WSET Wine School for the San Francisco Bay Area
Napa Valley Wine Academy's classroom is in downtown Napa, an hour or so north of the city. Bay Area students come up for a day, a weekend or a week, or study the same WSET qualifications online.
- In person in downtown Napa: WSET Levels 1, 2 and 3, plus the Napa Valley bootcamps
- Every WSET level online too, as live instructor-led cohorts or self-paced on-demand courses
- About 50 miles north of San Francisco, reachable by car, ferry or BART connection
The short answer
Is there a WSET school in San Francisco?
Napa Valley Wine Academy does not run a classroom inside San Francisco itself. Our campus is at 2501 Oak Street in downtown Napa, roughly 50 miles north of the city, and it is where all of our Northern California classroom courses are taught: the one-day Level 1, the two-day Level 2, the five-day Level 3, and the four-day Napa Valley bootcamps. Wines are poured for you in class, and every course includes the WSET study materials, exam registration and the exam fee.
If the drive is the obstacle, the same qualifications are taught online with the same faculty: live instructor-led cohorts with scheduled webinars, or self-paced on-demand courses you can start today. The certificate does not record which format you chose.
From the Bay Area
Three ways to study with us
Pick the format that fits your week. Every route leads to the same WSET certificate.
In person in Napa
ClassroomWSET Level 1 in one day (10am to 4pm), Level 2 over two consecutive days, Level 3 over five days with an online prep course beforehand. Eight wines poured at Level 1, around 30 at Level 2, 80 benchmark wines at Level 3.
Exams: Levels 1 and 2 are sat online with remote invigilation after your class, so there is no second trip. Level 3 has an in-person exam, and Napa is one of the venues.
Napa Valley bootcamps
ImmersiveThe four-day WSET Level 2 Bootcamp combines the qualification with vineyard, winery and cooperage visits and more than 60 wines. The Level 3 Harvest Bootcamp pairs ten weeks online with five days in Napa during harvest. The Winemaker Bootcamp is hands-on winemaking in the valley.
Best for: Bay Area residents who want the week in wine country as well as the certificate.
Online from anywhere in the Bay Area
No travelEvery WSET wine level, and the spirits, beer and sake awards, taught online. Instructor-led cohorts run on fixed dates with live webinars; on-demand courses start the moment you enroll. Tasting wines can be sourced from our list or bought as a kit from our partner Small Lot Bottles.
Same qualification, same faculty. Napa Valley Wine Academy is a WSET Approved Programme Provider in every format.
Upcoming
Upcoming courses in Napa
Six of the courses currently scheduled at the Napa campus, each showing its next start date. The button below the grid lists every Napa date, including the bootcamps and workshops.
Getting here
Napa from San Francisco
Napa Valley Wine Academy, 2501 Oak Street, Napa, CA 94559. The campus is in downtown Napa, roughly 50 miles north of San Francisco.
- By car: across the Golden Gate Bridge via US-101 and CA-37, or across the Bay Bridge via I-80, then CA-29 into Napa. Allow an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half depending on traffic.
- By ferry: San Francisco Bay Ferry from the Ferry Building to Vallejo, then Vine Transit Route 11 to Napa. Route 11 meets the ferry seven days a week.
- By BART: BART to El Cerrito del Norte, then Vine Transit Route 29 to Napa, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays use the ferry connection instead.
- Flying in: San Francisco (SFO) and Sacramento (SMF) are the nearest airports.
Level 2 and Level 3 classes run over consecutive days; the Napa campus page has more on the venue and the town.
Why students come up from the city
What you get for the drive
Published pass rates
In the 2024–25 WSET academic year, 96.5% of our Level 1, 95.1% of our Level 2 and 73.8% of our Level 3 candidates passed at the first attempt. We publish the figures and the method every year.
WSET Educator of the Year, twice
Napa Valley Wine Academy won WSET's Riedel Trophy for Educator of the Year in 2016 and again in 2019.
Wines poured, not described
Classroom courses are built around tasting: eight wines at Level 1, around 30 at Level 2, 80 at Level 3, with an instructor calibrating your palate alongside you.
Everything included
Tuition covers the WSET study materials, exam registration and the exam fee. Group savings apply automatically: 5% off for two students, 8% for three, 10% for four or more.
Questions
Studying WSET from the Bay Area
Do you teach WSET courses in San Francisco, Oakland or the South Bay?
No. Our Northern California classroom is in downtown Napa. There is no San Francisco, Oakland or Peninsula venue. Bay Area students either travel to Napa for the course days or take the same qualification online.
How far is the Napa campus from San Francisco?
Roughly 50 miles. By car allow an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half depending on traffic. By public transport, take the San Francisco Bay Ferry to Vallejo and Vine Transit Route 11 to Napa, or BART to El Cerrito del Norte and Vine Transit Route 29 (Monday to Saturday).
Which WSET courses run in Napa?
The WSET Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Awards in Wines in person, the four-day Level 2 Bootcamp, the Level 3 Harvest Bootcamp, the Winemaker Bootcamp, TasteCoach blind-tasting workshops and the Champagne Specialist Course. The Napa course listings carry every upcoming date.
Do I have to come back to Napa for the exam?
Not for Levels 1 and 2. For courses from 1 August 2026 those exams are sat online with remote invigilation on a date you choose after the class. Level 3 has an in-person exam; Napa is one of the venues and sittings are listed on the Level 3 exam dates page. WSET Level 4 Diploma examinations are sat in Napa.
Can I do the whole qualification online instead?
Yes. Every WSET wine level is taught online, either as a live instructor-led cohort or as a self-paced on-demand course, and the qualification is identical. The WSET online wine courses page compares the two formats level by level.
Is Napa Valley Wine Academy an approved WSET provider?
Yes. Napa Valley Wine Academy is a WSET Approved Programme Provider. WSET sets the syllabus and the examinations; we teach the course, run the tastings and administer the exam under WSET's rules. We have also been an authorised WSET Level 4 Diploma centre since 2017.
Ready to choose a date?
Every Napa course on one page, or the full online catalogue if you would rather not make the drive.