In late 1987 I read Michael Broadbent MW’s excellent book on wine tasting before giving it as a present to a friend. After this, I decided to try out all this mad swirling and sniffing and, at dinner on New Year’s Day 1988, I tasted (rather than drank) a glass of wine for the first time – a 1984 Fleurie from the Cave de Fleurie. Astonished at the flavours wafting out of the glass, I developed a keen interest in reading about and tasting wines.

Having completed a Wine Appreciation Course, presented by Richard Ecock, later that year I went on to take the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Certificate and Higher Certificate courses from the Wine Development Board of Ireland (WBI). In 1991 I started the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits course, and graduated in 1992, winning the Sherry Scholarship on the way. I was then invited by the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) to attend their entrance examination in October 1992; passing this, I was accepted on to the MW Education Programme. In 1994, I passed the Theory part of the MW examination, passed my Dissertation in 1995, and passed the Tasting in 1997.

I worked in wine retailing from 1990 to 1995, and set up Dermot Nolan Wine Services in 1995. I have been involved in wine education at every level from novice consumers right up to MW ever since. I took over the administration of the WSET Diploma with WBI in 2005 and, since the demise of WBI as an education provider in 2009, I was awarded Approved Programme Provider (APP) status for Diploma by the WSET in August 2009 – uniquely at the time, the only APP offering solely the Diploma course in the world. Now, in July 2010 I have also been granted APP status for all levels of WSET courses.

I have judged at wine competitions all over the world, including the International Wine and Spirit Competition, Mundus Vini, Michelangelo, Les Citadelles du Vin and Food Hotel Asia.

In 2009, I was selected by Wine Australia, with 11 others, to take part in the inaugural Landmark Australia Tutorial, held in the Barossa Valley in June 2009.