Watch Somm, A New Film About The Master Sommelier Exam

In Somm, a new film written and directed by Jason Wise, a sommelier says that he has cried only three times: when his parents died, when his children were born, and when he passed the Master Sommelier (MS) exam–the hardest test you've never heard of.

The movie follows four men (including Dustin Wilson, the current wine director for Eleven Madison Park) as they study for the three-part exam. The test consists of oral theory, practical wine service and–most jaw-dropping–a 25-minute blind tasting of six wines, in which the candidates must identify grape varieties, country of origin, district and appellation of origin, and vintages of the wines tasted. Fewer than 10 percent pass.

After more than 40 years, only 201 sommeliers have passed the exam–making the film a great behind-the-scenes look for wine geeks and casual sippers alike. See Somm at the Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village (buy tickets here) and on iTunes (find it here) this Friday, June 21.

Pro tip: Post-film, stop in to Corkbuzz for a glass of bubbly. Every night, from 10 p.m. to close, all bottles of Champagne are 50 percent off. Owner Laura Maniec, one of only 19 women worldwide to have the designation, earned her MS in 2009.