The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is a global organization that provides best-in-class education and qualifications in the field of wine, spirits and sake to inspire and empower the world’s wine and spirits professionals and enthusiasts. One of the key reasons for its creation was to provide a systematic approach to tasting wine across the wine trade, so that wine professionals could speak about wine with a common language.
The WSET focuses on history, theory and practical application, and after getting the WSET certificates, individuals opt for careers in winemaking, distribution, import and retail. WSET qualifications are available through a network of over 800 Approved Program Providers working in over 70 countries and in 15 languages. WSET offers qualifications in tiers designed to be studied progressively, from one-day beginner courses to the advanced Level 4 Diploma.
Level 4 Diploma in Wines is an expert-level qualification covering all aspects of wine for anyone who has achieved the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines. Building on the knowledge and skills gained from Level 3, the Diploma deepens the understanding of how and why wine production and business factors influence the style, quality and price of wines.
Expertise is built both theoretically, through comprehensive study of a large number of wine regions, and practically, by developing wine tasting skills to an expert level. Successful graduates acquire exceptional analytical skills and proficiency in evaluative wine tasting, gaining global recognition as authoritative wine specialists. It normally takes between 18 months and three years to complete the diploma, with a minimum requirement of 500 hours of study time. To complete the diploma, students must pass all six units, each with its own exam or assessment, successfully meeting the rigorous assessment requirements across the syllabus.
WSET Level 4 Diploma is ideal for people in or outside of the wine industry who wish to advance their skills and knowledge base. Unlike the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS), WSET is not service-orientated. Rather than teaching how to serve wine in a high-end hospitality setting, the diploma offers in-depth coverage of everything from the global business of wines, through grape growing and winemaking, to learning about the different still, sparkling and fortified wines from around the globe. Graduates will have the product knowledge and analytical tasting skills to confidently explain and to accurately evaluate wines.
The WSET Diploma program is also universally viewed as a prerequisite to the Master of Wine qualification. In the last 50 years, there have been over 10,000 WSET Level 4 Diploma graduates. WSET Level 4 Diploma is incredibly rewarding but also highly challenging and will take one’s wine education to an elite level. As many prospective employers are aware of the rigor, discipline and depth of knowledge required to earn a WSET Diploma, earning the diploma will play an invaluable role in one’s professional development.