WSET Level 4 Diploma Courses - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma Units & Fees

The WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines is made up of six units, each enrolled in and examined separately. Napa Valley Wine Academy teaches all six online, with examinations sat in person in Napa, California. Tuition across the full Diploma is $7,135, plus a one-time $450 WSET candidate registration fee. Current per-unit pricing is shown on the listings below.

Looking for the full guide to how the Diploma works — timelines, teaching format, faculty and FAQs? Start with our WSET Level 4 Diploma overview. This page is for choosing and enrolling in units.

The six units at a glance

Unit Weighting Notes
D1 Wine Production 20% Must be taken first. A 90-minute closed-book open-response paper — no multiple choice and no tasting component.
D2 Wine Business 10% Must be taken second, once you have sat the D1 exam. A 60-minute open-response paper. You do not need your D1 result to begin.
D3 Wines of the World 50% The largest unit by far. Assessed over two consecutive days: a two-part theory paper of 3 hours 20 minutes, then a blind tasting of 12 wines across two papers totalling 3 hours.
D4 Sparkling Wines 5% A single 90-minute paper combining open-response questions with a blind tasting of three sparkling wines.
D5 Fortified Wines 5% A single 90-minute paper combining open-response questions with a blind tasting of three fortified wines. Covers Sherry, Port, Madeira, Vins Doux Naturels and Rutherglen Muscat.
D6 Independent Research Assignment 10% A 3,000-word research paper on a topic set by WSET. Two topic briefs are released each year on 1 August, with deadlines the following 31 January and 31 July. No scheduled classes.

The order you take them in

D1 comes first and D2 comes second. WSET requires you to sit the D1 examination before starting any other unit, and D2 must follow D1 before you move on. Once you have sat the D1 and D2 exams, you may complete D3 to D6 in any order.

Results take around three months to come back from marking at WSET London. You do not need to wait for them — progression depends on having sat the exam, not on having the result. A candidate who believes otherwise can lose an entire term.

You can technically run D3, D4, D5 and D6 concurrently, but we do not recommend it. Students who take on more than one unit at a time frequently end up resitting at least one exam.

Fees

  • Tuition: $7,135 across all six units. Per-unit pricing is shown on each listing below, and units are bought one at a time.
  • WSET candidate registration: $450. This is separate from tuition and paid once, not annually. It gives you three years of access to WSET's materials.
  • Renewal: $350 for a further three years, if you need longer than your initial registration (subject to WSET approval). Passes you have already earned carry over.
  • Optional wine kits are available for D1, D3, D4 and D5. Resit fees vary by unit and are listed on the resit pages.

Entry requirements

  • A pass in the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines, or the earlier Level 3 Award in Wines & Spirits. There is no equivalence route — other qualifications, however advanced, do not substitute.
  • You must have received your Level 3 result before registering. WSET will not allow enrolment on the strength of an expected pass, and a registration made before results are issued will be cancelled and refunded, less an administrative fee.
  • Students must be at least 21 years of age.

How the Diploma is graded

Every unit is graded Pass at 55–64%, Pass with Merit at 65–74% and Pass with Distinction at 75% or above. A minimum of a pass is required in every one of the six units to be awarded the Diploma, and there is no limit on the number of resits. On completion you may use the post-nominal DipWSET.

Time commitment

WSET sets the Total Qualification Time at 500 hours — 128 guided learning hours, of which 11 hours 50 minutes are examinations, plus 372 hours of private study. Plan on roughly three months of study each for D1, D2, D4, D5 and D6, and at least six months for D3. The Diploma cannot be completed in 12 months, because of how WSET schedules the unit exams; the minimum realistic timeline is 18 months and the average is two to two and a half years.

Our Diploma pass rate

78.6% of the Diploma unit exams sat with us were passed — 2,040 passes from 2,595 graded sittings between 2019 and 2026. WSET does not publish per-provider Diploma pass rates and most providers publish none at all; ours is published with its denominator so you can judge it for yourself.

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D1 Wine Production - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D1 Wine Production

Begin your WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine with D1 – Wine Production, and unlock how grapes are grown and wine is made. Discover how every decision impacts the wine’s style, quality, and price from the vineyard to the cellar. Enroll now and transform your passion for wine into a profound understanding that sets you apart in the wine world.
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WSET Level 4 Diploma | D2 Wine Business - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D2 Wine Business

D2 Wine Business dives more deeply into the factors that contribute to the price of wine. You’ll also understand the many types of businesses engaged in the production of wine, available options for getting wine to the point of sale, and key considerations in wine marketing. Prerequisites: You must have taken the D1 course to start D2 (receipt of D1 exam results not required).
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WSET Level 4 Diploma | D3 Wines of the World - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D3 Wines of the World

In the WSET Level 4 D3 Wines of the World class, students examine the still wines produced in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, USA, Canada, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. Prerequisites: You must have be enrolled in the WSET Level 4 Diploma and have taken the D1 and D2 exams (receipt of results not required).
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WSET Level 4 Diploma | D4 Sparkling Wine - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D4 Sparkling Wine

Through detailed theoretical and practical study, explore the sparkling wines produced in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, the USA, South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Prerequisites: You must be enrolled in the WSET Level 4 Diploma program and have taken the D1 and D2 exams (receipt of results not required).
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WSET Level 4 Diploma | D5 Fortified Wine - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D5 Fortified Wine

In the D5 unit of the WSET Level 4 Diploma program students explore fortified wines of the world, including Sherry, Port, Madeira, Vins Doux Naturels and Rutherglen Muscat, through theoretical and practical study. Prerequisites: You must be enrolled in the WSET Level 4 Diploma program and have taken the D1 and D2 exams (receipt of results not required).
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WSET Level 4 Diploma | D6 Independent Research Assignment - Napa Valley Wine Academy

WSET Level 4 Diploma | D6 Independent Research Assignment

While Diploma’s Unit 6 is an independent project, our proprietary online classroom offers resources to ensure your paper meets WSET expectations. WSET releases two topics each August, allowing students to pick ONE. This year’s topics include "Virginia Wine" (due January 31, 2025) or "PIWI Grape Varieties (due July 31, 2025). If you don’t like either of the two available topics, you can wait until the next academic year for two new topics to be released.
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