The self-assessment

Before the final check, ask whether your knowledge works without a script. Level 1 is a foundation badge, not a professional credential. It shows that you can recognize core wine shapes, use basic vocabulary, and make sensible choices. Start with ten honest questions. Can you explain how grapes become wine in plain language? Can you name the six major wine shapes? Can you describe sweetness, acid, tannin, body, and oak without reading notes? Can you read a label and find producer, place, grape or appellation, vintage, and alcohol? Can you name six major grapes and their basic shapes? Can you explain why region changes style? Can you choose a wine for rich food, spicy food, delicate food, and protein with fat? Can you identify when a bottle may be flawed versus merely not to your taste? Can you describe a wine in one useful sentence? Can you teach one beginner concept without using status language? Answer yes, not yet, or uncertain. "Not yet" is useful. It tells you where to practice. "Uncertain" usually means you have recognition but not recall. Recognition feels familiar when you see the answer. Recall means you can produce the answer yourself. Do not grade yourself with points. That invites false precision. Instead, sort your gaps into three groups: process, tasting structure, and table judgment. Process gaps need rereading. Tasting gaps need comparison bottles. Table judgment gaps need pairing practice. The strongest candidates are not the ones who claim to know everything. They are the ones who can say what they know, what they are still testing, and why a choice makes sense.