The day before heading to London for the MW exams, I spent a couple of hours decanting samples from my sizeable (ridiculous) wine collection into 50ml bottles because I couldn’t decide what to bring with me. I ended up with around fifty samples of a whole host of different wines before the needle on my Coravin (magic machine that allows you to extract a sample of wine through the cork) broke on a bottle of Recioto di Soave and I had to call it a day.

First importance on my packing list were these fifty samples, four bottles of various sparkling wines, and the offending bottle of Recioto di Soave.

Next on the packing priority list were my exam essentials. A chalk marker, to write a number from one to twelve on each wine glass, to ensure I wouldn’t mix up my samples. Twelve wine glasses. A timer, to give me the best possible chance of finishing the paper (not a given, if you talk to many MW students, although an essential if you want a shot at passing). Pens and highlighters. My laptop and its charger. Both still and sparkling water. Mini Babybels – the best thing to clear your palate of sugar, alcohol and tannin as I learnt from a very knowledgeable MW earlier this year. The precious box of what I came to think of as my emotional support flashcards.

Least priority was given to things like clothes, which meant that I showed up to most exams wearing the closest thing I could get to pyjamas while maintaining some sense of social respectability.

Bundled up with this mad amount of luggage, I headed to my accommodation in Kensington, feeling a sense of adrenaline, excitement – and of course, just a little bit of dread.