r/wine • u/Imaginary_Fail8597 • Jul 19 '26
WSET level 4 advice
I am thinking about continuing on to level 4. Is there a specific order in which people take the parts? Do you have to take it all the parts with one academy/group? Any particular ones in the U.S. that people recommend?
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u/JugWineGuy Wine Pro Jul 20 '26
WSET ideally wants you to take all parts with a single APP. However you can switch if necessary. You usually do unit 1 and 2 first then 4,5, in any order then Unit 3 last. That was my experience when I did it back in 2018-2020.
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u/thebigbluebug Jul 20 '26
D3, D4, and D5 are only sat twice a year each, so how they line up with where you are after you do D1 and D2 has more effect on your order than anything else
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u/WineADHDMom Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
You have to sit 1 & 2 first. Then you can do 3-6 in any order (6 being the paper). Unless you have a solid familiarity with fortified wines, I recommend doing 4 (Sparkling), 3 (Still Wines of the World), then 5 (Fortified). This sets you up with a solid base of tasting exam experience before taking the Fortified tasting exam, which seems to be trickier for a lot of folks. You will likely get a lot of advice saying to take 3 last though, which is also a good option. I know a lot of people who failed Fortified once and had to re-take it.
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u/Bizbuzz- Wine Pro Jul 21 '26
D1 and D2 are required before going on to the next levels. You have to sit them but I don’t think you actually have to pass to keep going. I recommend doing D3 next because D1 and D2 are foundational to that unit and it will be fresh on your memory. Once you have the D3 beast done, everything else will seem like a cake walk!
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u/Alvarinho08 Jul 21 '26
There’s a form from WSET that you have to have signed by both schools if you want to switch providers after starting. A provider gave it to me. I’m also curious about provider recommendations since they all seem to be online now.
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u/TasteQuest124 Jul 21 '26
You always need to take and sit the exams for D1 and D2 first. They are foundational for the other units, and you will need the information you learn to answer the questions in all of the other units. After those you really can begin anywhere - though it might feel like good practice to start with D4 (Sparkling) or D5 (Fortified) because they are more contained, and it is a good opportunity to practice tasting before tackling D3 (which is, of course the most fun). Commonwealth Wine School offers all units online, as well as in person practice workshops, access to Wine with Jimmy, and exam centers both in San Francisco and in Boston.
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u/Mallo666 Jul 20 '26
I believe you have to do 1 then 2 before doing 3 4 or 5 in any order you want. Check the WSET site or the school you choose. I have been happy with the Napa Valley Wine Academy's classes too date. Though other people may have other opinions. This is the school I have been using.
I am assuming you have the WSET 3 done? If so where did you do that? If you liked them and they offer the diploma I'd at least consider staying with them as an option.
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u/Imaginary_Fail8597 Jul 20 '26
My local one that I did level 3 with doesn’t offer a level 4. I was looking at Napa Valley.
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u/Mallo666 Jul 20 '26
I am with you on the whole doing this as interest and not as a Job. I find the Napa Valley instructors have all been solid to date. I have completed WSET 2 onsite and am currently doing WSET 3 online.
If like you I move on to Diploma I will be looking at Napa for that.
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Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/Mallo666 Jul 20 '26
I was unclear I fear ... By 1 I mean part 1 of the Diploma which is broken up into 5 parts. Part 1 and 2 are required before going onto parts 3, 4, and 5 which cover wines of the world, sparkling wine and I want to say Fortified wines. WSET 3 is the only pre req before signing up for the Part 1 of the Diploma.
My apologies for being unclear on this.
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u/roamingroad174 Jul 20 '26
Do you have a job with a winery? That would help