An intensive 10-week advanced-level professional qualification designed for experienced professionals working throughout the wine industry and dedicated wine enthusiasts who seek to deepen their expertise.
Who Should Attend and Course Eligibility:
This advanced qualification is ideal for individuals who are committed to exploring and understanding the comprehensive world of wines at a professional level. The program delivers a detailed and nuanced understanding of viticulture practices, grape growing methodologies, and comprehensive winemaking processes. Upon successful completion of the program, you will have developed the ability to evaluate and assess wines with confidence and accuracy, and apply your detailed knowledge to clearly articulate wine characteristics, style differences, and quality considerations. Upon successful completion and passing of all required assessments, you will receive an official WSET certificate recognizing your achievement and a commemorative lapel pin, and you will be authorized to use the associated WSET certified professional logo in your professional communications and marketing materials.
This professional qualification is available exclusively to students who hold an active WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits certification, or who can demonstrate that they have acquired equivalent foundational knowledge through alternative education or professional experience. The program strongly recommends that students complete the Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits program before advancing to and enrolling in the Level 3 Award program. For individuals who believe they have relevant prior knowledge and wish to pursue direct entry into Level 3, applicants may submit a request to skip the Level 2 requirement; please contact our admissions office for further information and guidance regarding this option.
This comprehensive program provides detailed analysis and instruction on the principal wine regions, wine styles, and specific wines from throughout the world. The curriculum includes in-depth instruction and practice in the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting, a structured methodology for professionally evaluating wine characteristics.
Completion of WSET Level 3 is mandatory for candidates and professionals who intend to pursue further study and advancement through the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits qualification program.
Course Overview and Learning Objectives:
The WSET Level 3 Award in Wines program is specifically engineered to provide a comprehensive understanding of the natural and human factors that influence and determine the style, quality, and pricing of the world's principal still wines, sparkling wines, and fortified wines. This professional qualification is specifically designed to support and develop the competencies required for professionals who must conduct professional evaluations and assessments of wines, determining their style, quality, value, and market pricing. The qualification provides the comprehensive product knowledge and understanding required to support and underpin job-specific skills and professional competencies across multiple industries, including but not limited to product selection and curation in retail environments, hospitality venues, food service establishments, and wine service operations. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to describe and articulate the defining characteristics of the principal wines of the world and provide detailed information about the critical factors that influence the style, quality, and pricing of wines. Qualified graduates will be well-positioned to advise management and organizational leadership, respond authoritatively to customer inquiries and questions, and make well-informed selections of wines for diverse situations, venues, and occasions.
In order to successfully meet the comprehensive qualification aims and objectives, the program curriculum is organized into six distinct learning outcomes distributed across two comprehensive Units. Students are required to complete and pass both Units to receive the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines certification.
UNIT 1: Comprehensive Wine Theory and Global Wine Studies
Learning Outcome 1
- Identify and recognize the principal natural environmental factors and human practices in the vineyard and winery that are directly involved in the production of still wines throughout the world; additionally, explain how and in what ways these factors can influence and shape the resulting style, quality, and market price of these wines.
Learning Outcome 2
- Identify and provide detailed descriptions of the characteristics that define the still wines produced in the principal wine-producing regions throughout the world, and comprehensively explain how the key natural environmental factors, human decisions in the winery, applicable wine laws and regulations, and commercial factors can collectively influence the resulting style, quality, and pricing of these wines.
Learning Outcome 3
- Identify and provide detailed descriptions of the distinctive characteristics of the principal sparkling wines produced throughout the world and thoroughly explain how the key factors, including natural vineyard conditions, winemaking decisions, applicable regulations, and commerce, can influence the resulting style, quality, and pricing of these wines.
Learning Outcome 4
- Identify and provide detailed descriptions of the defining characteristics of the principal fortified wines produced throughout the world and comprehensively explain how the key factors, including natural vineyard conditions, winemaking practices, and applicable wine laws, can shape the resulting style, quality, and pricing of these wines.
Learning Outcome 5
- Develop and demonstrate the practical ability to provide comprehensive information and authoritative advice regarding wines to both customers and service staff in professional settings.
UNIT 2: Professional Wine Tasting and Analytical Evaluation
Learning Outcome 1
- Develop the capability to accurately describe and articulate the key characteristics that define the principal still wines of the world and use these detailed descriptions to formulate a professional assessment of wine quality and determine the appropriate timing for consuming the wine at optimal readiness for drinking.
This unit employs the WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting, a structured professional methodology for how to systematically taste wines and objectively evaluate the quality, style, and pricing considerations. This unit is formally assessed through a blind tasting practical examination of two wines conducted at an approved WEI testing location.
Examination Overview and Assessment
- Completion of a 50-question multiple-choice knowledge assessment covering course content
- Completion of a short answer and essay examination consisting of four to five comprehensive questions
- Completion of a blind tasting practical examination of two different wines
- Students are required to achieve a score of 55 percent or higher in each individual section of the complete examination
- The full examination is provided as part of the course tuition and is administered on the final day of instruction
Complete course materials, wine samples, and all examination components are provided to all students enrolled in the program.
