Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s Post

We'd like to share this interesting article with you about the common misconceptions people may have when deciding to enroll in the WSET Diploma📚. Firstly, this is not a certification to become a sommelier. Secondly, you do not need to be a wine expert to enroll in the programme. What is required is to be extremely motivated and to dedicate enough time to your studies during the programme. Thirdly, the certification is not impossible to obtain! In fact, it is structured in a way so that you can study gradually, step by step. If it were impossible then we wouldn't be launching the Diploma at The Wine Studio. Fourthly, you do not need to be a wine professional in order to succeed in the programme. There are many wine lovers who enroll and obtain the certification out of sheer passion. Once again, the only requirement is motivation and dedicated study time. Finally, the programme is not only about theory. In reality, it combines theory with tasting in order to provide a comprehensive course, with one area reinforcing the other. To sum up, there's no doubt that the Diploma is a challenging certification, perhaps the most difficult below the Master of Wine. Having said that, interested candidates shouldn’t be put off by the misleading ideas mentioned above. Rather, candidates should consider it as a unique opportunity to dive deep into the world of wine, allowing them to acquire exceptional analytical skills and proficiency in wine tasting and theory, gaining global recognition as authoritative wine specialists in the process.  #diploma #wsetdiploma #wset

OK, LET’S BE HONEST HERE… I am closing Week 2 of my Diploma 4 in Wines and I feel overwhelmed by the level of detailed information I will have to learn 😳 I passed quite easily level 3 of the WSET thanks to the background education I had from working 16+ years in the wine industry, but hey… …Diploma 4 si something different 📚🍷 These days I feel like I am recovering from the initial shock, as I learned how much efforts I will have to put in this journey, if I want to try and pass the exams without having to re-sit. Well, an exam re-sit is also ok, and highly probable 😅 but the goal I am visualizing is to pass all of them at the first time! Now that I have consciousness about how many study hours I will have to put int this, I am starting to manage my agenda differently, focusing at least two hours a day into it, without any social media notification or ‘emergency’ tasks. A catch up day to cover any left over study if life gets in the way, I think will be very useful as well 🤷♀️ ➡ WSET School London fellow students, what are your feelings? ➡ How are you dealing with such an amount of tasks are we assigned to complete by the end of every week? #wine #tuscany #winebusiness —— 🍷 I am Claudia, WSET Lev. 3 certified wine professional. If you want to discover the best wines to impress your friends at dinner, 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄! 👇  www.callegari.wine

How to Get a Job in Wine So you've decided that you would like to work in the wine world, but, with little experience, you wonder if it is even possible. The short answer is, yes, it is. The way to do this, however, requires four keys: knowledge, confidence, networking and humility. Years ago when I was looking to make the transition into the industry I realized I needed to expand my wine knowledge. Fun evening consumer classes were enjoyable, but I really wasn't learning more than how to better select a wine off a list or navigate a shop's selections. So I decided to explore the courses industry insiders valued. That led me to the WSET Level 2 and Level 3 programs. Level 2 was eye opening. It not only gave me tasting tools, but also information on the basic choices winemakers make that affect style, quality and price. A fellow student in that course told me about an entry level retail position in a local retail store. The knowledge I accumulated in Level 2 gave me the confidence to interview with the shop manager and for the next 3 months on weekends I was dusting and stocking shelves, cutting up cardboard boxes and doing inventory checks. This entry level work took some humility. I had an MBA from a great school and none of that course work included how to punch a time card or the best way to lift heavy cases! In fact one day a recruiter who was trying to get me to take a senior management job came in to the shop, saw me in my store uniform and gave me a look that said she was appalled at what I was doing. I never heard from her again...and I could not have been happier! WSET Level 3 and then the Diploma program gave me even more knowledge, confidence and a network of connections. I became a wine and spirits teacher and eventually started my own business teaching WSET courses. By 2012 I had been named Wine Educator of the Year and regional wine associations were coming to me for advice and consultation. The key success factors for me were being willing to do anything to gain some experience in wine and combining that with structured education. The education part was critical. It took time away from other things and certainly cost me more money than a consumer fun wine class would have, but it was an investment well worth it. Of course I am biased, but if you would like to learn more about WSET wine classes check out https://lnkd.in/eXRjz7c4. Also, never hesitate to reach out here with questions.

In my recent The Feiring Line, I took on the current sommelier situation. Education. Certification. Social Media. Competitions. I put out a questionaire and in the end, those who participated where those who had pins who went alternative, who studied, competed, had conquered and left. In other words, the gamut. The conversation was fascinating. A few people chimed in against product sponsorship and the lack of acknowledgement of natural wine in the curriculum, the purpose and meaning and future of the profession and its relevancey. As I put it in my intro... The rising of natural has upended the wine world. But you wouldn’t know it from last year’s ASI (Association de la Sommellerie International) Best Sommelier of the World Competition. I had been invited to witness the final days of the 2023 competition, including the grand finale, where the top three of the 67 international competitors got to duke it out in front of a crowd of about 4,000. The study needed for the theoretical exams as well as the mock service scenarios is an intense, awe-inspiring task. Contestants had to endure some written arcane “gotcha” minutia (like do they really have to know the AVAs for Michigan?). They were also tested on cocktail making and serving non-alcoholic beverages. And they were tested in a staged scene where guests proffered a mystery bottle to see if it was good enough to serve at a party. (Trick! The bottle had been tampered with in a laboratory and riddled with VA. No one called out the bottle as faulty.) Yet the organization ignored the biggest game changer in the modern wine world. It seems as if future best sommeliers are not required to understand the basics of the natural genre; nothing about sulfur, native yeast, nor what is the problem or beauty of a wine of nature. The ASI is certainly not alone, other mainstream sommelier-based organizations step in line. I sat there in the darkened drama of the stadium, dolled up in formal attire for the afterparty, I found myself wondering…what was the point? The introduction goes on but then I turn the conversation over to these fine folk and, you can read it as a subscriber if you go to thefeiringline.com. But meanwhile, with the little bit I gave you, thoughts? Where are you? Where are you on the notion of wine typicity? The kind of education? And on and on.. So much to discuss!

If you’re thinking about enrolling on the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines, take a look at the five common misconceptions listed below – including reasons why you don’t need to be intimidated by the tasting exams. 🍷

always pushing the boundaries with your potentially controversial questions.. LOVE IT! Whether it's "over-hyped" depends on your career goals and personal expectations. Experience, practical skills, and networking can sometimes outweigh formal qualifications such as the WSET. If you're aiming for roles like sommelier, wine educator, or perhaps positions in wine marketing and distribution, the WSET Diploma can be very beneficial. Yet, if your career goals are different, or even if you already have significant experience and a strong network, it might not be as crucial. Lots of factors to consider, no one answer.

I WANT TO CHANGE JOB! 😳 ---- No, that's not actually true... But it was the first ironic thought that crossed my mind yesterday morning when my alarm started ringing at 5 am,  giving me a couple more hours to review before taking my D1 exam for the West Diploma course at the WSET School London Wine & Spirit Education Trust It often happens to me, particularly when I'm about to tackle something challenging,  that I find myself in a state of panic at the very last minute,  questioning WHY I've put myself in such a situation. Whether it's before an exam I've chosen to take, standing at the starting line of a full marathon,  or preparing a speech to a large audience,  this feeling is familiar! I am confident that my exam went quite well. I was comfortable with all the topics that were asked  and made as many connections between information and facts as possible. If yesterday morning's feeling was that the wine business might be too much for me,  or that the level of success I aspire to might be out of reach, today, after a good night's sleep and a strong coffee, I feel differently. I want to become the best professional I CAN BE in the wine business. Stepping out of your comfort zone is an incredibly powerful way to empower yourself and broaden your perspectives. We should each aim to personally achieve a small, challenging goal at least once a week,  as Francesca Becucci - my study partner in this journey, rightly suggested me yesterday. What is your challenging goal for this week? #wine #entrepeneur #winebusiness —— 🍷 I am Claudia, WSET Lev. 3 certified wine professional. If you are fascinated by Tuscany but you don't know how to scout the most authentic and unique wines of this region🍷 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙚-𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬! 📩

🍷 The Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 2 course is suitable for beginners to intermediates. 🍇 It provides a thorough introduction to the main styles of wine and the principal and regionally important grape varieties of the world. 🥂I really enjoyed it. Thinking about it? Here's what you need to know (spoiler: you get to sample 43 wines).

Great read about Master Sommeliers with perspective from three of the earliest ones.

In today's installment of my prospective book on Restaurant Wine Management, I tell the story of three of America's first Master Sommeliers who happened to be working in Hawaii when I first started in the industry, in the late 1970s. While I didn't follow their exact same path, one thing we all learned from them is this: Anything is possible, including being the best in the world. #restaurantlife #restaurantwine #sommelierlife #sommjournal #winelist #hospitalityindustry #HospitalityManagement #sommelierbusiness #sommelierdreams #winelist #foodandbeverage #foodandbeverageindustry