The Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is a global organization that provides education and qualification fro wine, beer, spirits, and sake. While obtaining WSET certification is not in any way a requirement to be a success in the wine world, let me tell you why I decided to hoosw ethis route…

I’ve always loved wine and drink a lot of it. But I found myself drinking the same wine over and over and over again. Once I found out I can have the same grape from different countries, regions, climates, and vintages I became significantly intrigued and yearned to know more. Who makes this stuff? Who’s responsible for the labels? Why does California Chardonnay tastes different from French chardonnay? And New eland grows Chardonnay??? I had to know more.

I started from the bottom in the spring of 2021- Level 1 certification. Thanks to the Wine Unify scholarship, I was able to complete it online with Napa Valley Wine Academy. This was a turning point for me as I am a single mother with no residual income at that time to invest in formal wine education. I decided at that time that a career in wine may be a possibility for me. But I needed credibility. I needed to network. I needed experience. As my goals expanded, I felt a need to be more marketable and show a serious commitment to the industry. I joined organizations dedicated to diversifying the world of wine and received a fair amount of support for my goals. I passed the exam with flying colors.

Fast forward to 2024, I decided I wanted to pursue Level 2. A little more in depth, a little more focus, a little more serious. I wanted to do this one in person and the preparation required knowledge of a significant amount of wine, most I knew but some I did not. And the cost! Yikes! But I was able to split the cost on half thanks to The Oenophile Institute’s option of a payment plan and I decided to invest my own money into it so prove to myself how serious I took it. I also decided I needed another avenue to use my knowledge. In May of 2024 I started working at 3 Parks Wine Shop in Atlanta, GA. Day 1 I was educating, recommending, and pouring wine for fellow wine lovers. This solidified my decision to keep moving forward with my formal wine education.

So Level 2 began September 18th. Each class was 3 hours, 5-8 wines each. Woo hoo! Already having a ball LOL. 7 of us from all backgrounds, some in wine some not. In addition to food and wine pairing and systematic way of tasting there was also lots of nerdy wine stuff- climate, soil, weather and all their effects on grapes. Grape formation, when to harvest, different winemaking techniques, laws according to specific regions- it was amazing!! I took my test on October 23rd so wish me luck on my resultssssss!!!!