WSET Classes in Philadelphia
World's Best Wine Classes from the WSET
The WSET is England's Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Since 1969 it has been affiliated with the Institute of Masters of Wine in educating the wine trade as well as consumers seeking a very thorough wine education. In the U.K., completion of WSET's Advanced Certificate and Diploma classes are pre-requisites for Master of Wine candidates.
We feel quite confident saying the WSET Courses are the world's greatest wine classes:
- They have been offered for nearly 40 years
- They're offered in 38 countries, from Australia to Zanzibar, in 12 languages
- Approximately 20,000 people per year take the courses
- Detailed objectives are listed and covered each week
- Classes are student-centered and discussion-focused; we don't just talk at you
- Evocative multi-media presentations: 80% of adults are "visual modality" learners, so we don't just tell you, we show you
- Great wines are poured
- They're poured into Vinea INAO/ISO stemware, which you keep -- six free glasses per student
- In many countries the classes are MW pre-requisites-- if you have ever dreamed of becoming a Master of Wine, these are the classes for you.
So You Say You've Taken a Wine Class? Is WSET So Different?
Why do people take wine classes? Sometimes, just to meet other people. Otherwise, to learn to buy and to taste wine. To learn why what they like tastes that way (geography, chemistry, whatever). And to find other wines, maybe cheaper, they will like as much. No more aimless wandering through wine aisles, they think. No more what-am-I-tasting confusion.
Oh, sure, most of the wines in the shop have numerical scores. Is that enough help? Will that 90-point wine taste better than that other 90-point wine? And how will either taste with your 85-point dinner? (Ever notice that the foods we buy don’t come with scores attached?)
So, you’ve already taken a wine class? Let me guess. The instructor told some good jokes. He or she talked, you listened. You got a pile of handouts, maybe some maps. You tasted a bunch of wines. The wine made everyone get friendlier. More good jokes about the wines. End of class.
Next time in the wine shop, were you any less confused? Did the handouts help? WSET Classes are different. Read on...
WSET Professional Wine Expertise: Wine Buyers, International
England is too far north to grow good wine grapes. But for centuries they have had royalty and nobility who wanted good wine and had the money to pay for it. Europe was very nearby and had lots of good wines. And England had colonies, ranging from America to Australia, some of which were beginning to make wine. The market responded and a profession was created.
Wine professionals visited cellars in little towns throughout Europe and the empire. Was this wine good, and a good value? Did it taste like wines from this-little-town usually taste, so customer expectations would be met? The skills they learned and used were written down and passed along to their apprentices. Beginning 1969, this knowledge, acquired over centuries, was all formalized with the creation of the WSET.
Once you have read the course descriptions in this section of the website, we're sure that you will agree with us about the quality of these courses. In a culture such as ours, in which wine knowledge is equated with memorizing Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator scores, it's not surprising that American Master of Wine candidates did so badly when they first began taking the M.W. exams in 1988, or that they have had more success now that these WSET courses -- mandatory for U.K. candidates -- are more widely available in the U.S.
WSET Course Offerings in Philadelphia
- The Intermediate Certificate Course- no prior wine knowledge required
- The Advanced Certificate Course- for people with a significant amount of prior wine knowledge. In the U.K. the Intermediate Certificate is a pre-requisite for this course, but we will admit well-prepared people with no prior WSET experience
- The Diploma Course. Very challenging. The last step before trying to become a Master of Wine. The Advanced Certificate is a pre-requisite for the WSET Diploma.
- Home Study course registration is available for the Intermediate Certificate, Advanced Certificate, and Diploma.
- (Coming soon) The Foundation Course. We have not yet begun offering this most basic course in Philadelphia. It is designed for restaurants and retail stores (different curricula for each) and is designed to be taught in a restaurant or store during one six-hour day, with the test given at the end of that day. Sign up for our free newsletter or check back to find out when this course will be available.