When I was 18, I was at a wedding and the waiter asks “Would you like a glass of wine?”
Of course, I want it. I’m now of legal age to drink and my parents cannot stop me. So I nodded like an adult, and the waiter puts a glass on my table. I hold it by the bowl so I have a better grip.
I take a big gulp. And in a second, a few things happened. My mouth turned dry. My face scrunched up. My mind started to wonder why would anyone like this disgusting drink.
But the more I tasted and saw, the more it intrigues me. And the more I wanted to learn about it.
Because how can one grape in the same country, produce one wine priced like a car and the other like grape juice? How does a glass of wine hold so many flavours? Why do some wines need decanting while others lose their flavour after an hour?
So I took up the WSET Level 2 in Wine.
It is a 2-day course where you drink all sorts of wine from day till night.
And learn about them.
You get to learn how to read labels and distinguish the good and not-so-good wines. You can also start appearing professional by using wine language.
For example, wine connoisseurs don’t call it sour, we say high acidity. We also use delicious descriptors like buttery, cooked peach and dark chocolate.
And questionable ones like… wet gravel and forest floor.
At the end of it, you’ll have about 4 weeks to study before taking the MCQ exams. And another few months before you get your results + certificate and pin.
I took the course before I flew to Europe for work. So I could visit the vineyards and flaunt my newfound knowledge.
Much of my studying came from the visits and real-life label reading because the book wasn’t particularly exciting.
Here are 4 ways I studied for the exams.
1. An overview of all grapes and regions
It’s hard to see the full picture from just reading the book. So I created a page for an overview. Basically what you need to know are:
- Country
- Region
- Sub-region
- Climate
- Grape varietal
Which region grows the Pinot Noir, what are the characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon, etc?
You’d probably do well if you’re good in Geography and know where Central Valley, Barossa Valley, Loire Valley, Eden Valley, Hunter Valley, Napa Valley, etc. are.
Or if you drink a lot.
2. Vineyard visits in Italy and Spain
It’s always better to fly the human to the wine than to fly the wine to the human.
Mostly because you can get wines of their best quality, untainted by temperature fluctuations and chances of oxidation.
In Europe, I got to experience the WSET book in real life. The 2 vineyards I visited were: Chianti and Priorat.
It’s a great way to learn.
Now I’ll always remember that Priorat, Spain is a DOQ wine region that produces mainly Grenache with high alcohol content and primary flavours of red fruit like strawberry. And Chianti, Italy is a region of Sangiovese. And more.
I visited the vineyards in November and December after harvest. The vines were bald. There was not much to see. But we could taste the wines in fantastic weather.
3. Reading wine labels
After the course, I could finally walk into a wine shop and pick a wine based on the label rather than just check it up on Vivino.
It’s also the best way to test what I’ve learned.
For example, now I know Gevrey Chambertin is a Pinot Noir. DOCG is better and naturally more expensive. And that Grand Cru doesn’t always mean premium wine.
4. Practicing with sample questions
Finally, I tried all the questions in the book, corrected my mistakes, and went for the real test. (I did the test remotely.)
My biggest question is, why do they need several months to mark our MCQ questions and return our results?