FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

Based in London, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is the largest and most respected wine education and certification organization of its kind in the world. More than 100,000 people each year pursue wine and spirits education through them across more than 73 countries. WSET qualifications are globally recognized as the international standard in wine and spirit knowledge. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in wine, already have a role in the wine industry and are seeking advancement, or are a passionate enthusiast interested in deepening your wine knowledge, WSET courses are designed for you. Completion of the WSET Diploma (Level 4) is also a pre-requisite for the Master of Wine program.

WSET: A well-established and globally recognized wine certification credential with expert classroom or online instruction. WSET is literally for anyone, from wine novices to enthusiasts to industry professionals and everyone in between. It has multiple levels that subsequently get more advanced, allowing students to continue advancing their wine journey as far as they want to take it.

CMS (Court of Master Sommelier): Highly geared towards those who are looking to make a career working in service on the floor of a restaurant, with an exam that's all about proper wine service. CMS is purely a certification body with no classroom education - the studying happens in a self-paced, self-guided manner. If you are not looking to pursue a career in a restaurnat, this may not be the best option for you.

Programs such as the Certified Specialist of Wine, the Wine Scholar Guild, and others have also gained traction over time, but are focused on more specific niches. In terms of overall availability, maturity of their programs, level of respect in the industry, and comprehensive wine education, WSET is unmatched.

WSET courses are suitable for all individuals who are interested in wine and spirits, whether they are enthusiasts or professionals in the wine and spirits industry. The courses are designed for individuals who want to deepen their knowledge and understanding of wine and spirits for personal enjoyment, as well as for individuals working in the wine and spirits industry who want to advance their careers. 

No, you do not need any prior knowledge or experience to begn your wine journey with WSET. However, some courses may have recommended or required prerequisites.

The Level 1 certification is designed to be an introductory level course in order to create a fun, approachable, judgment-free learning environment for individuals who are new to wine. This course focuses on the 8 main grape varieties of the world and the main regions they are produced, food and wine pairings, and wine service.

If you feel like you have some understanding of wine, you may choose to look at the Level 2 certification. This can be an ideal starting level for those with a little knowledge of wine, or those who have depth of knowledge regarding particular types of wine but lack a true breadth of knowledge of all the world's wines.

However, to begin with the Level 3 certificate, the candidate ought to be extremely familiar with wine, label interpretation, the fundamentals of wine-tasting, the world's major wine regions and their principal wines, as well as being able to give basic advice on wine selection and service. Instead of merely remembering facts, Level 3 asks how those facts, the raw materials, the regions, and the laws and traditions come together to create the resulting beverage. The Level 3 certificate is a very difficult and comprehensive course. If there is any doubt about your wine knowledge, it is advised to build a solid foundation with the Intermediate level. 

Yes. Level 1 is a basic Wine 101 course. If you have some experience with wine, you can start with Level 2. 

While taking Level 2 is not a requirement for taking Level 3, we strongly recommend all students complete the Level 2 Award in Wines before enrolling in the Level 3 Award in Wines course. Only in VERY rare instances (e.g., extensive industry experience) would we allow students to start their WSET journey at Level 3. In our experience, regardless of a student’s background and competency, true success in Level 3 comes from the prerequisite experience gained in Level 2.

If you’re ready to register for a course, the easiest and fastest way to book is through our website. You can find the dates and times of all available courses and register for the course of your choosing on the relevant qualification pages. 

A course confirmation email will be sent to the email provided in your registration form within three business days of receiving the order. 

If you still have questions, please send us a message through our contact us page.

All course payments are due in full at the time of registration.

Our WSET courses are currently offered in-person at two locations:

•  Cree Wine Company, 167 Perryville Rd, Hampton NJ. Cree Wine Company is conveniently located immediately off of I-78 at exit 12. This beautifully renovated, historic property is the perfect backdrop for our classes. Cree Wine Company is owned by Chris Cree, NJ's only Master of Wine. It is a Wine Spectator award-winning restaurant offering wines by the taste, glass and bottle. When you register for one of Celebration Wine Academy's WSET courses, you also receive special discounts at Cree Wine Company, including 10% off retail wine bottle purchases and waived corkage fees when opening purchased bottles on premise.

• Stacks Co., 54 E Oakland Ave Main Level, Doylestown, PA 18901. Stacks is conveniently located in the heart of Bucks County, right in downtown Doylestown, surrounded by some of the area's best food and drink establishments. This office co-working space is perfectly outfitted for our needs, allowing us to expand Celebration Wine Academy to the wine lovers of Pennsylvania.

In addition to our in-person course locations, we also offer online classes for the ultimate flexibility.

Yes. Since all of our WSET courses involve wine tastings, we require anyone taking these courses to be 21 years or older.

We don't offer make up classes, but every class is recorded and the recording is posted on an online shared drive, along with the class presentation materials and wine lists, accessible to the entire class. 

Historically, students have not been affected by missing a class as long as they keep up with their reading and the shared materials. That said, we strongly recommend that you do not miss more than two classes in a Level 3 course. If you must be absent for more sessions than that, we suggest you sign up for a course with a different schedule.

We do not sell or ship out any study materials unless a student is officially registered for a course. 

The WSET exam varies depending on the level of the qualification. It may include multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, essays, and blind tastings.

Level 1: 30 multiple choice questions

Level 2: 50 multiple choice questions

Level 3: 50 multiple choice questions + short answer questions + blind tasting of two wines

All exams are shipped to and marked by WSET in London. Exam marking is a controlled process involving multiple steps at every WSET qualification level. WSET always prioritizes accuracy, reliability, and global quality assurance. Because of this, it takes some time for exams to be marked. 

For WSET Levels 1 & 2 you will have your results back in about 6 weeks. For WSET Level 3 the results take approximately 10 weeks. Results and electronic certificates are delivered by email, and lapel pins are mailed out a few weeks later.

If you fail an exam, you can pay for and book a resit any time after your results are released. Please visit the corresponding page of our policies or contact us at for more details.

It is also possible to request and pay for feedback and/or re-grading from WSET (either your grade percentages or a full written assessment) on an exam you failed. Contact us for more details. 

If you want to postpone your exam date, you can pay for and book your exam for another date. Please visit the corresponding page of our policies or contact us for more details.

All WSET materials and exams are ordered 2-4 weeks in advance of the course start date. You may get a full or partial refund depending on when you cancel. Please visit the corresponding page of our policies for our refund and cancellation policy.

Absolutely! Please see the corresponding page of our policies for more details or contact us.

You cannot register for Level 3 without your exam results from the previous level. However, you can sign up for the Level 2 Wines course without Level 1 Wines exam results.

Contact us and we will be happy to provide the form you will need to complete and send to WSET with payment to have a new certificate or lapel pin issued. 

Yes! We are proud to announce we have expanded our offerings to online courses! We now offer the following online courses:

• WSET Level 1 in Wine
• WSET Level 2 in Wine
• WSET Level 1 in Spirits
• WSET Level 2 in Spirits

Our online courses are offered through the WSET Online Learning platform and are asynchronous, meaning you do your coursework at the most convenient times for you. 

However, don't worry about feeling disconnected! You will be assigned a dedicated WSET Online Classroom educator who will guide and support you throughout the course. They’ll answer any questions you have about the materials and help you to develop your tasting skills. The Online Classroom support team will also be there to help you get the most out of the platform.

Celebration Wine Academy instructors are also still here for you even if you choose an online course. We will be checking in with you regularly and monitoring your progress through the online learning system. We may also offer live tasting sessions over Zoom and other resources such as pre-recorded videos and access to online flashcards. 

Tasting is an important part of all WSET courses. For online courses, you will have one of two options available to you after you register for a course:

1. You can source your own samples, but you'll get lots of guidance on what styles to buy.
2. You may purchase a wine tasting kit at a special discounted rate for Celebration Wine Academy students. The kit contains small tasting bottles of the required samples.

Throughout the course, you’ll share your tasting notes and your educator will give you feedback and pointers to help you hone your palate. 

For Levels 1 and 2, the examination can be completed in person or online through a Remote Invigilation service. You will be given information on how this works once you have enrolled. 

Full access to online materials and educator support will only be provided during the advertised course dates. However, read-only access will be provided after this time for up to one year following the advertised start date.

If you are new to the Online Classroom you will receive a username and temporary password via email. Please be sure to check your junk/spam folder in case it lands there. Your login details will be issued once the course is live and visible in the Online Classroom. The Online Classroom area will be available at least two weeks before the start of your course. Existing users, including anyone that has previously completed a WSET online course, will use the same login details as before. No new details will be issued. 

If you have forgotten your login information, you can reset your details using the ‘Forgotten your username or password?’ link on the login page. If you have received your login details but they don’t seem to be working, please check that you have copied your login details correctly. If you still can’t log in, please send an email to studentservicesteam@wsetglobal.com.