r/WSET

Many thanks to this sub for the wisdom and tips! I just got word that I passed WSET Level 3 with distinction.

In addition to this great post, I’d like to share how I approached it. https://www.reddit.com/r/WSET/s/P2SjRMHcGs

I combined different types of study methods, so my brain would memorize facts and connections in different ways.

— Reading the book, obviously, once completely end to end, then chapter by chapter while following the classes, and finally re-reading all the sections and looking up answers while studying for the exam.
— Visual memorization, creating maps with appellations per region, color coded with type of wine grown there, to better recall the less known ones.
— Verbal memorization by listing to multiple WSET3 podcasts available on the internets
— Wine with Jimmy (subscription) and his excellent tutorials, 3D visualization of the area, terroir maps and practicing the open questions.
— Online flash card tests from BrainScape.
— Talking and discussing a lot with fellow students on the theory
— While the book is structured by geography, create overviews for myself from other angles, eg list of all sweet wines mentioned in the book and their methods. List of all named winds, currents and mountain ranges. Making a visual diagram of serving temperature ranges per type of wine (eg nothing at 13C!). Visual diagram of storage period per type of wine.
— Weekly calibration sessions with fellow students for the SAT tasting method
— Use of GenAI to ask clarifying questions where the book is too ambiguous or I am just not understanding it, eg how can clones be different if the book says they are genetically identical (spoiler: they’re not).
— Look up the etymology of regions and terms to help me memorize them. Eg Valpolicella: Valley of many cellars. Alba is white, Albariza is white soil, Albarinho is a white grape. Sang-iovese is the Blood of Jupiter. Gewürztraminer is Spicy Traminer eg aromatic.
— Focussing most study effort on the open (short written answer) questions.
— Get used to writing with pencil again the week before the exam.

Good luck to others studying and enjoy the journey!

I spent 10 years in the service industry (hostess, server, management) before transitioning into my current career as a floral designer. I’ve remained passionate about food, beverage and service, and am contemplating taking the WSET to gain further wine knowledge and make a career pivot back into the industry and hopefully wind up in sales and distribution. Thoughts?

Hello everyone, I will be taking the WSET Level 2 here in the Philippines and it's been 6 months since I started learning and become fully invested about wines. I am currently working in a michelin restaurant as a wine server. I want to earn my level 2 with distinction and are there any advice that anyone could give me because I will be working in a cruise ship 2 months from now as an Assistant Waiter that is why I will be taking the WSET level 2 next week. Any advices, guides, or tips will surely be appreciated. Thank you!! I also want to meet new friends in this industry that I could learn from.

Advice on Short written Answer questions 🙏🙏......I will be knowing the answer but how do I put it together 😭😭

I passed the theory exam with distinction but failed the tasting, and now I'm preparing to retake it on my own.

What helped me pass the theory exam was the Wine with Jimmy course. His course includes a series of reviews of specific wines with ratings on the SAT scale, so I can buy the same wine, conduct my own tasting, and then compare my results with his to understand where my ratings differ. This is the closest thing to feedback from a tutor that I’ve found without signing up for an in-person course. The problem is that many of the wines on his list are simply impossible to buy online in Spain, where I live.

Does anyone know of other people who do something similar, publish SAT study guides tied to specific wines that you can actually buy, rather than just writing, “This is what a typical Chablis tastes like”? Also, for those who passed the retake by preparing on their own this way: how did you actually calibrate your scoring system if no one checked your notes? I’d also appreciate any advice on finding wines in Spain/the EU that match the typical WSET Level 3 exam profile, if anyone has dealt with this.