My Journey with the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines 🍷

Let's start with the WSET acronym. In case you've haven't heart of it before reading this, WSET stands for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust is an awarding body and registered charity devoted to the development and delivery of qualifications and courses in wines and spirits. Established in 1969 for the UK wine trade, WSET has since grown to become the global industry leader.

There are 4 levels to the WSET in WINE, they are: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4, which garners the very dedicated student a DIPLOMA in Wines.

WSET Level 1 is your super-friendly intro to the wine world. It's like the ultimate starter pack for your wine journey -- teaching you how to taste wine the right way, get to know several grape varietals, learn how wine is made, and score some tips on matching wine with food -- it's the perfect class for anyone just starting to get curious about wine and looking to learn more.

Years before my WSET class, I did take several courses at the Wine School of Philadelphia; aced my blind tasting, and my final exam, but then that silly business of adulting got in the way of my continuing education -- until I kept seeing the WSET classes offered by Capital Wine School posted to LocalWineEvents.com. I took it as a sign from the wine gods and I signed up for the online WSET 1 class.

The course is an intensive 1 day ZOOM (which lasted about six hours). You're then given ample time to study on your own before you sit for the closed book exam.

In the Level 1, you'll dive into some carefully picked materials that cover all the wine basics. You'll get to explore the key grape varieties, learn how wine is made, and - the fun part - wine tasting!

You'll learn about the main types of wine, the most common grape varieties, wine service, storing and serving wine, tasting technique, how to describe the smell and taste of wine, and the basics of pairing food and wine. During the class, we tasted eight different wines (the tasting kit was included with my course -- I think it's a must).

Then, after soaking up all that juicy wine knowledge, you'll tackle a 30-question multiple-choice exam. Score a 70% or better, and you'll officially be on your way to becoming wine guru extraordinaire (okay, Level 1 certified, but it's an awesome place to start!).

Getting the WSET Level 1 Award felt like a grape, I mean great place to begin again for me, and YES, I passed my test! Now have my offical WSET certificate, an official (adorable) pin ~ and ~ since I've been bitten by the WSET bug, I signed up for WSET 2, which begins in May. WSET 2 is much more intense, but I'm ready for the challenge.

COME AND JOIN ME! 🍷

Check out the WSET 2 class (and other interesting courses in wine, spirits and sake) offered by the Capital Wine School.

Their motto is: SERIOUSLY FUN WINE EDUCATION , and you can never go wrong with that!