The Wine Fairy

Greetings from Dallas, where I’m preparing for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3 Award in Wines exam! I’m at the Dallas Wine Center in the Bishop Arts neighborhood, about two miles southwest of downtown.

Dallas Wine Center is the educational arm of Blind Bishop, a wine bar and bottle shop owned and operated by Master of Wine Dilek Caner. Besides WSET courses, Blind Bishop offers tasting hours, wine dinners, and beginner-friendly classes such as “Wine 101.” There are also occasional blind-tasting events for advanced tasters and certification seekers to hone their skills.

I’ve visited Blind Bishop during bar hours for a glass of wine and a nibble of cheese. The wines are a delightful mix of the classic and the unexpected, all carefully chosen for quality and value.

But most of the time when I’m in this room, it’s not to sip, but to study. This is the very same classroom where I took Level 2 in January. Returning here several months later is an eerily familiar feeling, like coming back to school after a summer recess.

Only now, it’s about to get real. While the Level 2 class covered major wine topics in moderate detail, Level 3 is famously much more challenging. (“A big step, right?” Dilek reminds me as I plop the heavy workbook down on the desk in front of me.) Yeah, I’m plenty nervous–but fortunately, I still have 32 classroom hours to go before the exam.

Planning for WSET Level 3

Once you decide to pursue the Level 3 certification, the next question is where and how. There are a lot of options for doing the WSET 3 coursework, from online and self-study to fully in-person “boot camps” in fabulous wine destinations. There are multi-day classroom intensives and slower-paced courses spread out over several weeks or months.

With all these different course formats, there’s still one important common thread: You have to travel to an Approved Program Provider (APP) to take the written and tasting exams. Unlike the multiple-choice Level 2 qualification which can be administered online, the Level 3 test is only offered in-person.

I had briefly fantasized about jetting off somewhere for my Level 3–perhaps combining the class with a quick getaway to California or London. But ultimately I decided it would be less stressful and less costly to take it in my Texas hometown. I registered back in May and received my textbooks by mail a couple weeks later.

My class has eight in-person meetings over five weeks, with the test on the ninth session. I chose this format because I wanted a little more time to identify weak spots in my knowledge and fix them before the big day. (Also, I didn’t want the hassle and expense of procuring all the wines for tasting practice.)

But I didn’t want to spread out the classroom time too much. After all, I’ve been fretting over this exam for months. At this point, I’m on the verge of feeling as prepared as I’m likely to get.

The classroom experience: Week 1

Just like in Level 2, I show up early on the first day of class and choose a seat in the bright, plant-filled classroom. The desks face a wall of windows–gotta have natural light to assess color and clarity–and a projector screen. The wine bar, closed during classroom hours, occupies a wall behind us.

At each station is a mat with empty glasses, a spit cup, and a bottle of water. For four hours today (and the same tomorrow), we’ll be listening to lectures, engaging in discussion, and sampling wines from around the world.

It sounds relaxing, but it’s not. The pace is astounding. I’ve brought along a printed copy of the class schedule and I blink twice with shock when I look over it.

On the first Saturday, we’re supposed to cover everything that Level 3 has to say about wine tasting and service, grape-growing, climate, and vineyard management. On Sunday, we’re going to breeze through all the red, white, and rosé wine-making techniques…and, oh yeah–also Alsace, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. In between slides, we’ll be squeezing in tastings of 15 typical wines representing these methods, countries, and regions.

Suddenly, I’m very glad that I decided to study ahead. If I hadn’t, I’d surely be screwed. There’s no way I could learn all this material in just four weeks.

My Level 3 classmates–there are just six of us–are a mix of wine pros and wine lovers. Everyone is well-traveled and curious and enthusiastic. The small group size means there’s more time to ask questions and compare tasting notes with our teachers and peers.

Just for fun, our instructor invites us to blind-taste the first 10 wines on the syllabus. We are not required to identity varieties or regions for the Level 3 tasting exam. But the whole class is game, so here we go!

I venture a guess for every glass. I make some terrible calls and a couple that I’m really proud of. I know my voice was shaking. I’ll admit that I lost some sleep afterwards over one or two wines that should have been super easy. (Why, oh why, do I have so much trouble with Pinot Grigio?)

But I’m glad I spoke up anyway. I’m trying to get used to being wrong in blind tastings (and getting over it), learning from my mistakes, and reminding myself that it’s not life or death–it’s just freakin’ wine.

Countdown to exam day

It’s now less than four weeks until exam day and I’m feeling mostly ready. I’ll be back in class this weekend to brush up on Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Loire Valley. More updates soon–and cheers, y’all!

Further reading:

I previously wrote about my WSET Level 2 classroom experience (check out Part One and Part Two). I’ve also published my personal tips for passing Level 2 with Distinction.

Wines tasted:

Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio delle Venezie (2023) – Italy

Kosta Browne “one-sixteen” Chardonnay (2019) – Russian River Valley, California

Domaine Chapel Beaujolais-Village (2023) – France

CVNE Rioja Reserva (2019) – Spain

Château Mangot Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2020) – Bordeaux, France

L’Ecole 41 Merlot (2021) – Columbia Valley, Washington

Saracina Unoaked Chardonnay (2020) – Mendocino County, California

Hanna Chardonnay (2022) – Russian River Valley, California

Republic of Wine Shiraz (2020) – South Eastern Australia

Angel’s Share Shiraz (2020) – McLaren Vale, Australia

Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel (2024) – Wachau, Austria

Pierre Sparr “Grande Réserve” Riesling (2022) – Alsace, France

Weingut Fritz Haag Riesling Trocken (2022) – Mosel, Germany

Wilhelm Bergman “Piesporter Goldtröpfchen” Riesling Kabinett (2022) – Mosel, Germany

Disznókő Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos (2013) – Tokaj, Hungary

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.