There are fewer than 280 Master Sommeliers in the world. New Zealand has exactly one.

In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Cameron Douglas MS — the only Master Sommelier in New Zealand, and one of the most respected voices in hospitality education across the Asia-Pacific region. This is not a conversation about wine lists. It's a conversation about how we perceive flavour, why most people misunderstand what a sommelier actually does, and what it takes to train a palate to the level required to pass one of the most demanding examinations in the food and drink world.

Cameron breaks down the art and science of food and wine pairing — including what he calls the cashew test, a deceptively simple method for understanding how texture and fat interact with tannin. He talks about decoding restaurant wine lists, sensory training, palate disruption, and why the changing face of wine consumption globally is both a challenge and an opportunity for the next generation of wine professionals.

Featuring: Cameron Douglas MS, Master Sommelier, New Zealand, food and wine pairing, sommelier training.