.

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Tips on MW studies

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Welcome to the first edition of my free monthly newsletter for MW students. My intention is to provide specific online material that has direct relevance to your studies.

There are already nearly 60 subscribers - welcome to you all! Please forward this to anyone who might find it useful - and feel free to send feedback by replying to this email.

With best wishes,
Richard.

PS there’s a bonus newsletter coming out in the next few days, revealing everything I wish I knew about MW studies when I started.

Theory

Paper one

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