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WSET Online Wine Courses
Every WSET wine qualification, taught online by Napa Valley Wine Academy: the Level 1, 2 and 3 Awards in Wines as live instructor-led cohorts or self-paced on-demand study, and all six units of the Level 4 Diploma. Exam registration and the exam fee are included in every course.
WSET Level 1 Wine Online | Instructor-Led Course
WSET Level 1 Wine Online | On-Demand Course
WSET Level 2 Wine Online | Instructor-Led Course
WSET Level 2 Wine Online | On-Demand Course
WSET Level 3 Wine Online | Instructor-Led Course
WSET Level 4 Diploma | D1 Wine Production
WSET Level 4 Diploma | D2 Wine Business
WSET Level 4 Diploma | D3 Wines of the World
WSET Level 4 Diploma | D4 Sparkling Wine
WSET Level 4 Diploma | D5 Fortified Wine
WSET Level 4 Diploma | D6 Independent Research Assignment
WSET Level 1 & 2 On-Demand Bundle
Napa Valley Wine Academy teaches every WSET wine qualification online. The Level 1, 2 and 3 Awards in Wines run as instructor-led cohorts with live, recorded webinars; Levels 1 and 2 are also available fully on demand, with no start date and no live class; and all six units of the Level 4 Diploma in Wines are taught online. Every course includes the official WSET study materials, 12 months of access to the online classroom, and your exam registration and exam fee.
Which WSET wine qualifications can you take online?
| Qualification | Instructor-Led Online | On-Demand Online | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| WSET Level 1 Award in Wines | 4 weeks, three live 60-minute webinars — $329 | Self-paced, 8–12 hours — $289 | 30 multiple-choice questions, online, from home |
| WSET Level 2 Award in Wines | 5 weeks, four live 90-minute webinars — $699 | Self-paced, about 28 hours — $599 | 50 multiple-choice questions, online, from home |
| WSET Level 3 Award in Wines | 10 weeks, live and recorded webinars, 24 wines tasted — $1,135 | Not offered on demand | Theory paper and blind tasting, in person at one of eight US venues |
| WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines | Six units, each taught online — $7,330 across all six | Not offered on demand | Each unit examined in person in Napa, California |
Prices in this table are live. Two bundles save money if you already know your destination: the Level 1 & 2 On-Demand Bundle ($799) and the Level 2 & 3 Wine Path Bundle ($1,639, saving $95 against buying both separately).
Instructor-led or on demand: which online format is right for you?
Both lead to the identical qualification and the identical exam. What you are choosing is how you learn.
| Instructor-Led Online | On-Demand Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Fixed cohort dates; 4, 5 or 10 weeks by level | Opens within about 30 minutes of purchase; no cohort, no start date |
| Live teaching | Live webinars with a WSET-certified educator, all recorded so a missed week is not a lost week | None — video lectures, interactive activities and self-grading assignments; one-to-one mentoring can be booked separately |
| Access | 12 months from your cohort start date | 12 months from enrollment |
| Levels available | 1, 2, 3 and Diploma | 1 and 2 |
| Best if you want | A timetable, an instructor you can ask in real time, and a cohort to study with | To start today and fit study around an unpredictable schedule |
The short version. If you study well alone, on demand is the rational purchase at Levels 1 and 2. Pay the instructor-led premium only if you know you will not finish a self-paced course on your own, or you want live teaching — and from Level 3 upwards it is the only online route.
How online WSET exams work
Level 1 and Level 2 exams are sat online from home by remote invigilation: 30 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes with a 70% pass mark at Level 1, 50 questions in 60 minutes with a 55% pass mark at Level 2. Results are emailed two to four weeks after the exam with a digital certificate and badge.
The Level 3 exam adds a written paper and a blind tasting of two wines and is sat in person. Napa Valley Wine Academy runs Level 3 sittings at eight US venues — Napa CA, Buellton CA, Denver CO, Chicago IL, Nashville TN, Jersey City NJ, San Antonio TX and Tampa FL — so an online Level 3 student sits the exam at the nearest one; see upcoming Level 3 exam dates. Every Diploma unit exam is sat in Napa, California.
What's included in every online course
- The official WSET study materials for that qualification
- 12 months of access to the Napa Valley Wine Academy online classroom
- Exam registration and the exam fee
- Access to our student discussion community
- Your WSET digital certificate and badge on passing; a lapel pin is available to graduates for $25 — see how to order one
Tasting wines for an online course
Tasting samples are not included in any online course fee. We publish a recommended list for each level — six wines at Level 1, twelve at Level 2 and 24 across the Level 3 course — so you can source them locally, and 100 ml sample kits for Levels 1–3 are sold separately by Small Lot Bottles, our tasting-sample partner. Kits are ordered, fulfilled and shipped by Small Lot Bottles, not by Napa Valley Wine Academy. WSET does not require candidates to taste alcohol in order to qualify, and all students must be at least 21.
Why study WSET online with Napa Valley Wine Academy
- 90.0% first-attempt pass rate across Levels 1–3. In the 2024–25 WSET academic year, 90.0% of our 3,234 Level 1–3 candidates passed at the first attempt: 96.5% at Level 1, 95.1% at Level 2, 73.8% at Level 3. See our published WSET pass rates, including the method behind every figure.
- Winner of the Riedel Trophy for WSET Educator of the Year in 2016 and 2019.
- Every webinar recorded, so instructor-led students who miss a live session can catch up the same day.
- Eight in-person Level 3 exam venues across the United States, so studying online does not mean travelling to Napa to sit the exam.
WSET online in spirits, beer and sake
WSET runs separate qualifications for each drinks category, and we teach all of them online: the WSET Awards in Spirits (Levels 1–3), the WSET Awards in Beer (Levels 1–2) and the WSET Awards in Sake (Levels 1–2). New to WSET altogether? Start with how the levels work.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get a WSET wine certification entirely online?
Yes, at Levels 1 and 2. Both courses and both exams are online: the Level 1 exam is 30 multiple-choice questions and the Level 2 exam is 50, each taken from home by remote invigilation. WSET Level 3 can be studied online but its exam, which includes a blind tasting, is sat in person; we run Level 3 sittings at eight US venues. Level 4 Diploma units are taught online with exams in Napa, California.
Is an online WSET course the same qualification as an in-person course?
Yes. The WSET Award in Wines is a single global qualification set and graded to one standard, and your certificate does not record whether you studied online or in a classroom. The syllabus, the exam and the pass mark are identical; only the teaching format differs.
What is the difference between instructor-led and on-demand?
Instructor-led courses run to a fixed cohort timetable with live webinars, all recorded: four weeks with three 60-minute webinars at Level 1, five weeks with four 90-minute webinars at Level 2, ten weeks at Level 3. On-demand courses open within about 30 minutes of purchase with no cohort, no start date and no live teaching, and are available at Levels 1 and 2. Both give 12 months of access to the online classroom and include the exam.
Is an online WSET course a sommelier certification?
No. WSET is a wine knowledge and tasting qualification awarded by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust; sommelier certifications, such as those from the Court of Master Sommeliers, also examine restaurant service. Many sommeliers hold WSET qualifications and WSET Level 2 or 3 is a common foundation for that route, but passing a WSET exam does not by itself make you a sommelier. Compare WSET and CMS.
Do I need to buy wine for an online WSET course?
Tasting wines are not included in any online course fee. We publish a recommended list for each level — six wines at Level 1 and twelve at Level 2 — so you can source them locally, and sample kits are available separately from Small Lot Bottles. WSET does not require candidates to taste alcohol to qualify.
Which WSET level should I start at online?
Level 1 if you have no prior wine study; it assumes nothing. Level 2 if you already know the main grape varieties and regions; there is no formal prerequisite and many students begin there. Level 3 is for working wine professionals and assumes Level 2 knowledge. The Level 4 Diploma requires a Level 3 pass. See the levels explained.
How long does an online WSET course take?
Instructor-led: four weeks at Level 1, five at Level 2, ten at Level 3. On demand: roughly 8 to 12 study hours at Level 1 and around 28 hours at Level 2, at whatever pace you choose within 12 months of access. WSET's Total Qualification Time is 6 hours at Level 1, 28 at Level 2 and 84 at Level 3.