The flash cards

Today

Today’s 20

One round a day, drawn from all 5 levels: what you missed first, then what the day drew. The same round for everyone, today.

Open today’s 20 →

The ladder

Start on the first level

Every card here comes from my own notes. You read the question, answer it in your head, turn the card over and say honestly whether you had it. The drill keeps the score and brings back what you missed, and the levels are named for the 1855 ladder: Cinquième Cru is what everyone at the table is expected to know, Premier Cru is where the examiner goes to find out who did the reading. Whether you are heading for the WSET, the French Wine Scholar, the Master of Bordeaux or a long dinner with people who know their wine, this is the footing to have under your feet.

1. 1 Level 1 of 5 · 125 cards Cinquième Cru The foundations. The names, the shapes and the plain answers a candidate should never lose.
2. 2 Level 2 of 5 · 280 cards Quatrième Cru Working knowledge. The appellations, the grapes and the practices you are expected to have at hand.
3. 3 Level 3 of 5 · 337 cards Troisième Cru The systems. How the rules work, who writes them and what they change.
4. 4 Level 4 of 5 · 302 cards Deuxième Cru The detail. Figures, dates and the smaller names, where most candidates start dropping points.
5. 5 Level 5 of 5 · 154 cards Premier Cru The exceptions. What catches people out, and the figures almost nobody remembers.

20 questions, drawn from the ones you know least. 85% or better and the next level opens.

The question first

The answer stays hidden until you ask for it. Say yours first, out loud or in your head; that is the whole point.

Your record

Right, wrong and when, kept in this browser only. To study on another device, carry it there with the link below.

Keyboard

Space shows the answer, then 1 if you missed it, 2 if you got it.