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Certification Classes

About Certification Classes

The Texas Wine School is a proud approved provider for WSET and Wine Scholar Guild certification classes. We also offer the Certified Sherry Wine Specialist and our own Specialist of Texas Wine certification class.

WSET classes are occasionally offered in Austin and Lubbock, but all the other classes are held at our location in Houston. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 1 class is typically offered over three weeks, for three hours per night, once a week. This course is perfectly suited for beginners, and will cover, in broad strokes, the world of wine.

WSET Level 2 is twice as long and gets into much greater detail, again covering the world of wine. WSET Level 1 is NOT a prerequisite, and many students choose to skip Level 1 and dive right into Level 2. This is a great option for those in the trade, or who have been collecting wine or traveling to wine regions. The course is typically offered over six weeks, and is occasionally offered as an intensive class.

WSET Level 3 is twice as long again as Level 2, focusing in much greater depth on viticulture and winemaking, and how they influence the style, quality and price of a wine. While Level 2 is not a prerequisite, it is rarely recommended that a student skip Level 2, which provides a solid foundation about wines from all over the world. WSET Level 3 is a twelve week course that culminates in a two-part (tasting and theory) exam. Students may resit any failed exams for the price of $50 for Level 1, $100 for Level 2, and $100 & $150 for the Level 3 tasting and theory exams respectively.

WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines aims to give students specialist knowledge and understanding of the core principles of production and business of wine. Upon successful completion of the program, students will have the product knowledge and the analytical tasting skills to explain and evaluate wines. The course consists of six mandatory units, and takes roughly two years to complete.  Click here to learn more about WSET certified courses.

We also offer some regional certifications, such as the Specialist of Texas Wine and Italian Wine Scholar Prep, that are short and aim for breadth rather than depth of material covered. The French Wine Scholar (FWS) and Italian Wine Scholar programs, both created by the Wine Scholar Guild, are in-depth, comprehensive courses on these regions. We strongly recommend that students take WSET Level 2 (or have equivalent knowledge) before taking these courses.

Below are all of our Certification Course offerings.  You can filter by certification by clicking on the arrow next to “Certification” in the gray bar.

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The Level 1, WSET wine education class is for wine consumers looking for challenging wine classes and wanting to know more about the main grape varieties and food and wine matching. It may also be used for students who are looking to begin their first job in wine. The foundation wine education class will introduce them, at a very basic level, to the main styles of wine available, wine storage and service and the matching of food and wine.

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The WSET Level 3 Award in Wines Class is designed to give a thorough understanding of the principal wines and spirits of the world and their commercial importance in the world’s market. The wine classes will assist those who are required to make professional evaluations of wines with regards to their quality and commercial value. The wine classes provide the in-depth product knowledge required to underpin job skills and competencies, for example in product selection in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Distance learning is an online study option that matches students with an educator and provides full access to course readings, as well as additional online quizzes, exam practice exercises, and projects to help students prepare for the final exam. An optional one-day tasting workshop is held at the wine school in Houston for each session to help students prepare for the tasting portion of the exam.

The exam is still administered in person at the Texas Wine School. This is an excellent option for students who are unable to attend class and learners who prefer to work at their own pace.

WSET recommends a minimum of 84 total hours of preparation for this course, at least 51.5 of which should be spent independently studying outside of the online course. For more information on course content, please see the specification <a href=”https://www.wsetglobal.com/media/4953/level-3-award-in-wines-specification.pdf”>here</a>.

Upon passing the exam students will receive a certificate and pin to recognize their achievement. Any students needing to retake the exam may retake the theory portion for $150 and the tasting portion for $100.

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