As wine and spirits educator I speak with hundreds of people every year who tell me of their interest in taking a professional wine course. Some are interested in a career as a sommelier or wine retailer, while others simply want to have the skills of a sommelier to better understand and enjoy wine. Most of those people, however, never take the next step and enroll. I think I understand the reasons for this inertia.
What most people mean by a “professional wine course” is a class with a little more depth than the fun wine tasting they did as a purely social event. The options for these types of courses continue to proliferate and understanding the array of offerings can be difficult.
Many people are nervous about the “professional tasting” element of a course. It seems difficult and they don’t want to put themselves out there and look dumb. Other folks just don’t want the pressure of what they think will be a rigorous exam. The rumor on the street is only a small handful of people ever pass.
I want to debunk these fearful impressions – at least when it comes to Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) beginner level courses. The go to course that I will use is the WSET Level 2 Certificate in Wine. This is a beginner course and usually the perfect place for someone to start to build their wine skills and knowledge.
Unlike many of the myriad courses that are available, WSET Level 2 is a global program. Meaning the same course is delivered around the world in over 800 locations. This means that if you travel to wineries in any major country the staff there will have heard of WSET and respect your knowledge and the influence you may have on other people’s wine decisions. The access to ideas, people and of course exclusive tastings is unmatched by any other beginner program.
Despite the “Level 2” name WSET’s course is a beginner program that assumes you have no going in knowledge. It is expected that you may not know how to professionally taste or may confuse Bordeaux with Burgundy. That means looking dumb is almost impossible, and in the rare cases where it happens the attitude in the class is warm, encouraging and everyone laughs with you, not at you.
The WSET Level 2 exam is only 50 multiple choice questions – and you just need 55% of them correct to pass. Sure, you do need to spend time reading and reviewing the class textbook, but the pressure is low, and the text is short, to the point and layered with charts and pictures. There is no blind tasting on the exam at all!
So, if you have ever thought about taking the step of enrolling in a professional wine class let me urge you to try WSET Level 2. It will be fun, informative and build your confidence as you develop sommelier-level expertise! To see the next Level 2 courses we are offering go to Wine courses for beginners.