What you should know before studying the WSET 2
Is studying the WSET 2 a good choice for beginners?
My love of wine started in the summer of 2020 – in the middle of a pandemic, I became obsessed with wine. I wondered how I’d be able to turn this passion into something more – how could I segway my love of wine into a career? The WSET 2 was the perfect place to start.
The WSET 2 did not disappoint. I did a lot of research prior to starting. I grappled between a course run by the Court of Master Sommeliers or the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. The difference being the former has also a ‘serving component’ and is more popular in the US, although there are opportunities to sit the exam in the UK. I, personally, am not a sommelier (yet) and my love of wine is more in the understanding of it (theory) rather than the practice elements behind serving.
The WSET 2 is perfect for beginners. Unlike the WSET 1, which was an extremely basic understanding of wine, the WSET 2 essentially divided the course into basic viticultural practices, vineyard influences, as well as major grapes (and regions they are grown), and a firm understanding of sparkling and fortified wines. There is some knowledge in regards to serving, but it is minimal.
So here are some things to consider before starting the WSET 2
Pick the right course for you
You will have lots of options in terms of the type of course offered to you. The core three are:
- A condensed course – this is essentially usually a four or five day course (full days) back to back, followed by the exam on the final day.
- A weekend day course (ie, Saturday) – this is a weekly or bi-weekly course that will take place on a weekend day – perfect for professionals.
- An evening course – this comprises of a couple of hours once a week on an evening. These courses will run for longer as you don’t get as much content covered.
Due to covid, when I did my WSET 2, I had originally planned to do a face-to-face condensed course. I ended up doing the weekday evening course online that lasted several weeks. In the end, I was glad I did it that way. There’s a lot of content covered, and every week we tried an array of wines. Every wine studied in line with the course textbook. The week we did Syrah, I fell briefly in love with the Northern Rhone (who hasn’t?), and ended up binge reading and watching everything I could to do with Côte-Rôtie. The slower pace was a god send for exam revision and preparation. I had so much more time to fully understand each topic so I felt confident before sitting the WSET 2 online.
Do some research behind your wine schoools
It is paramount to research the right wine school for you. I encourage you to read online reviews and consider the structure of the course. If you’re looking to get your WSET 2 fast, then a school offering the condensed course is right for you.
As I am based in London, I sat my WSET 2 through the West London Wine School – I can’t stress enough how wonderful they are. Even after the pandemic meant we had to learn online, they delivered wines to our door every couple of sessions (to ensure they were fresh) and the switch to online learning was seamless. The tutors really know their stuff (shout out to Rosie) and they are able to explain both basic and tricky wine concepts in a way that is straightforward and understandable. There is an additional online e-portal with a wealth of resources that proved life-saving when it came to revision time.
Study before you start the course
I read the book cover to cover before the course began, and that’s not just because I am the muggle equivalent to Hermoine Granger (with the frizzy hair to boot). Seriously, I read the book cover to cover prior to starting my course – as well as amassed a wealth of notes.
It is paramount you spend substantial time of independent study. The course is both in-depth and broad, meaning lots of content to cover. While things aren’t ‘missed’ in your classes, it can be easy to move at a pace that means concepts you may be struggling with aren’t fully explained.
Try and make sure you have a key understanding behind the chapters prior to your lesson. I usually reminded myself by reading the pages for that chapter before the class started.
Get a study buddy and revise
I was fortunate enough to have a husband with not much to do and a passion for drinking (not necessarily wine, but just drinking) who was able to test me on my stuff. I wrote cue cards on every chapter and then regularly asked him to test me. This proved invaluable as often the WSET 2 multiple choice questions come down to minute detail. For example, I got the following WSET 2 exam question:
Which of the following can be used to describe a Hunter Valley Semillon?
- Low alcohol, high acid
- Full bodied, medium tannins
- Red fruits, high tannins
- Medium bodied, low alcohol
Practice makes perfect
My key frustration when it came to preparing for the WSET 2 is that there aren’t really any ‘past papers’ out there. To clarify, the WSET 2 is an exam structured with a single 50-question (60 minute) multiple choice paper. While the WSET 2 textbook is absolutely the only revision tool you have and need, there is a single past paper at the back of the workbook (which should be provided for you by your school).
I bought the Thirty Fifty exam question pack which is reasonably priced at £15 for five full exams. I did one practice exam every day leading up to my WSET 2 exam and it really helped hone in the areas that I wasn’t 100 per cent sure on.
Some final WSET 2 exam tips:
- The WSET 2 multiple choice exam is relatively easy when you know your stuff (compared to the WSET 3 when blind tasting and short essay writing get involved). Use process of elimination to accurately find your answer.
- Focus on your grapes – this is the largest proportion of exam questions. So make sure you’re clued in on climate, flavour profile and key growing regions.
- Your pass rate is pretty low – at only 55%. However, if you want to pass with a distinction, then you can only afford to get 6 questions wrong.
- Have fun! Don’t take the exam too seriously. – part of the fun is trying new and interesting wines every weekend while exploring a topic you love – wine!