Congratulations to Cornelius Anthony Jr for passing the Champagne Master Level exam with highest honors!

About Cornelius:

My wine professional journey actually began by accident. I began this journey in summer of 2016 when I became a wine steward at Krogers in the suburbs of Houston, TX. Upon taking the position, I had to learn about wine and my department and I met my mentor Mr. Jamie Deleon and he introduced me to what a “sommelier” was and what the Court of Masters were and I decided to pursue becoming a somm. I passed my intro exam in January 2017 and went on to pass my certified exam in July of 2017. I left being a wine steward to get into distribution with a local company in the Houston Area. After being with Serepedity wines for a couple of years, my true passion has always been Champagne but more so the wine bar realm of the industry was where I wanted to be. I went on to become the general manager for a small wine bar in Missouri City, TX named Vino & Vinyl. The best decision of my life! Cool wines, great people and vinyl records only playing! I was in heaven. Upon working there I began to do consultant work around the city of Houston for years with other wine bars, new restaurants as well as curating cellars for private collectors and helping some distributors in choosing good champagnes and sparkling for the Houston market.  Currently, I am the Sommelier at Caracol Mexican Coastal Kitchen. It seems so surreal being the somm there because this is where I would have a lot of my mock service exams, wine classes and blind tasting. That place has and will always have a special place in my heart.  Lastly, my aspiration is to begin my champagne and sparkling wine club, which I hope to launch in the Spring of 2022! So look out and ultimately open up a champagne / sparkling wine boutique shop with a tasting room. So stay tuned! Santi!

I am a certified sommelier with the Court of Masters in 2017, I also am a certified champagne specialist through the CIVC the governing body of Champagne with their MOOC program, which I received in 2019.

The Masters Program through WSG was really my light bulb moment and truly understanding, I have found my passion and joy! That is something we all strive to reach not only in life but in any profession. Champagne is truly my joy and I want to educate everyone on this great wine and the great people and stories of the region.

The program has opened up so many avenues because I was that student who would try to reach out to all the instructors to get a better idea of things I didn’t quite understand or needed more in depth explanations to things in the webinar. They all who I was able to reach out to, were very receptive. This program will test you on every level of understanding what I like to say is the idea of Champagne! Champagne is a perfect idea! I knew I loved champagne but this program allowed me to gain an understanding of it that made me fall in love with the place just as much as the wine. The history, the stories or legends, the process of how this wine is made and the branding of this wine is like none other wine in the world! I learned things that will stay with me forever and with this I feel that this was what I needed to gain the best understanding of the terrior of Champagne. If you decide to embark on this program, I say be committed, ask all the questions, read, read, and read some more!

Congratulations to Péter Tüű, for passing the Champagne Master Level exam with highest honors!

About Péter: 

My name is Tüű Péter. (Quite unusually, in Hungary we use family name first and given name second.) Currently my primary job is as Head Sommelier in the Michelin-recommended restaurant Laurel Budapest, but I am also working as a consultant for restaurants (wine programs, wine lists, etc.) and wineries, as well as a lecturer for several wine education institutions and various wine-related courses. I also have a few recurring masterclasses, the 'Food and wine pairing in practice' being extremely popular among aficionados.

My aspiration is to host Champagne Dinners regularly, because probably the most interesting aspect of champagne for me is pairing it with food. It is arguably the most versatile wine style when it comes to food pairing, and the little nuances and differences between the various styles and how they pair with different kinds of food really intrigue me. I also enjoy hosting events in general, I am comfortable speaking for a larger audience, seeing the happy faces of the guests after they tasted a great pairing and making sure they have a great evening, so that is really the direction I would like to go in. And since besides my native Hungarian I also speak German and English fluently, these events don't necessarily have to be in Hungary, I am also happy to explore the champagne scene in neighboring countries as well.

The first step in my wine studies was back in the spring of 2012 when I did the WSET Intermediate Level in Zürich, Switzerland, organised by the Académie du Vin, which I passed with distinction. In the autumn of that same year I enroled in the first ever course of the Court of Master Sommeliers in continental Europe (previously they only organised courses in England and overseas). It was in Salzburg, Austria, and I passed the Certified Exam that November. Learning is essential to my well-being, so after a few years I felt the need to immerse myself more in one special field of my profession, and since champagne has been a love for me for at least a decade, it was a no-brainer that I should start the Master-Level course of the Wine Scholar Guild. In June 2021 I passed my exam with Highest Honors.

This course is really the most comprehensive one I can imagine for a particular wine-region. My studies filled some blank spots I could not fill before, and it only increased my love for Champagne (the region) and champagne (the drink).  Since then several friends and acquaintances from the profession have asked, and I always tell them to definitely pursue the Champagne course or any other Master-Level course they are interested in, because it really will give them a depth of knowledge they can't get anywhere else.

The program has already helped further my wine career! Since passing the Master-Level exam with Highest Honors and getting my Certificate in July there have been several industry players (restaurants, wine eduction institutes, winemakers) contacting me for masterclasses, courses, consultation, etc. The depth and breadth of knowledge the Master-Level course gave me really gives me more confidence when I serve or pour or speak about champagne (or 'méthode traditionelle' sparkling wine in general), and also the drive to pass on this knowledge as well as the love of champagne to other people, either from the industry or outside. But the next step for me is definitely a longer trip to the Champagne region itself, because the (regular!) visiting of the wine-region you love or care or want to know more about is inevitable.