WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
The WSET Level 2 Award in Wines is the intermediate qualification in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust's four-level wine ladder. WSET sets its Total Qualification Time at 28 hours — 17 guided learning hours plus 11 hours of private study — and it is assessed by 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes with a 55% pass mark. Napa Valley Wine Academy teaches it four ways: two days in person, five weeks instructor-led online, fully self-paced on demand, or as a four-day bootcamp in Napa Valley.
Compare the four WSET Level 2 formats
| In Person | Instructor-Led Online | On-Demand Online | Napa Bootcamp | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Two consecutive days, 9am–5pm | Five weeks on fixed cohort dates | Start any time — no cohort, no start date | Four consecutive days |
| Live teaching | Two full days with an instructor in the room | Four live 90-minute webinars | None — self-directed throughout | Four days with our faculty, including winery and cooperage visits |
| Where | Napa CA, Nashville TN or Tampa FL | Online | Online | Napa Valley, California |
| Wines tasted | Around 30 across the two days | 12 classic wines — source your own or add the optional 12 × 100ml sample kit | 12 classic wines — source your own or add the optional 12 × 100ml sample kit | More than 60 across the four days |
| Best if you want | Structured classroom teaching and a guided tasting flight | Live instruction and a set timetable without travelling | To fit 28 hours of study around an unpredictable schedule | An immersive week in wine country alongside the qualification |
Current tuition for each format is shown on the course listings below.
What you'll learn
- How wine is made, and the factors that shape a wine's style and quality
- The key white and black grape varieties and their characteristics
- The important wine-producing regions of the world and their signature styles
- How sparkling, sweet and fortified wines are produced
- Label terminology, and what it tells you before you open the bottle
- The principles of pairing food and wine
- How to describe a wine using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting® (SAT)
Entry requirements
- No formal prerequisite. Level 2 assumes some basic wine knowledge, and many students arrive from the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines, but Level 1 is not required.
- Students must be at least 21 years of age to taste alcohol on any US course.
What's included
- The official WSET Level 2 study guide, with one year of digital textbook access
- Our online pre-study course, available as soon as you enroll
- Exam registration and the exam fee
- Access to our student discussion community
- Your WSET certificate and lapel pin on passing
The exam and how it is graded
The Level 2 exam is 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. There is no tasting paper and no written paper at this level. The pass mark is 55% — 28 correct answers out of 50 — with Merit awarded at 70–84% and Distinction at 85% or above.
For courses from 1 August 2026 onwards the exam is taken online with remote invigilation and is not sat during class. In-person sittings remain available by prior request, with additional fees. You must register to sit within 12 months of your course.
Why study WSET Level 2 with Napa Valley Wine Academy
- 96.1% pass rate. Across 3,186 graded exam sittings between 2024 and 2026, 96.1% of our students passed the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines.
- More than 4,000 graduates. You will join a community of over 4,000 students who have completed WSET Level 2 with us.
- The largest and most-awarded WSET Approved Programme Provider in the United States, and winner of the WSET Global and Riedel Wine Educator of the Year Award.
- A pre-study course included in every format, which is one reason our students consistently score above the global average.
- Four ways to study, including the only four-day Napa Valley bootcamp of its kind.
WSET Level 2 in spirits, beer and sake
WSET runs a separate Level 2 qualification for each drinks category, and we teach all of them online. Explore the WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits, the WSET Level 2 Award in Beer or the WSET Level 2 Award in Sake.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to complete Level 1 first?
No. There is no formal prerequisite for WSET Level 2. It does assume some basic wine knowledge, so if you are starting from scratch the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is a comfortable entry point — but plenty of students begin at Level 2.
How much time does WSET Level 2 take?
WSET sets the Total Qualification Time at 28 hours: 17 guided learning hours and 11 hours of private study. How that is spread depends on your format — two days in class, five weeks of webinars, or entirely at your own pace.
Is there a tasting exam?
No. Tasting is taught and practised throughout the course using the Level 2 SAT, but the exam itself is theory only. A tasting paper is introduced at WSET Level 3.
Where do I sit the exam?
For courses from 1 August 2026 onwards, online with remote invigilation — so you can sit it from home even if you studied in person. In-person sittings are available by prior request with additional fees.
Are the wines included?
On the in-person course and the bootcamp, all wines are poured for you. On both online courses the 12 required wines are not included in the fee — you can source them yourself or add an optional 12 × 100ml sample kit at checkout. Allow 7 to 10 days for kit delivery.
Which format should I choose?
Choose in person for structured classroom teaching and a guided tasting flight. Choose instructor-led online for live webinars on a set timetable. Choose on-demand if your schedule will not hold still. Choose the bootcamp if you want the qualification and an immersive four days in Napa Valley.
What comes after Level 2?
The WSET Level 3 Award in Wines, which adds a blind tasting paper and written short-answer questions. If you already know that is your destination, the Level 2 & Level 3 Wine Path bundle below covers both.
WSET Level 2 Award in Wine | In-Person
WSET Level 2 Wine Online | Instructor-Led Course
WSET Level 2 Wine Online | On-Demand Course
