WSET Level 3 Award in Wines - Classroom course

Course Dates

• Tuesdays 11th February, 25th February and 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th March 2025 (Study break 18th Feb)

Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses provide internationally recognised qualifications for Wine Industry professionals and enthusiastic amateurs.

The Level 3 Award in Wines is a course designed for anyone wishing to gain in-depth knowledge of wines and build upon the knowledge gained at Intermediate level. You will acquire a thorough understanding of the factors influencing the style, quality and price of wines from key wine producing regions of the world. You will also develop analytical tasting skills using the systematic approach to tasting, your blind tasting skills will form part of the examinations.

This qualification has full accreditation from the UK Government’s Qualifications & Curriculum Authority as a Level 3 Vocational Qualification. This qualification provides the knowledge required for those wishing to progress onto Diploma Level 4.

Important Entry Information: We recommend this course to those who have already completed the WSET Level 2 Wines and Spirits course, as this syllabus assumes that candidates already possess a good basic understanding of simple wine making techniques, key grape varieties and viticultural patterns. However, holding WSET Level 2 is not a requirement to enroll on this course - for anyone who wishes to enter the WSET programme at Level 3 without prior study, we strongly advise them to review the course specification on the WSET website by clicking on the book below. 

If you are an employer wishing to train your staff this course will equip them with knowledge and understanding of a wide range of products. This course is suitable for someone in a supervisory level position in wine sales and service.

Upon successful completion you will receive a WSET certificate and lapel pin, and will be able to use the associated WSET certified logo.

What you'll learn

• Unit 1
  The key factors in the production of wine: location, grape growing, winemaking, maturation and bottling.
• How these key factors influence the key characteristics of the principal still wines of the world, sparkling wines of the world and fortified wines of the world.
• How to apply your understanding to explain wine style and quality
• Unit 2
  How to taste wines, describe their characteristics and evaluate their quality, using the WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine® (SAT)

Examination: The examination is in two parts and takes place in the  the final day of the course. The WSET Exam fee is included in the course cost.

• Theory paper: a combined theory paper consisting of a 50 question multiple-choice section and a four question short answer written section. 2 hours.
• Tasting: a blind tasting of two wines. A mark of 55% required in all sections to pass. 1 hour.

Study with us with confidence as our graduates consistently achieve higher than global average exam results.

Click here to view the full Level 3 Course Specification (including example questions)

Classroom Sessions

These are ideal for trade professionals and wine enthusiasts
There are three x two hour classroom sessions each day, starting at 9.30am and finishing at 4:30pm with an hour break for lunch
There are 5 full day sessions (30 classroom hours) and an exam session, spread out over 6 weeks. WSET recommends at least 54 hours of home study in addition to the 30 hours of classroom sessions.

Course Outline

Tues 11th Feb - Sessions 1,2,3 - Intro, tasting technique, natural and human factors with grape-growing & human factors with winemaking
Tues 18th Feb - Study Break
Tues 25th Feb - Sessions 4,5,6 - Whites wines: Germany, Alsace, Austria, Tokaji, Burgundy, Loire, Bordeaux + Red / rose wines: Bordeaux, SW France, Loire
Tues 4th Mar - Sessions 7,8,9 - Red wines: Burgundy, Wines of Rhone, S France, Spain, Portugal, Northern Italy
Tues 11th Mar - Sessions 10,11,12 - Central & S Italy, Portugese reds, Premium New World reds and whites
Tues 18th Mar - Sessions 13,14,15 - Regional new world wines, Sparkling Wines, Fortified Wines
Tues 25th Mar - Revision session and Exam - Revision session followed by Tasting Exam and Theory exam

Special Educational Needs

Please make us aware if you have a condition that may mean you qualify for additional help during the exam such as dyslexia.

Flexible Payment

Flexible payment options are available on request. Please get in touch to discuss. Please note full payment is required before the course start date.

Funding: Funding for this course is available: 

DEVELOP is the educational programme of The Drinks Trust, the drinks and hospitality industry charity. DEVELOP offers fully funded training and skills courses, delivered by industry-leading providers for people already working, or with an ambition to work, in the drinks and hospitality industry. Kent Wine School has partnered with The Drinks Trust to bring courses free of charge to eligible students. All of the WSET courses are available for funding with DEVELOP. To learn more please visit the Drinks Trust website HERE

Criteria of eligibility for DEVELOP funding: must be 18 or over, eligible to work in the UK, have a National Insurance Number, and be earning less than £26k/pa