SAN FRANCISCO, BOSTON & ONLINE: WSET DIPLOMA

THE ALL NEW WSET DIPLOMA IN WINE WITH GRAPE EXPERIENCE

Grape Experience is one of the oldest and most knowledgeable providers of the WSET Level 4 Diploma program. Our successful track record of offering WSET Diploma has made us experts in the best ways to succeed in this challenging program. For Summer 2019 Diploma has been completely redesigned.  The new program is more focused on helping candidates build critical knowledge and skills to be a thought leader in wine. The initial start date options are as follows:

• • Online course: D1 October 7-November 17; Exam in December; D2 January 6-February 2, 2020; Exam March 11, 2020; Cost $1850
  • San Francisco in person course:  D1 January 4-5, 2020 from 9AM-5PM with Exam February 28;  D2 February 29 from 10AM-5PM & with exam June 9, 2020; Cost $2075
  • Boston in person course:  D1 October 5-6, 2019 from 9AM-5PM with exam December 6; D2 December 8 from 9AM-5PM with exam January 22; Cost $2075

What basics should you know about Diploma?

Diploma is a two-year program for anyone who has achieved the WSET Level 3 Certificate in wine. It is one of the most respected and admired wine certification qualifications in the world. Diploma is incredibly rewarding but also highly challenging and will take your wine education to an elite level. The WSET Diploma program is also universally viewed as a pre-requisite to the Master of Wine qualification.

The WSET Diploma is comprised of six individual course units, each with their own exam or written assessment. Students need to pass all six Diploma program units to achieve certification. Students have three years to complete all segments, but extensions are possible for a fee should more time be needed. The WSET estimates a minimum of 500 study hours over this period are required to pass and acquire your Diploma.

WSET Diploma is ideal for people in or outside of the wine industry who wish to advance their skills and knowledge base. The program offers in-depth study of the business, winemaking, and consumption trends in the world’s wine regions. Graduates will have the product knowledge and analytical tasting skills to confidently explain and to accurately evaluate wines.

What makes Diploma with Grape Experience unique?

Our more than a decade experience of being one of the few organizations privileged to offer the Diploma has enabled us to understand the best way to achieve program success for a diverse group of students, each with their own learning styles, needs and preferences. We provide students several ways to study:

• In-person classes
• Online study
• A combination of in-person and online study

Our Diploma graduates have the knowledge and confidence to analyze and evaluate the trends and structure of today’s wine and spirit industry and to use this in leadership. Diploma is ideal for people in or outside the wine industry who wish to advance their skills and knowledge base.

As part of their tuition, students who enroll with Grape Experience get access to:

• Feedback tasting and theory exams which are reviewed by examiners so that they never go into an exam unprepared
• A diverse faculty including several Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, wine makers, importers, retailers and other industry experts
• Individual attention to help plan and schedule the Diploma program with the rest of their personal and work life
• An opportunity to combine for each/any unit the weekly study plan and support of the WSET Online Classroom with in-person traditional classroom attendance

WSET DIPLOMA PROGRAM UNITS

The Diploma is broken into two Foundation and four Product Knowledge Units taught at various times and locations (including online) over two years. Units D1 and D2 are sold together and must be taken first. You are not required to pay for all six units at once which allows you to spread out the cost of the Diploma. We offer payment plans.

The fee for Units D1 and D2 also registers you for three years with WSET and grants access to the proprietary Global Campus—a unique site with critical study support and special offers. WSET Diploma Units D3 through D6 are not always taught in numerical order.

Foundation Units

UNIT D1: WINE PRODUCTION

Students will gain further understanding of what the vine requires to produce grapes for wine production and grape growing options. You’ll learn how natural factors in the vineyard influence the vine’s ability to produce grapes for wines of different styles, quality levels and prices, as well as winemaking and post fermentation options. Assessment to pass D1 is a 90-minute short written answer exam.

UNIT D2: WINE BUSINESS

Students learn about the business factors of the wine industry, including the economics of grape growing, winemaking, transportation, importation, and sales and marketing strategies, that contribute to the price of wine. Social and economic factors, production, legislative (tax, duty, minimum pricing & labelling laws, etc.) and political factors affecting supply and demand, and options for getting wine to point of sale are covered. Assessment requires a 1-hour short written answer exam.

Cost is $1850 for Online study; $2050 for Traditional Classroom and $2150 for a combination of Online and Traditional classroom study.

Product Knowledge Units

UNIT D3: WINES OF THE WORLD

This unit enriches students in understanding how grape growing, winemaking, maturation, wine law and wine business influence style, quality and price of wines around the world. You will learn the ability to taste and evaluate the quality of wines from the principal wine regions accurately. The exam happens over two days. Day 1 requires three hours and 20 minutes of essays to a range of theory questions. Day 2 requires three hours of blind tastings of 12 wines. Cost is $2450 for Online study; $2800 for Traditional Classroom and $3300 for a combination of Online and Traditional classroom study.

UNIT D4: SPARKLING WINES

This unit covers how grape growing, winemaking, maturation, wine law and wine business influence the style, quality and price of the principal sparkling wines of the world. Ranges cover Australia, Europe, South Africa, South America, UK and USA. Students learn to demonstrate the ability to taste and evaluate sparkling wines accurately. Assessment is a 90-minute exam combining blind tasting and short answers.  Cost for the Unit is $850 for Online study; $925 for Traditional Classroom and $1075 for a combination of Online and Traditional classroom study.

UNIT D5: FORTIFIED WINES

This unit is a thorough review of the production techniques of the major types of Fortified wines, as well as an in-depth examination of the major producing countries and regions. Assessment is a 90-minute exam combining blind tasting and short answers.Cost for the Unit is $850 for Online study; $925 for Traditional Classroom and $1075 for a combination of Online and Traditional classroom study.

UNIT D6: INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT

This unit requires students to demonstrate understanding and analysis of a specific subject based on source materials. Two topics are available to choose from each year and students will be required to submit a 3,000-word research paper which develops ideas and arguments to reach an informed conclusion. Cost is $275

Exam Schedule: With the exception of the Unit 2 exam, all exam dates are set by WSET and cannot be rescheduled.

Prerequisite: Candidates are required to hold the WSET Level 3 certificate in Wine and Spirits to study for the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits.

Note: Prices are subject to change. There are no refunds for Diploma courses.

Questions? All students considering the Diploma should review our Frequently Asked Questions. Please contact Adam Chase with further queries. For more information on the Diploma program from a global perspective, browse the WSET website.