Reflections on the WSET Diploma
Thoughts on two years of study following graduation at the Guildhall in London
Last Tuesday was a special occasion for many wine students as the WSET Diploma graduation ceremony took place at the Guildhall in London.
A total of 695 new graduates were honoured, including myself, and having originally had doubts as to whether it was worth attending – the ceremony takes two hours, during which time all students are seated and clap a constant stream of graduates who take to the stage – I am pleased I did.
It was a nice way to wrap up two years of hard work and an excellent opportunity to catch up with classmates. The Guildhall is a beautiful building and was well worth checking out and the post-ceremony drinks reception presented a perfect opportunity to unwind.
The ceremony was also a reminder of the vast talent many possess, not least those who wrote exam answers throughout the course in a language that wasn’t their native one. The Vintners’ Cup, awarded to the person with the highest Diploma score worldwide, was won by Che Chun Alex Tsui, and what makes his achievement even more remarkable is the fact he isn’t in the wine profession. Alex is a PhD researcher in biochemistry at Oxford University, but relocated to California to study for his Diploma.
Not only is he an excellent student but also very generous with his knowledge, only too happy to share his thoughts about potential exam questions on the worldwide Diploma students group on Facebook in the lead-up to the dreaded ‘D3’1 exams last May.
Alex was just one of three students to achieve a distinction, the other two being Rory O’Donnell and Claire Nesbitt, who both studied at the WSET School London, and this is a reflection of the toughness of the course when you consider there were close to 700 graduates.
To gain a distinction you need to gain an aggregate weighted percentage of 75 per cent or above across the six Diploma modules, and I’m surprised a few more didn’t achieve this accolade. Perhaps the examiners need to recalibrate their marking system as the percentage of those with distinctions is remarkably low, for all that getting to grips with blind tasting and learning the theory (a full list of Californian AVAs, anyone?) is extremely difficult.
For those in the wine business, achieving a Diploma is a good stepping stone towards greater things in their careers (including embarking on the Master of Wine programme), although gaining one isn’t essential as there are plenty of talented people in the trade who haven’t bothered. There are parallels with my profession journalism. I, along with plenty of others, have no formal qualifications in journalism, but I have never felt lacking in knowledge as a result of never having taken NCTJ2 courses.
There are also a fairly large percentage of people who, like me, embark on a Diploma who aren’t in the wine trade but who want to learn more about the subject. The financial outlay is fairly significant (one of the few benefits of Covid and lockdowns – I ended up with surplus cash), but was it worth it? I would definitely say it was, not only because of the satisfaction of passing, but also because of the wine knowledge I’ve gained after two years of study and the friends I’ve picked up along the way.
Some are sceptical about the merits of wine education courses, arguing that, because you are taught to think about the subject in a relatively structured, rigid manner, a more creative, individual approach to wine could be inhibited. Karen MacNeil, author of the incredibly successful The Wine Bible, addresses this point in her Substack post A Good Wine Thinker, which is worth a read.
Karen also touches on wine education in a GuildSomm podcast episode, stating: “It {WSET] standardises your thinking . . . When you have a certification you should be proud of it, but you need to be conscious that it may have influenced your conformity to a way of thinking about wine that could be limiting.”
These are words I’m keen to heed, not least because the world of wine is so vast and varied, to the extent that gaining a Diploma feels more like the beginning, rather than the end, of my wine education.
I believe that learning to accurately assess a wine through blind tasting is one of the hardest skills you can master – harder than mastering a single-handed backhand in tennis (or maybe that’s just a reflection of my poor tennis skills).
I found this aspect of the Diploma harder than the theory, and I’ll forever remember assessing an £80 Pol Roger vintage champagne ‘acceptable’ and a bog-standard supermarket chianti as an ‘outstanding’3 Barolo. I gain comfort from knowing that Master of Wine students often get plenty of tastings wrong, and if there is advice that I would pass on to current students is don’t try to second guess what the examiner has prepared for you and try to go by your first impressions.
Despite the hardness I’m one of those strange people who relish blind tasting sessions (see here for one of my recent attempts). It can be extremely humbling and challenging, but hugely rewarding when it all goes right. A bit like gaining a Diploma.
Flight 18
Prince Stirbey Tamaioasa Romaneasca Sec 2020, Dragasani, Romania (£11.95 Wine Society)
Made by one of the best producers in Romania, Tamaioasa Romaneasca is from the muscat family and the traits of that grape make themselves present in this wine, with blossom and streaks of elderflower combining with a citrusy edge and stone fruit for a very expressive nose. Slightly oily texture on the palate. Does well as a first drink of the evening.
Domaine Bott Geyl Grafenreben Riesling 2019, Alsace (£30 sale price, The Sampler, can also be purchased from Decantalo)
Made by an under-the-radar but excellent biodynamic producer from a vineyard that isn’t grand cru but this wine is of a high standard, with some notes of petrol and honeysuckle mingling with melon, peach, citrus and pineapple chunks. Excellent expression – what you expect from a quality riesling.
The Wine Society’s 150th Anniversary Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux 2020 (£15.50, Wine Society)
The first I’ve tasted from the Wine Society’s range marking 150 years since the company was born. Produced by Chateau de Pitray, this blend of merlot (65%), cabernet franc (30%) and malbec (5%) from the Right Bank won’t be for some Bordeaux purists given it has 14.5% abv, but this has great intensity for the price, with ripe black fruit, spicy liquorice, tobacco, cedar and forest floor. Savoury and spicy finish – will age well for a few more years.
The Diploma is made up of six modules. D3 ‘Wines of the World’ has a study weighting of 50%. The others are: D1 Wine Production (20%); D2 Wine Business (10%); D4 Sparkling Wines (5%); D5 Fortified Wines (5%); D6 Independent Research Assignment (10%)
National Council for the Training of Journalists
WSET tasting criteria for wine quality is based on four categories: acceptable, good, very good and outstanding
Thanks Luke!
Thank you for this summary and congratulations on your achievement.