WSET® Level 1 Award in Wines

Classroom Course Price: $399  |  Online Course Price: $349

About the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines

The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is a thorough introduction to the world of wine for hospitality professionals, retail staff, and serious enthusiasts. This qualification covers the main types and styles of wine, the principal grape varieties, how to taste and describe wine using a globally recognized method, and the foundations of food and wine pairing. You don’t need prior wine experience, and the course feels approachable from the very first lesson.

By the end of the course, you’ll identify the principal styles of wine with confidence, recognize the characteristics of common grape varieties, and pair food and wine using a simple framework you can apply anywhere. In addition, you’ll use the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine® (SAT) to describe any wine you encounter with clarity and consistency.

In short, this course sets you up well whether you stop here or continue to Level 2.

Prerequisite: None. Curiosity and a genuine interest in wine are all you need. You must be at least 21 years of age to attend the course and to participate in any alcohol tasting.

Who Is This For?

• Restaurant servers, bartenders, and hospitality professionals who want a credible foundation in wine to better guide guests.
• Wine shop and retail staff who sell or recommend wine and want to speak about it accurately.
• Travel, tourism, and private club professionals who host guests around wine and want real fluency.
• Wine enthusiasts and curious drinkers who want to understand what they’re tasting and why.

Course Details for the Level 1 Award in Wines

The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is available in two formats. Both cover the same official WSET curriculum, lead to the same qualification, and sit the same exam. Specifically, you’ll choose the format that best fits your schedule and how you prefer to learn.

Classroom course: For this format, you’ll join a single-day, in-person course taught by a WSET-certified educator. Specifically, the day runs in two sessions, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with a one-hour break in between. Throughout the day, classroom students taste a curated flight of wines, complete a guided food-and-wine pairing activity, and sit the exam at the end of the afternoon.

Online course: Alternatively, the online course runs through the WSET Online Classroom, a structured digital learning environment with lessons, activities, and self-check questions. In this format, you’ll work through the material at your own pace, with educator support available throughout the 4-week support window and 12 months of access to the online course materials. Finally, when ready, you’ll schedule your exam via Remote Invigilation at a time that works for you.

What You’ll Learn

What wine is and how it’s made

First, you’ll explore how wine starts in the vineyard and finishes in the bottle, covering the fundamentals of grape growing, fermentation, and the production choices that shape the finished wine.

Types and styles of wine

Next, you’ll learn the principal categories, including still, sparkling, fortified, and sweet, along with the main style distinctions you’ll meet on any wine list or retail shelf.

How to taste and describe wine

In addition, using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine® (SAT), you’ll learn a structured method for evaluating a wine’s appearance, aromas, flavor, and balance. As a result, you’ll build a consistent tasting vocabulary you can apply to any wine.

Common grape varieties

Then, you’ll study the most widely planted grape varieties in the world and learn the characteristics that define each one, so you can predict what’s likely in a bottle from the label alone.

Storage and service of wine

Also, you’ll cover best practices for wine storage, serving temperatures, glassware, opening, pouring, and managing common service faults behind a bar, at a table, or at home.

Pairing food and wine

Finally, you’ll learn a simple, reliable framework for pairing food and wine that takes the guesswork out of menu recommendations and home dinners alike.

Classroom Course Includes

• Printed WSET Level 1 Award in Wines study materials
• A single-day, in-person course taught by a WSET-certified educator
• Additionally, a curated flight of wines poured and guided throughout the day
• A hands-on food and wine pairing activity
• 30+ practice exam questions to reinforce your study
• In-person exam on the afternoon of the course
• Finally, a Champagne sabering demonstration and an end-of-course toast to close the day

Online Course Includes

• Digital WSET Level 1 Award in Wines study materials available in the WSET Online Classroom
• Access to the WSET Online Classroom for 12 months, including online lessons, activities, and self-check questions
• In addition, 4 weeks of educator support as you progress through the course modules
• Flexible, self-paced online learning with no live sessions and no required login times
• Guidance on which wines to taste during the course
• 30+ practice exam questions to reinforce your study
• Online exam (scheduled at the end of the course)
• Wine samples are not included.

SWSA Student Perks

Every SWSA student enjoys partner benefits that extend learning beyond the course. Specifically, the following perks apply to the Level 1 Award in Wines:

• Tim’s Wine Market offers a student discount on wine purchases. Details shared after registration.
• E-tasting offers a student discount on a curated Level 1 Wines tasting set to support at-home practice. Details shared after registration.
• Direct access to a WSET-certified SWSA educator by text, phone, or email throughout your course.

Time Commitment

Overall, the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines requires approximately 6 hours of total qualification time. All 6 hours count as guided learning (lessons, activities, and the 45-minute exam), with no separate independent study requirement.

Because the online course is self-paced, you can spread that time across the 4-week course window however best suits your schedule. Classroom students complete the full 6 hours (including the exam) in a single day.

Assessment for the Level 1 Award in Wines

• The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines exam includes 30 multiple-choice questions that you’ll complete in 45 minutes.
• Specifically, to pass, you must correctly answer 70% of the questions. You’ll earn a single Pass or Fail. There are no Merit or Distinction grades at Level 1.
• Classroom students sit the exam in person at the end of the single-day class.
  • A Champagne sabering demonstration and an end-of-course toast follow the exam to close the day.
• Online students sit the exam via Remote Invigilation.
  • This allows you to take the exam from home at a time arranged with our team.
• If you’d like to change the format of your exam (online to in-person or in-person to online), please contact us before your course ends and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
• Additionally, you have one year from your course end date to take your exam. After one year, a rescheduling fee will apply.
• Successful students will receive a digital WSET certificate, and a lapel pin is available upon request.
• This qualification is Ofqual regulated.

Helpful Resources

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Cancellations, Refunds, and Transfers Policy