John Elmes
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

I really enjoy wine. I love its tastes, its delicacy or fortitude, its exotic geographies…even its place in popular culture thrills me. I haven’t always though and it took me a while to come to terms with its vagaries. I first started to drink it with any regularity at university. Given how limited I view my knowledge now; I blush at the thought of the 18 year old me knocking back bottles of cheap Chenin Blanc at ‘formal’ dinners – regardless of whether I was eating a fish or a fillet steak. I didn’t even countenance red wine back then – shocking, I know.

It has taken me a little over a decade to reach a point where my appreciation has turned into a full-blown desire to learn about wine. Given how delicious wine is, my principal motivations are for improving my palate, tasting knowledge and food pairing ability. But I do want to be able to impress friends and family. Don’t we all have a bit of that in us? Beyond this, I like learning new things. I derive as much pleasure from telling someone a wine tastes of black fruits and chocolate as I do telling them a region at a high altitude will have a cooler climate than a region closer to sea level, even if they share the same latitude. Anyone who knows me will tell you geography is not my strong suit, so this is quite the departure.

I’ve just returned from a trip to Tuscany where I visited many vineyards and felt like a fraud when I tried to speak knowledgeably. I’m hoping the WSET course will de-fraud me.

You can follow him on Twitter at @elmsie10

Interested in studying for a WSET qualification like John? Learn more here.

Hand-Harvest---Greywacke’s-2013-Sauvignon-Blanc

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Vineyard Activities – Factors that influence wine – WSET Level 2

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough
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Sauvignon Blanc Grape – Climatic, Winery Influence, Most important regions – WSET Level 2

Shiraz - Barossa Valley Glaetzer Ebenezer Old Vine

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Syrah and Shiraz Grapes – Climatic, Winery Influence, Most important regions – WSET Level 2

Maison Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze

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France – Common Wine Labelling Terms – WSET Level 2

baron-de-ley-gran-reserva

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Credit: Baron de Ley

Spain, Portugal, USA – Common Labelling Terms that show Quality – WSET Level 2

Wines of Argentina

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Sparkling Wines – Most Important Countries and Labelling – WSET Level 2

Sauternes, Sauternes and food pairing

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Credit: Decanter

France, Germany and Italy – Sweet Wines – WSET Level 2

Port Production Offley

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Port and Vins doux Naturels – Sweet Wines Method of Production – WSET Level 2

John Elmes
John Elmes
Decanter.com, Journalist

John Elmes is a freelance journalist who reports primarily on the UK and international TV business, as well as writing about wine for Decanter since 2015. He is the international editor of Broadcast magazine and was formerly a reporter at both C21Media and Times Higher Education. For Decanter, he wrote a series sharing his experience of studying the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust (WSET) Level 2 qualification.