Tackling D1 & D2

The first two parts of the diploma course really sets the base for your further journey towards the Level 4 diploma. When studying the two parts, especially D2, it is hard to not see it as a separate section that you can tuck away somewhere on your shelf after you have passed the exam. However, just staring my D3 section (called the beast!), I now do understand just how important the part of D2 really is. Let me quickly break it down, D1 sets the base for all wine growing and wine making practices for the wines of the world, well into detail. And when I write well into detail, I really mean well into detail! It does have a chemical approach to it and helps you understand the production of wines in a holistic way. With the chemical part I did struggle a bit and by the time I sat down to take the D2 exam, there were no results in yet. These came in a few weeks after and luckily, I passed! 

The part of D2 focusses on the business side of the wine world. Why does a bottle of Barolo cost more than a chardonnay from the greater Languedoc region? How are the business structures organized in the world of wine producers? How do different countries handle laws considering alcoholic beverages and what is the influence on wine labels and opportunities for a wine producer. When I was studying to be a certified sommelier here in The Netherlands, I did not have to know all of this, so in that way the diploma course does allow me to get more in depth into the wine world and really develop my knowledge further. But that did not mean I liked studying D2, some sections were a really hard nut to crack! As of this writing I am still waiting on the results of the D2 exam, which on diploma level, can take up 3 months to get back. 

In this diploma course journey, there is not a lot of time to sit and rest. A few weeks after the exam of D2, classes started for the D3 part. D3 is all about wines of the world, getting into detail about the grape varieties grown in different wine regions, the resulting wine style and the wine law that accompanies it. With every region D1 and D2 rear their heads. Which is of course not surprising and really helps you understand the structure of the wine world. For me D1 and D2 was something I needed to get through, in order to get to the fun part which is D3! As referred to above, D3 is often labelled as ‘The Beast’, and seeing the size of the study materials, experiencing the intensity of the classes, along with the in-depth tasting training, this name is no surprise. More so, it might even sell it short! Apart from all of this, the excitement and hunger for knowledge remains. Let the Marathon continue!