Q: I don't know anything about wine. Is one day really enough?
A: Yes, and that is exactly who this course is built for. The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines assumes no prior knowledge and no prior qualification, and 97.0% of our candidates pass it. The single day works because it does not start cold: you get our online prep course the moment you enroll, so you arrive having already met the material, and the classroom day is then spent tasting 8 wines and learning to describe them using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting rather than reading from a page.
Q: Is the exam taken during the class day?
A: No, and this changed recently. For all courses from 1 August 2026 the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines exam is sat online, remotely invigilated by WSET, on a date you choose separately from your class day. That is why the teaching day now runs 10 AM to 4 PM rather than ending at 4:45 PM as older cohorts did. You register for it inside your online prep course within 12 months of your course date.
Q: Can I sit the exam in person instead of online?
A: In-person exams are not available unless prior request is made, and may incur extra fees. If sitting the exam remotely will not work for you, contact us at support@napavalleywineacademy.com before you enroll rather than after, so we can tell you what is possible for your location and date.
Q: What do I need in order to sit the online exam?
A: A computer with a working webcam, the ability to share your screen, and a second device positioned to record the room, because WSET invigilates remotely and needs to see both your screen and your space. You also need a quiet room you will not be interrupted in for 45 minutes. WSET publishes its full technical and room requirements in its Remote Invigilation Essential Guidance, and we strongly suggest reading it before your exam day rather than on it.
Q: Where does the in-person course take place?
A: In three cities. Napa, at Napa Valley Wine Academy headquarters, 2501 Oak St, Napa, CA 94559, nearest airports San Francisco (SFO) or Sacramento (SMF). Nashville, at 1715 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203, nearest airport Nashville (BNA). Tampa, at The Epicurean, 1207 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606, nearest airport Tampa International (TPA). Pick your city and date from the dropdown on this page; each listing shows the local start and finish time.
Q: What time does the day run, and is it one day only?
A: One day, 10 AM to 4 PM in the local time zone of your chosen city. Napa cohorts are listed in Pacific time, Nashville in Central, Tampa in Eastern. There is no second day and no evening session, which is why the course suits people travelling in for it or taking a single day away from work.
Q: What do I get as soon as I enroll, before the class day?
A: Immediate access to our online prep course, available 24/7 and self-paced, with videos, hands-on experiments and interactive quizzes, plus a PDF of the WSET Level 1 study materials. All of the WSET Level 1 Wines study material is available to you online from enrollment. This is not optional extra reading in practice, it is how the one-day format works, so start it as soon as your confirmation email arrives.
Q: How much study should I do, and when?
A: WSET specifies a Total Qualification Time of 6 hours for the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines, and the classroom day itself more than covers that. What actually predicts a comfortable pass is the preparation on either side of it: plan on 4 to 6 hours in the online prep course before class, then a light review before your exam date. Budget roughly 10 to 12 hours in total across the whole qualification.
Q: How many wines will I taste, and am I expected to swallow them?
A: You will taste 8 wines, chosen to calibrate your palate against the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting rather than simply to be enjoyable, covering the main white, red, rose and sparkling styles. Spitting is standard professional practice in every session and is actively encouraged. Even so, we recommend arranging transport or staying nearby rather than driving after a full tasting day.
Q: What does the course actually cover?
A: Five things: an introduction to wine and the main styles, how to taste systematically using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting, the storage and service of wine, the principles of food and wine pairing, and a mock examination to show you what the real paper looks like. You leave able to describe a wine accurately, store and serve it correctly, read a label, and recommend a pairing with reasons rather than guesswork.
Q: Who teaches the in-person Level 1 course?
A: WSET-certified educators who work in wine, not lecturers reading from the textbook. Csilla Kato has been an Associate Winemaker at Beringer Vineyards since 2007 and holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma and the A.I.W.S. Jean Cox holds WSET Level 3, is a WSET Certified Educator, a Certified Sommelier, a French Wine Scholar and Spanish Wine Scholar, and a Napa Valley Wine Expert, and manages our Tampa operation. Napa Valley Wine Academy was named WSET Educator of the Year in 2016 and again in 2019.
Q: What is included in the price?
A: One full day of live in-person classroom instruction, guided tasting of 8 wines, the WSET Level 1 textbook and study workbook handed to you in class, a PDF copy inside the online prep course, unlimited access to the online prep course for 12 months, mock exams, and your WSET exam registration and exam fee. There is nothing else you are required to buy in order to sit the exam.
Q: Do I need to buy anything else?
A: No. The textbook, the workbook, the tasting wines, the online prep course and your exam entry are all included. The only optional add-on is our Complete Exam Prep Package, which is included free with NVWA membership. If you would like extra practice under timed conditions, that is what it is for, but candidates pass this qualification comfortably without it.
Q: Is there a discount for booking as a group?
A: Yes, and it applies automatically at checkout with no code needed: 5% for two students booking together, 8% for three, and 10% for four or more. Groups are common at Level 1 because restaurant, retail and hospitality teams often certify a whole floor or shop at once. If you are booking for a larger team or want a private date at your own venue, email support@napavalleywineacademy.com and we will quote a dedicated cohort.
Q: Should I take the in-person course or the online course?
A: Take the in-person course if you want the wines poured for you, want to be finished in a single day, and learn better in a room with an educator and other students. Take the online instructor-led course if you would rather spread the same material over four weeks around your schedule and source your own tasting wines. Both routes lead to the identical qualification and the identical exam, and the certificate does not record which format you took.
Q: Is the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines the same qualification wherever I take it?
A: Yes. It is a single global qualification set by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London, delivered against one published specification and assessed by one exam to one standard worldwide, which is why it is recognized across the wine trade internationally. What differs between providers is the teaching, the wines poured and the preparation, not the credential. You can download the official course specification from this page before you enroll.
Q: What can I do after Level 1?
A: Level 1 gives you the vocabulary and the tasting method to talk about wine credibly, which is what entry-level hospitality, retail and tasting-room roles are actually screening for. The natural next step is the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines, which moves from wine styles to the grape varieties and regions behind them, and there is no waiting period between the two. Many of our students book Level 2 before their Level 1 result even lands.
Q: How old do I have to be, and do I need to bring ID?
A: You must be at least 21 years of age, because that is the legal minimum age for the retail purchase of alcohol in the United States and the qualification involves tasting wine. Bring valid government-issued photo identification to the classroom day. WSET will also verify your identity separately when you sit the remotely invigilated exam, so make sure the name on your enrollment matches the name on your ID.
Q: Can I cancel or move to a different date?
A: Yes, if you act well ahead of your course date. Cancellations are permitted up to 60 days before the course start date, and are refunded as store credit after a $50 administration fee plus the cost of any study materials and exam fees already committed. One transfer per person per enrolled course is permitted, and our General Policies require transfer requests at least 60 business days before the course start date. Inside those windows, or once the course has run, no refunds or transfers are available without documented medical evidence. Our General Policies page carries the full terms.
Q: I need a reasonable adjustment for a disability or learning difficulty. How do I arrange it?
A: Reasonable adjustments are available, but WSET must approve them before we can implement them, and applications need to reach WSET at least six weeks before your exam date. Contact us as early as you can at support@napavalleywineacademy.com and we will help you prepare the application. Because the exam is now sat separately from the class day, you have more room to arrange this than under the old same-day format.
Q: Can I talk to someone before I book?
A: Yes, and we would rather you did than guess. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com or visit our Help Center, and our student support team will talk you through whether Level 1 or Level 2 is the right entry point for you, how the exam works, and which city and date suits your schedule.
Q: What is the exam format?
A: A closed-book examination of 30 multiple-choice questions, completed in 45 minutes, sat online under remote invigilation. There is no tasting component and no written-answer component in the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines exam. Every question is drawn from the published specification, which you can download from this page and which tells you exactly what is assessable.
Q: What is the pass mark?
A: 70%, which on a 30-question paper means 21 correct answers. There is no negative marking, so answer every question even where you are unsure. The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is graded pass or fail only, with no Merit or Distinction, so 21 out of 30 earns you exactly the same certificate as 30 out of 30.
Q: What is Napa Valley Wine Academy's WSET Level 1 pass rate?
A: 97.0%. That is 3,419 passes from 3,524 graded exam sittings between 2024 and 2026. We publish the denominator because a pass rate without one is not a claim, it is an advertisement. Our full methodology, and our rates for every WSET level, are on our WSET pass rates page.
Q: How do I register for my exam, and how far ahead?
A: Through the Exam Registration module in the Course Welcome section of your online prep course, where the available dates and times are listed. Register early: only 50 places exist per online exam sitting, and we place exam orders with WSET about four weeks before each date, so late registration means waiting for the next sitting rather than joining the one you wanted. You have 12 months from your course date to sit the exam.
Q: Will I get confirmation that I am registered?
A: Yes, twice over. Within about 15 minutes of registering you receive a confirmation email from exams@napavalleywineacademy.com with instructions, followed by reminders as the date approaches. WSET Global then emails you directly, once 7 to 10 days before your exam and again 3 days before, with your invigilation details. If you have not had the WSET emails a week out, contact us rather than assuming.
Q: Can I change my exam date after registering?
A: Yes, at a cost that depends on notice. More than 30 days before your exam date, you can purchase an Exam Transfer Code for $99. Within 30 days of the date, you need an Exam Reorder Code instead, at the fee shown in our General Policies. Purchase links for both are in the Exam Registration module of your online course.
Q: What happens if I don't pass?
A: You resit the examination, and you do not need to retake the course. At Level 1 the resit is the whole paper again rather than a component, and the WSET Level 1 exam fee for a resit is $150. There is no limit on attempts and no waiting period beyond the next available sitting, and your online prep course access means the study material is still there when you revise.
Q: When do I get my result and certificate?
A: Results are released approximately 4 weeks after your exam date. As soon as you pass, you receive a digital certificate and digital badge, so you can share your credential on LinkedIn or with your professional network the same day rather than waiting for something to arrive in the post. On passing you are entitled to describe yourself as WSET Level 1 Certified in Wines.
