The Wine Fairy

No, not the Rapture. That was supposed to happen today–but so far it’s just another Tuesday.

I’m sure I drink too much wine to go to that particular Heaven, anyway. My Judgment Day is the big exam that’s coming up in just over a month: The Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 3 Award in Wines. I start my in-person classes this weekend.

Obviously, I want to do well. (A Pass with Distinction would be great!) While I don’t need the certification for work or anything, I want it. To add context to my tasting experiences, to challenge myself mentally. And, I suppose, to bolster my credibility when I sit at a keyboard and spout off wine opinions on the internet.

I did the WSET Level 2 course and exam in January of this year. It was challenging because much of the content was new to me–but I wouldn’t say it was that tough.

Level 2 goes like this: Learn the main wines regions and grapes, brush up on some basics of service and food pairing, and understand some of what goes on in the winery. Then pass a short multiple-choice test on those topics. It does require some study or wine experience or both–but I think it’s fair to say that I (and everybody else in my class) felt adequately prepared for that exam.

The Level 3 course is quite a bit more difficult, with a detailed written essay exam and a blind-tasting component. The pass rate is lower, too (reportedly around 50%).

I looked over some sample tests and I didn’t feel anywhere near ready for it. So I gave myself around eight months to prepare before the class begins.

In that time, I’ve been soliciting advice from people who have passed the Level 3 test, people who have failed the Level 3 test, and people who have administered the Level 3 test in the past. As I cobble together a “exam cram plan” for the final push, I’m trying to talk myself out of being nervous about it.

I’ve chatted with a bunch of WSET students in person and online. I know a lot of us are in the same boat. And so, I’ve come up with this short list of three last-minute tips to help me go into the exam with confidence. Maybe they will help you, too.

So, here is how not to go crazy with dread while preparing for the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines:

#1: RTFM

Yes, it’s internet slang for “Read The Fine Manual.” And a fine manual it is, jndeed. The WSET Level 3 textbook (Understanding Wines: Explaining Style and Quality) contains all the facts that can show up on the theory exam.

That’s the good news. The bad news is, there is a lot of testable material in that deceptively skinny book.

I remember the first time I flipped through the textbook and went, “Oh shit.” There are detailed maps, there are obscure wine laws, there is a bunch of stuff about farming and pest management that seasoned wine drinkers and even experienced somms wouldn’t necessarily need to know.

The other bad news is that memorization won’t cut it. You might squeak by on the multiple choice questions…maybe harvest enough points there to eke out a technical pass.

But the written portion of the exam rewards deep and integrated understanding of the course material and punishes superficial modes of learning. You’re expected to make connections and explain concepts in a detailed, logical fashion. Everything in the book is a potential essay question, and all of it intertwines with other parts of the book. It’s a sticky, sticky web that will trip you up if all you’ve done is cram facts.

The short written answer questions are the biggest hurdle, so figure out what will help you deeply understand (and retain) the many influences on wine quality and style. Climate is a big deal in WSET, and so is viticulture/vinification. Most wine drinkers don’t learn these topics by osmosis–you have to actively study them.

If reading the book is too dull, mix it up. I’ve done some videos, podcasts, and online flashcards. They can be useful, although the accuracy of these resources varies. (Especially the free ones. When it comes to exam prep aids, it seems like you get what you pay for.)

On the paid side of things, I subscribed to Wine With Jimmy and found it very helpful. I’ve especially made use of the terrain overview videos and the practice exam questions.

However, even though the material is presented very well, I’ve found that learning through videos can be a little too passive for me. It’s like my brain decides it’s at the movie theater watching a rom-com and just shuts off. I’ve had to re-visit sections of the Wine With Jimmy video course multiple times after I’ve totally blanked on the content. Taking my own written notes during the videos seems to help with retention.

Admittedly, I’m a book learner at heart, so I may be biased. But here’s my unpopular opinion: You can supplement reading with other study materials. However, for an exam centered around a text, there’s really no complete and effective substitute for cracking that book.

The WSET textbook (and the accompanying course Specification) is always going to be the most current, accurate representation of what will be on the test. So read often, read early. Ask yourself questions, write stuff down. Circle back and RTFM again.

#2: Don’t sweat the tasting exam.

Blind tasting under pressure is a really nerve-racking thing. It’s stressful even when the stakes are low, like a friendly bar bet.

Every wine is just a partially opaque liquid. It’s all grape guts and water. There’s a moment when you look at the glass and your confidence collapses. Your pulses rises as you think, Oh wow, this could really be anything.

There are so many regions and varieties to choose from. They all seem like possibilities until the moment when you turn your full attention to the glass, sniff it, and begin to start eliminating things. It’s no wonder that WSET students freak out about Level 3, the first exam where you’re required to blind taste for a grade.

So yeah. Blind tasting makes me really nervous and so I’ve done a ton of practice in the last several months. At bars, at home, in the air, at sea.

But is it really worth losing sleep over? Nah. Years of working as a chef made me a pretty decent taster before I started learning about wine–and at this point, I’ve probably over-prepared for the Level 3 tasting exam. In fact, most people do. I’ve actually never met anyone who hasn’t passed the tasting portion on their first try.

This is consistent with what WSET educators like to say over and over: The tasting exam has very high pass rate. The written theory exam is where most people blow it.

Don’t believe me? Take it from an expert. In August, I was at the TEXSOM Conference in Dallas. It was lunchtime and I was seated with a Master of Wine who had a long association with WSET.

I told him I was about to attempt Level 3, and he asked me if I felt adequately prepared for the tasting exam. Yeah, I said. And he said, Good, because (and I’m paraphrasing here) that part of the test is kind of easy.

Two important points were presented to me by this kind MW: One, WSET educators really want you to pass. So, the wines chosen for the exam are true to type. The examiner tasting notes (which serve as the answer key) are usually quite lenient because they want you to get credit for in-the-ballpark aroma and flavor identification.

And two: It gets much harder later, at the Diploma stage and beyond. So if you struggle to do deductive tasting at the WSET 3 level, then maybe pursuing wine certs isn’t the right avenue for you.

One more encouraging thing? It’s not required (or encouraged) to “call” the wine on the Level 3 exam. Bully for you if you can figure out the variety, region, or vintage–but it doesn’t score you any points.

Why is the exam designed this way? Well, I’ve asked a few different wine educators about this and gotten some interesting answers. One told me that the Level 3 exam used to have an answer space for test-takers to try and identify the wine. But too many people were reverse-engineering their tasting notes based on what they thought the wine was. Eventually, the people at WSET decided that it undermined the process of systematic tasting.

Another told me that it comes down to utility. As a wine professional, there are actually very few moments where being able to identify a mystery wine is important. (You already know what’s in the glass/bottle at your workplace–or at least you should!) Though impressive, blind-tasting “hits” aren’t as useful as being able to describe a wine precisely and being able to come to a conclusion about its quality.

All this is to say, the Level 3 tasting exam reputedly isn’t too hard if you stick to the grid and follow the process. You need to be accurate, you need to be complete–but you don’t necessarily have to be an awe-inspiring blind taster.

#3: Focus!

Trying to learn everything there is to know about wine isn’t practical. It’s not even possible. Instead, focus your learning on what is actually going to show up on the test.

WSET 3 offers a pretty comprehensive overview of the important world wine regions and the important international and regional grapes and styles. If you only know what’s in the textbook, you will still have a good understanding of the “whats,” “wheres” and “whys” of wine.

But there’s a lot that WSET 3 doesn’t cover. For instance: It doesn’t get deep into soil. It doesn’t require knowledge of every sub-region, even in major spots like Napa and Mendoza. It completely ignores some emerging wine regions. (Texas, Virginia, and China may as well not exist.) You don’t need to know the names of any brands or producers–which wine industry people have told me is very odd. Market factors and service are both presented in the most cursory way.

The tasting portion of the exam is even more narrow in its scope. There will be two wines: A still red (which will almost always be dry) and a still white. Never a sparkling, rosé, fortified, or a faulty wine. To score well on the tasting exam, you’re expected to limit yourself to a very limited list of approved descriptors…which is enough to drive creative writers absolutely nuts.

There’s oodles more to learn about wine than what’s on the test. Still, during the final stages of exam prep, it makes sense to embargo your wine media consumption and stick to what WSET wants you to know. Outside sources aren’t always consistent with the test. They’re not always reliable, either.

Narrowing your focus is the best way to avoid getting confused. It also leaves room in your memory bank for the specific sets of obscure details that WSET is obsessed with–like fortified Muscats, for some reason.

Admittedly, this is all easier said than done. A few months ago, when I started my test prep, I felt relieved that there was a limit to what I needed to study for WSET Level 3. Now, I feel constrained by trying to stick to the syllabus and the tasting grid.

I love sparkling wine, sweet wine, fortified wine, and rosé. I can be in a mood for orange wine and natural wine. I don’t mind mixing it up with cider, mead, wine cocktails, fruit wines, and beer. A diet of still red and still white wine only? Forget about it.

Recently, I’ve met awesome, generous people in the industry whose passion for wine far-reaching and infectious. My opportunities to taste and travel have expanded. I have a stack of new wine books on my coffee table with a sticky note on them that says, “Do Not Read Until After Test.”

And the grapes? There are so many grapes! It’s fun when someone hands you a glass and you ask, “What is it?” and they say, “It’s this crazy indigenous variety from Corsica! You’ve definitely never heard of it!” And you say, “Cool!” and you drink the wine and you love it. You’re not thinking, “Hold on…is this a test-able wine? No? Let me go spit it out, I guess.”

Focusing on just the in-scope varieties and regions is a bit of a buzzkill…but at least it’s only for a few more weeks.

Countdown to Exam Day

I’m excited to start class this week, meet fellow Level 3 students, and taste some amazing wines. My class meets for eight 4-hour sessions…so, 32 hours classroom hours in total.

When I did my Level 2 earlier this year, I posted some classroom updates for each week. But Level 3 requires more of my attention. So, between school, last-minute studying, and working at my real job, there’s a good chance I’ll be too busy.

In the meantime, I’ve got a lot of content queued up for The Wine Fairy blog. I’ll be posting new bottle reviews, some more exam prep tips–and of course, I can’t miss a #MerlotThursday.

My readers will be the first to know how that test goes. Wish me luck! (And if you’re currently studying, good luck on your test, too!)

Updated 2/4/2026: Hooray–I passed with Distinction! 😀

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Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.