If you’re reading this, you might be eyeing your perfectly polished WSET Level 3 pin. Or, you might be on your way to earning that pin and plotting out your next educational move.
Earning the WSET Level 3 certification is not an easy task—it marks a right of passage for many people going into wine. For those among you looking at a career in the industry, it’s an important course that will give you a leg up when it comes to understanding viticulture, winemaking, and certainly when it comes to wine tasting.
But after you’ve passed it, what do you do next? Here are six courses to consider if you’ve passed your WSET Level 3 and want to further your knowledge.
- WSET Diploma
The obvious next step is going on to tackle the WSET Diploma course. It’s a serious two-year commitment during which time you’ll dive deep into six different units of study, take five in-person exams, and write one research paper. If you’re looking at a lifelong career in wine, and you have the time to commit, the Diploma will more than pay for itself. And if you’re eyeing a “Master of Wine” title, it is a must. Of course, you’ll never be able to look at a vineyard the same! Your curiosity will skyrocket, and you’ll become an expert at connecting dots. Instead of ogling at vines, you’ll want to march in between rows, touch them, examine them, pick up dirt—you might even taste it, who knows. You’ll actually discover a whole new, thoroughly exciting side of the wine industry, and just how critical it is to get it all right from the vine to the glass.
- Italian Wine Professional
While WSET covers Italy in a handful of pages, if you’re passionate about wines from Italy, or unaware of the immense diversity of Italian wines, just imagine how much you’ll learn after pouring through a 200-page, a full-color book about Italian wines. That’s what Italian Win Central created for their Italian Wine Professional course. Their programs have been endorsed by the Italian Trade Commision, which is the biggest stamp of approval an Italian study course can achieve. For everything you ever wanted to know, and then some, about Italian wines, and to become a real pro in the category, start here.
- 3. French Wine Scholar
The Francophiles among you probably realize that no matter how long you study, or how many books you read, you’ll never know all there is to know about French wine. If you want to get close to being a total expert, The French Wine Scholar will get you there. So much of what we know about viticulture started in the ancient and historic appellations of French wine country. This is also a must if you’re planning on making a pilgrimage to any French wine regions. If you’ve taken this course, by the time you hit the French wine trail, you’ll be equipped with such rich knowledge that you’ll ask profound questions, which will impress local vignerons. Informed curiosity is the key to most French wine cellars.
- American Wine Expert
When will the WSET catch up to the American wine movement? Don’t we deserve an entire book ourselves? Of course, we think so, which is why Napa Valley Wine Academy didn’t wait for the WSET to get the ball rolling. The American Wine Expert course offers a comprehensive deep dive into American Wine from critical stats to historical figures and the complex wine laws that govern the U.S. wine industry. Deep dives into major AVAs, major wine-producing states, and lesser-known regions is part and parcel with this course. This is an obvious option for anyone who has passed WSET Level 3 and plans to work in Calfornia, and for those planning to settle in any wine producing region within the 50 States—it will give you a clear advantage.
- Tim Gaiser’s Advanced Tasting SommDay course
If you’re thinking of taking your WSET Level 3 certification and rocking the restaurant scene this course will elevate your tasting game. Even if you’re not a WSET student, if you want to improve your tasting skills in a group setting, or while tasting blind, Tim Gaiser MS will equip you with the tools to approach any glass of wine with the confidence to assess it from an informed and process-oriented standpoint. It’s an incredibly fun course, extremely humbling, and wholly rewarding. It’ll be a whole new ballgame of tasting and assessing.
- Napa Valley Wine Expert
This is an obvious option for anyone who plans to work with Napa Valley wines. Deep dives into Napa’s major AVAs along with deep dives into some of Napa’s iconic brands. You’ll emerge with a keen understanding of how AVAs are created, what constitutes the terroir of Napa’s AVAs, and a sense of discovery, or even rediscovery of your favorite appellations. There’s so much to learn about Napa Valley, and this course will make you a Napa Valley Wine Expert and aficionado.
