Now he’s a master
sommelier

Roberto Viernes is the second
in the state to earn the title

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Roberto Viernes holds his master sommelier pin, awarded last week.

Last week he was a wine guy with a really good palate. This week you can call him "master."

Roberto Viernes, wine educator for Southern Wine and Spirits, last week was certified a master sommelier, one of only two in Hawaii.

The title -- awarded by the Court of Master Sommeliers in San Francisco after a three-part examination -- is internationally recognized as representing the highest level of wine knowledge.

"When something like that happens to you, you don't know how to feel," Viernes said, back home and still a bit stunned. "It's a little surreal."

To put his achievement in perspective, consider that Chuck Furuya earned his master's in the late 1980s, and no one in Hawaii has since followed suit. (Both Furuya and Viernes are contributors to the Star-Bulletin's weekly wine column. For Furuya's perspective on the topic, see today's column.)

Earning the title normally takes several years. Viernes, 31, began working toward the goal in the mid-90s.

The examinations cover wine service and general knowledge, administered as a verbal grilling by a panel of three masters. "They blast out questions at you and you have to answer," Viernes said. "You can't go back and change your answers."

The final test is a tasting of six wines, with 25 minutes allowed to identify grape varieties, countries and districts of origin, and vintages.

Viernes took the wine service exam last year and returned to San Francisco to take the second two, one on Wednesday, the other Thursday. "I had to wait until 6 o'clock on Thursday to find out if I passed. They call you in one by one."

After that: phone calls home and some Krug champagne -- "quite a bit of it" -- at an awards ceremony.

The American chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers lists just 60 certified masters, but Viernes said 11 passed last week, the largest number to date.

With the title of master comes job opportunities, but Viernes said he plans to stay in Hawaii, hosting public seminars and tasting to encourage a higher level of wine appreciation -- and possibly encourage more in the local industry to pursue the title of master.