Q: Do I sit the exam on the last day of the bootcamp?
A: No - and this is the single most important thing to understand before you book. For courses from 1 August 2026 onwards the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines examination is normally taken online with remote invigilation, so you sit it from home on a date you choose rather than in the Napa classroom on day four. Your exam registration and fee are included in the $2,195 price, and you must book your sitting within 12 months of the bootcamp. Earlier versions of this page described a classroom exam late on the final afternoon; that was true of past cohorts and is no longer how it works.
Q: Can I sit the exam in person instead?
A: Not as standard, but it is not impossible. In-person sittings are available only by prior request, and additional fees may apply. If sitting in person matters to you - because of a disability, an accommodation, unreliable internet or simple preference - email support@napavalleywineacademy.com before you enroll rather than afterwards, so we can tell you what is possible and what it would cost. It cannot be arranged at short notice, and it will not be arranged in the Napa classroom during the bootcamp itself.
Q: So what happens on day four?
A: Day four is a full classroom day covering the grape varieties of the world and exam preparation, starting at 9 AM Pacific. Because the exam itself is now sat online, that afternoon is preparation rather than assessment - which in practice means you fly home a very well-prepared candidate rather than a certified one. Our advice: book your online exam date before you leave Napa, while the four days are still fresh.
Q: How do I book the online exam, and what if I leave it too long?
A: You register through the Exams Management page inside your online prep course, choosing from the published sitting times, and the deadline is 12 months from your bootcamp dates. Do not let it drift: if that window closes unused, your included exam registration expires and you would need to pay a fresh exam fee. Most Level 2 candidates who come unstuck are not defeated by the material - they simply let the booking slide.
Q: What do I need for the online exam?
A: A computer with a working webcam and microphone, a reliable broadband connection, government-issued photo ID, and a quiet room where you will not be interrupted and cannot be overlooked. Remote invigilation means a proctor observes you for the full hour, so test your equipment in advance rather than on the day. If your internet is unreliable, that is a good reason to ask us about an in-person sitting before you enroll.
Q: What is the exam format, and what do I need to pass?
A: Fifty multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. The pass mark is 55%, which is 28 correct answers out of 50. Merit is awarded for 70 to 84% and Distinction for 85% or above. There is no separately assessed tasting exam at Level 2 - the 60-plus wines you taste across the bootcamp build your palate and your vocabulary, but they are not examined.
Q: Why is this $2,195 when the two-day Level 2 course is $935?
A: Because you are buying an experience as well as a qualification. The extra $1,260 covers two additional days, more than 60 wines instead of around 30, vineyard and winery visits across multiple Napa Valley AVAs, a cooperage visit, luxury coach transport from and to the academy, two gourmet lunches, a winemaker dinner, and Model Bakery pastries with Napa Valley sparkling wine. Be clear about what it does not buy: both routes lead to the identical WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and the identical online exam, and your certificate does not record which format you took. If the credential is all you need, the two-day course at $935 is the rational purchase.
Q: What is not included in the price?
A: Lodging, flights and your travel to and from Napa are not included, and neither are breakfasts, dinners other than the winemaker dinner, or lunch on the days it is not provided. Plan on four nights in or near Napa, arriving the evening before day one, and budget separately for accommodation - Napa in spring is not a cheap place to sleep. Everything inside the programme itself, including all winery visits, tastings, coach transport, your WSET study materials and your exam registration, is covered.
Q: Which days include lunch?
A: Two gourmet lunches are included across the four days, and they fall on the touring days - day two is confirmed. Assume you are buying your own lunch on the other two days, and check the final itinerary you receive before you travel, since winery timings occasionally shift which days carry a hosted meal.
Q: How many wines will I taste, and should I spit?
A: More than 60 across the four days, including a glass of sparkling wine on arrival and specialty pourings at the wineries - roughly double the 30 poured on the two-day classroom course. Spitting is standard professional practice and actively encouraged in every session: you are learning to assess wine analytically, and 60 wines is a great deal of alcohol if you swallow. You will be on a coach between wineries, so you do not need to drive, but arrange transport for the evenings.
Q: Where is the classroom, and where do the visits go?
A: Every classroom session runs at Napa Valley Wine Academy headquarters, 2501 Oak Street, Napa, CA 94559, and the coach departs from and returns to that address. Day one visits two different Napa Valley AVAs to walk the vineyards and see cellar equipment. Day two covers a cooperage, where you see barrels toasted and shaped, plus red winemaking and sparkling winemaking. Day three adds two more wineries focused on red and white production. The nearest airports are San Francisco (SFO) and Sacramento (SMF).
Q: What time does each day start and finish?
A: Days one, three and four begin at 9 AM Pacific. Day two begins at 8 AM, an hour earlier, because of the cooperage visit - do not miss that detail. Plan on finishing around 5 PM, later on the evening of the winemaker dinner. Do not book a departing flight for the afternoon or early evening of the final day; leave the following morning.
Q: Is April 15 to 18, 2027 the only date, and is the seat count real?
A: April 15 to 18, 2027 is currently the only scheduled Level 2 Bootcamp, and the seat count on this page is live inventory rather than a marketing device - when it says one seat left, there is one seat left. Because the coach, the wineries and the winemaker dinner are all booked to a fixed group size, we cannot simply add places. If you need more than one seat, or a different date, email support@napavalleywineacademy.com and we will add you to the waitlist for the next cohort.
Q: What do I get between enrolling and arriving in Napa?
A: Login credentials to our online pre-course platform arrive by email after enrollment, with key course information, videos, hands-on experiments and interactive quizzes, and you also get the WSET eBook textbook through the WSET Global Reader on web, iOS and Android for one year from purchase. Budget at least four hours in the prep platform before day one. Students who arrive having read the textbook once already spend the four days deepening what they know rather than meeting it for the first time - and with a booking this far ahead, you have no excuse.
Q: How long do I keep the textbook and course materials?
A: The WSET eBook is yours for one year from purchase through the WSET Global Reader. Note how that interacts with your exam deadline: the eBook lasts a year and your exam booking window is 12 months from the bootcamp, so if you delay the exam to the end of that window your textbook access is expiring at roughly the same moment. Sit the exam sooner rather than later.
Q: Is a printed textbook included?
A: No. WSET wine courses now include the digital textbook by default. If you prefer paper, the printed WSET Level 2 Award in Wines textbook is available separately for $69. Our Complete Exam Prep Package, at $79, is a separate optional purchase and is included free with NVWA membership.
Q: How much study does the qualification actually require?
A: WSET specifies a Total Qualification Time of 28 hours for the Level 2 Award in Wines: 17 guided learning hours plus around 11 hours of private study. Four days of classroom teaching and winery visits takes you comfortably past that guided-learning minimum, which is part of why the bootcamp format suits people who would rather absorb the material intensively than spread it over weeks. You should still do the private study.
Q: Do I need a qualification before this?
A: No formal prerequisite, but Level 2 assumes you already have some basic wine knowledge - it does not begin from what a grape is, and at this price you do not want to spend day one catching up. If you are starting from scratch, take the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines at $425 or our TasteCoach Wine Fundamentals online course at $99 first. All attendees must be at least 21 years of age, and WSET advises candidates sitting the exam in English as a second language to have IELTS 6.0 or above.
Q: What is Napa Valley Wine Academy's WSET Level 2 pass rate?
A: 96.1% - that is 3,061 passes from 3,186 graded exam sittings between 2024 and 2026, across all our Level 2 formats. Level 2 is a genuinely achievable qualification if you do the reading, and our figure reflects that. Published pass rates for every WSET level we teach are on our pass rates page.
Q: What happens if I do not pass?
A: You can resit without retaking the course, and you certainly do not need to buy the bootcamp again. A Level 2 resit costs $220 and is booked the same way as your first attempt, through the Exams Management page. With a 96.1% pass rate this is not the common outcome, but it is worth knowing the route exists before you sit.
Q: When will I get my result and certificate?
A: WSET releases Level 2 results roughly four weeks after your exam - much faster than Level 3, which is graded in London and takes 10 to 12 weeks. As soon as you pass you receive a digital certificate and badge, which you can post to LinkedIn or send to an employer immediately rather than waiting for anything to arrive by mail.
Q: Can I cancel or move to a different cohort?
A: Full payment is required at registration, and the standard in-person course terms apply: cancellations and transfers are possible at least 60 days before the start date, with a $50 administration fee plus the cost of study materials and exam fees already committed, and the balance issued as store credit. Inside 60 days, or once the bootcamp has begun, no refunds or transfers are available without documented medical evidence. Because this programme commits us to winery bookings, coach hire and the winemaker dinner well in advance, contact us as early as you possibly can at support@napavalleywineacademy.com; our General Policies page carries the full terms.
Q: Is there a discount for booking with friends or colleagues?
A: Yes, and it applies automatically at checkout when you book together: 5% for two students, 8% for three and 10% for four. On a $2,195 programme that is worth having. Bear in mind the seat count, though - if fewer places remain than the size of your group, email us for the waitlist rather than trying to force the booking through.
Q: Who teaches the bootcamp?
A: Your educators are working wine professionals, not career lecturers. Csilla Kato, who teaches on this programme, holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma (D.W.S.) and the A.I.W.S., took a Masters degree in Fermentation Science and Post-Harvest Technologies, has worked harvests in Sonoma, Italy, Hungary, New Zealand and Napa, and has been at Beringer Vineyards since 2007, where she is now an Associate Winemaker with several labels under her supervision. That is the reason a cooperage visit and a winemaking session land differently here than they would in a classroom - you are asking the questions of someone who assembles final blends for a living.
Q: Is the qualification the same as a Level 2 taken anywhere else?
A: Yes. The WSET Level 2 Award in Wines is a single global qualification set by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust in London, delivered against one published specification and graded to one standard worldwide, which is why the wine trade recognises it internationally. What differs between providers is the teaching, the wines poured and the preparation - not the credential.
Q: What comes after Level 2?
A: Level 2 is the qualification the trade generally treats as evidence you can talk about wine credibly - useful in retail, hospitality, sales and tasting-room roles, and the level many employers ask for. It also feeds directly into the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines, the required entry point for the Level 4 Diploma. Fair warning if you are already planning that far ahead: our Level 3 theory pass rate is 60.2% against 96.1% at Level 2, so Level 3 is a substantially bigger commitment.
Q: Can I speak to someone before booking?
A: Yes, and at this price we would rather you did than guess. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com and our student support team will help you judge whether Level 2 matches your starting point, what the four days ask of you, where to stay in Napa, whether an in-person exam sitting can be arranged, and whether the two-day classroom course would serve you better.
