So levels 2 and 3 were done and there was just the one to go as far as the WSET school goes, and that was level 4, otherwise known as the Diploma. I remember, after I’d done level 2, I signed up for level 3 the next day. But with the diploma I waited a few months before taking the plunge. I had my reasons.
Firstly was the confidence factor. You have to remember that, for whatever reason, I’d just meffed up the level 3 tasting exam. You have 30 minutes to taste two wines, and I’d crumbled, albeit with a little help from my mobile phone!! In the diploma you have one of the 6 exams on still wines, where it’s 120 minutes to do 12 wines. Was I in a rush to bugger that up too?
I suppose the other thing was the cost. It’s a natural thing to worry about. You’re looking at the best part of £2k per year for 2 years. You’ve got to be up for it and ready. There’s an option of doing it online, but I knew people who’d done that route and struggled with the motivation and the timings. I needed to be up for committing the days down at the school.
I think in the end I just closed my eyes and clicked the button. I work for myself, so I‘d make the time to study. I work in the wine trade so I’ve got a chance to improve quickly. And if in two years my palate wasn’t in the position to pass the exam then, you know what? I don’t deserve to pass! There it is.
Time to give it a go
Cheers
Mike
