WSET Diploma

As I begin to wind down my official work life in the tax world, I’m starting to consider what my next chapter will be. Just prior to the pandemic, I had started to study for the WSET Diploma, generally a two year program of classroom study supplemented by a significant commitment of personal study. Before 2020, I had completed modules D1, Wine Production and D2, Wine Business, had completed the classroom portion of module D4, Sparkling Wine and had signed up and started Module D3, Wines of the World. Then the pandemic hit and the world turned upside down. Classes were suspended, exams were postponed and everything was put on hold. I did try and continue with a separate tasting group but it wasn’t feasible given work and other academic commitments, so I dropped the D3 classes at a fairly significant financial cost and decided I would wait until we got out of the pandemic to see if I would continue. For the first modules I was lucky enough to study at the Internationalwinecenter in NYC. I loved the classes, the teachers and, of course the wines!

After two years in what was essentially the epicenter of the pandemic, including time spent in an 800 square foot apartment at a monthly cost of over $4,000, we decided to make a change in our lives. We found a condo in Denver Metro area, packed up our things and moved West to Colorado, a lovely place but not exactly wine country.

Now that I have settled in after almost a year, I am considering going back to my WSET studies. I have transferred my study center from the International Wine Center to Napa Valley Wine Academy and will see if the WSET will give me a three year extension (Cost: $350) to get back into my studies and complete the program.

Alright, I am going to admit something that I have really only kept in my head – should I really move forward with the program? I love education, I love continuous learning and I love wine but there are a number of considerations. Doesn’t it seem like in life there are always tradeoffs? After I leave my current working life, I will have plenty of time to study but I will have to consider the cost in a way I haven’t had to in the past. I think I’ve seen estimates that, all told, with the classes, the travel for exams, and the extensive amount of wines that need to be tasted, the cost of the whole program will easily exceed $10,000. What I am hoping to do, though, is to finally get into work that centers around wine so that would help offset some of the costs, and I would be looking for something part-time so should still have time to study. What does all of this mean? It means that, in the end, I am planning to continue with my WSET studies and even broaden my wine education to include the Certified Wine Educator exam through the Society of Wine Educators.

I am sharing all of this mainly to hopefully help others, who think they may want to pursue wine education, through my accounts of what the studying is like, time commitments, study tips, costs, etc. Another reason is to keep a record for myself of my progress and the various wines that I taste along the way.

I’ll keep everyone posted as to how things go through my blog writing, and I wish the best of luck to all those who are pursuing wine studies in whatever program. I would love to hear how things go for you.