Which WSET Level Should I Take? Level 1 vs 2 vs 3
If you’re thinking about taking a WSET wine course, one of the first questions you’ll probably have is: which level should I start with?
And no, you don’t necessarily need to start at Level 1. The right starting point really depends on how much you already know about wine, what you want to get out of the course and, to some extent, how much time you want to spend studying.
The short answer: If you know virtually nothing about wine and want a gentle introduction, Level 1 is a good starting point. If you’re an enthusiastic wine drinker and already understand basic grape varieties and wine styles, Level 2 is often the better place to begin. Level 3 is a substantial step up and is best approached with solid Level 2-equivalent knowledge.
For a lot of wine enthusiasts—and plenty of people working in the industry—Level 2 is the natural starting point. But I wouldn’t choose a course simply on the basis of starting at the highest level you think you can manage. The three qualifications are quite different experiences, and Level 1 in particular is easy to underestimate.
So, let’s look at what you can expect from each.
WSET Level 1: Best for Complete Beginners
WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is the introductory qualification. You can turn up knowing absolutely nothing about wine, and that’s completely fine.
You’ll cover some of the major grape varieties and wine styles, basic food and wine pairing, and learn how to taste wine using a structured approach.
Level 1 is worth considering if:
You’re starting completely from scratch.
Terms such as tannin, acidity, body and dry are still fairly new to you.
You want to learn about wine without being overwhelmed by it.
Your interest is mainly personal rather than professional.
You work around wine—perhaps in hospitality or retail—but haven’t had any formal wine education.
You like the idea of building some confidence before taking Level 2.
One of the things I really like about Level 1 is that it doesn’t try to cram too much in. There’s no expectation that you’ll have studied wine beforehand, and you don’t need to spend weeks revising before you arrive. The information is presented in a way that is manageable and, importantly, useful. And students generally walk out feeling pretty good.
That might sound like a small thing, but wine is an enormous subject. When you’re at square one, it can be difficult to know where to begin. There are grapes, regions, appellations, vintages, tasting terms... and suddenly something you wanted to learn about for fun can feel rather more complicated than expected.
Level 1 gives you enough of a framework for things to start making sense without asking you to learn the entire wine world in a day. For someone who wants to know a bit more about wine, make more confident choices or simply understand what people are talking about when they describe a wine as “high acid” or “full-bodied”, that can be incredibly valuable.
WSET Level 2: The Sweet Spot for Many Wine Drinkers
For many people, WSET Level 2 Award in Wines is the sweet spot.
It goes considerably further than Level 1, but without the depth (or study commitment) of Level 3. You’ll cover major grape varieties, important wine-producing regions, different styles of wine, sparkling and fortified wines, and some of the factors that influence how wines taste.
This is also where you start to spend more time thinking about why a wine tastes the way it does. Why might a Chardonnay from one part of the world taste completely different from a Chardonnay grown somewhere else? What effect does climate have? What choices has the winemaker made? You start joining the dots.
Level 2 is probably the right starting point if:
You already enjoy wine and know some of the basics.
You recognise the major grape varieties and at least some wine regions.
You want to feel more confident reading labels and wine lists.
You work in hospitality, retail, distribution or another wine-related role.
You want a proper grounding in wine without committing to Level 3 just yet.
You suspect you’ll want to continue to Level 3 eventually.
You don’t need to complete Level 1 before taking Level 2. That’s important, because plenty of people assume WSET works like a staircase and you have to complete every step. For many enthusiastic wine drinkers, starting at Level 2 makes perfect sense. But there is a decent amount to learn. You’ll encounter geography, grape varieties, regional styles, terminology, growing conditions and winemaking. It’s accessible, but it does require more from you than simply turning up on the day. If Level 1 gives you the foundations, Level 2 starts building the house.
WSET Level 3: A Much Bigger Step
WSET Level 3 Award in Wines is a different proposition.
It isn’t simply Level 2 with a few more regions added. At Level 3, there is much more emphasis on understanding why. Why does climate affect acidity, sugar and alcohol? Why do particular vineyard techniques make sense in one place but not another? How do choices in the winery influence style and quality? And how do all of those factors ultimately affect what ends up in your glass? You’re moving away from simply remembering facts and towards being able to connect them and explain cause and effect. The tasting becomes more demanding too. You’re expected to evaluate wines systematically and reach conclusions about things such as quality and readiness for drinking. While this is practiced at an introductory way in Level 2, tasting becomes a formal part of the assessment in Level 3.
Level 3 makes sense if:
You already have a solid foundation in wine.
You’ve completed Level 2 or have genuinely equivalent knowledge.
You work professionally with wine and want to deepen your knowledge.
You’re prepared to study outside the classroom.
You want to develop more serious tasting and analytical skills.
You simply love the subject and want to go much further with it.
And the outside-of-classroom study commitment here shouldn't be underestimated.
WSET Level 1 vs Level 2 vs Level 3 at a Glance
| WSET Level 1 | WSET Level 2 | WSET Level 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Complete beginners | Wine enthusiasts and professionals | Serious students and wine professionals |
| Prior knowledge | None | None required | Level 2-equivalent knowledge recommended* |
| Depth | Introductory | Broad and structured | Detailed and analytical |
| Tasting | Introductory tasting | Systematic Approach to Tasting | Advanced SAT with assessed tasting |
| Exam | Multiple-choice | Multiple-choice | Multiple-choice, written answers and tasting |
| Difficulty | Accessible | Moderate | Significant step up |
| Good starting point? | Yes, for complete beginners | Yes, for many students | Usually not |
| Career relevance | Useful foundation | Strong professional foundation | Advanced wine knowledge |
*It is important to check with your local WSET Approved Programme Provider (APP) as they may have specific requirements around eligibility for students attending Level 3 without already having earned the Level 2 qualification.
Should I Skip WSET Level 1?
For plenty of people, yes. But I also think Level 1 is sometimes dismissed a little too quickly.
If you already drink wine regularly, understand basic wine terminology and can identify major grapes such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah, and are familiar with their generalised characteristics, you may well get more from starting at Level 2.
If you’re genuinely at square one, though, Level 1 has a lot going for it. Perhaps its biggest strength is that it doesn’t give you too much information at once. You can walk in with absolutely no wine knowledge. You don’t need to revise beforehand or spend weeks preparing for the exam. Pay attention during the course and you should come away with a useful foundation that feels manageable rather than overwhelming.
There’s a confidence boost that comes with that too. Students who arrive saying, “I know absolutely nothing about wine” quite often leave surprised by how much they now understand. They have some vocabulary. They can recognise a few important grapes and styles. They have a way of thinking about what’s in their glass.
If your motivation is simply that you enjoy wine and would like to understand it a bit better, that may be exactly what you want from a course. The qualification itself doesn't necessarily have to be the main attraction.
There’s another reason I think Level 1 can be useful, particularly if you might go on to further WSET study: it introduces you to the way WSET asks questions. You get a feel for the phrasing of its multiple-choice questions and the different styles of question that can come up.
The overall pass rate for Level 1 is very high. Pay attention during the day and it is incredibly likely that you'll pass. That said, don't assume every question will be completely obvious. WSET does occasionally throw in a curveball. Sometimes the challenge isn’t just whether you understood what you were taught; it’s whether you have read the question—and the possible answers—properly. That first bit of experience with WSET exam technique can be useful if you later move on to Level 2 or Level 3.
So, should you skip Level 1? If you already have a decent foundation and know that you want to get into the subject in more depth, probably. But if you’re starting from scratch, want to build your confidence, or just fancy learning about wine without taking on a big study commitment, I wouldn't dismiss it.
For the right person, Level 1 is a really good place to start.
Can I Go Straight to WSET Level 3?
Possibly. But there are actually two questions to answer here:
Will your course provider allow you to go straight to Level 3? And, even if they will, are you ready for it?
The first thing to know is that individual WSET Approved Programme Providers (APPs) can have their own entry requirements. One provider might require you to have successfully completed the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines before they'll accept you onto Level 3, while another might be perfectly happy with equivalent knowledge gained through another wine course or relevant experience. Some providers may give you a short quiz or assessment to check that your foundation knowledge is where it needs to be, so before making any plans, check with the particular course provider you want to study with.
And remember, they're not trying to put unnecessary obstacles in your way. Ultimately, your course provider wants to give you every chance of succeeding. There isn't much benefit in putting someone straight into Level 3 if they're going to spend the first few weeks desperately trying to fill gaps in their Level 2 knowledge at the same time. Even if your provider is happy for you to skip Level 2, you still need that Level 2-equivalent knowledge.
Level 3 moves quickly. Fundamental concepts, major grape varieties and important regions need to be reasonably familiar already because you're going to be building on them rather than encountering all of them for the first time. As a rough test, ask yourself whether you could comfortably explain the typical characteristics of the major grape varieties, identify some of their key regions, and talk about how climate, grape growing and winemaking can affect the resulting style and quality of a wine. If you can—and your chosen APP is satisfied that you meet its entry requirements—going directly to Level 3 may be completely reasonable. Also, keep in mind that the amount of time this qualification requires for revision outside of the classroom is significant. If that sounds like a stretch, take Level 2 first. It isn't simply another certificate to collect before you're allowed onto the interesting stuff. It's the framework that much of Level 3 expects you to already have.
So, Which WSET Level Should You Take?
If you're still unsure, this is roughly how I'd think about it.
Choose Level 1 if you're genuinely new to wine, want to build some confidence, or want an enjoyable introduction without a big study commitment.
Choose Level 2 if you already have some wine knowledge—or you're an enthusiastic beginner willing to put in some study—and want to develop a much broader understanding of grapes, regions and styles.
Choose Level 3 if you already have a strong foundation, meet your chosen provider's requirements and want to get into the subject in considerably more depth.
For the average enthusiastic wine drinker wondering where to begin, I'd probably point towards Level 2. It gives you enough depth to genuinely change the way you think about wine without the considerably heavier commitment of Level 3. But I wouldn't treat Level 1 as something you need to “get out of the way” either. If you're at square one, there’s a lot to be said for taking a course that leaves you thinking, I actually understand this now, rather than one that has you wondering what on earth you've signed yourself up for.
Final Thoughts
There’s no prize for starting at the highest possible WSET level. If you’re completely new to wine and want an accessible, confidence-building introduction, start with Level 1. If you already love wine and want to understand it in considerably more depth, Level 2 is probably your best entry point, and if you already have a solid foundation, meet your provider's requirements and are ready to put some serious work in, Level 3 may be the right next step.
Ultimately, I think there's a more useful question than “What's the highest WSET level I can take?” Ask yourself: “Which level am I actually going to get the most out of right now?”
Written by Jimmy Smith: WSET Certified Educator · 20+ years in wine education · 6,000+ WSET students taught · Founder of West London Wine School, WSET Approved Programme Provider & WSET Global Educator of the Year