10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT STUDYING WSET LEVEL 3

Here are some lessons learned along the way through Level 3 that I hope you’ll find useful for ensuring you have a great experience!

Your studies will be based on the WSET Level 3 textbook, called Understanding Wines: Explaining Style and Quality. Although you’re free to read more widely about the topics covered, know that you can absolutely achieve a top tier result solely by studying the textbook.

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WSET LEVEL 3 DIARY: DECIDING BETWEEN WSET 1, 2 OR 3 & CHALLENGING LEVEL 3

I’m not in the wine trade but I’ve developed a fair interest in wine. Mainly by exposure from wine loving friends who’ve generously shared good bottles and by travels abroad. A trip through the Rhône opened my eyes to wine and made me curious to know more. Then a good friend who happens to work in wine took his WSET 3. Although it sounded pretty tough I thought ‘why not go for it too?’.

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LESSONS FROM A MOCK MW BLIND TASTING EXAM: PART 1

What kind of questions are the students asked, how do they compose their answers, what logic are they using as they taste?

Last weekend, I sat a mock Paper 2 exam. There were 12 wines to taste, all of them red, and we had two and a quarter hours to write the exam. There were three flights within the 12 wines, and each flight had a set of questions relating to those particular wines.

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PLANNING YOUR YEAR IN WINE

I'm at that in between stage: post Diploma and pre-MW; definitely wanting to keep my knowledge fresh, and most importantly to stay curious and inspired about wine.

My planning for the year started with 1) travel (Porto, Paso Robles), added in 2) some wine festivals and seminars (Vancouver Wine Fest, will I see you there?), and sprinkled in a liberal dose of 3) tastings, 4) books, and 5) wine buying.

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HOW TO PASS D3 (UNIT 3) OF THE WSET DIPLOMA

This is a big exam, and the D3 curriculum is massive. Sometimes, it helps to orient yourself at the end before beginning your studies. That means, reading the Candidate Assessment Guide, and reviewing past exams to look at exactly what is being asked of you in the exam. That way, as you complete the readings and take your notes, you will be doing it with an eye to the exam.

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