Reflections on WSET’s Diploma in Wine
The Start of an Irregular Series
Trying to figure out how to make the Diploma examiners happy was on my mind virtually every day that I spent working through the various units. Now that it’s been over a year since I wrote my last 3 x 5 card, I have found myself continuing to do so. This occasional blog will share those reflections in hopes that they might make the process a little easier for those who are still going through it.
An important caveat is that I am not a wine educator, and this is very much not any sort of authorized or official guide. Quite the contrary: in almost every area I have ever worked in, the most frequent feedback is “I’ve never thought about it that way before.“
My hope is that an observation or two here will make something about the Diploma seem a bit clearer. Or just provide a little perspective, and, if I’m lucky, a few amusing insights, about a really hard process. You do learn an amazing amount during that process, though. And the experience stays with you, which is why am writing these reflections. I hope you find them useful.
My path to the Diploma: My wife Lisa and I worked in the biotech industry for many years. She developed an interest in wine, which turned out to be impressively useful in her business career. (See why in this article published by Jancis Robinson). After retiring from biotech, Lisa focused on wine education and consulting. She became a Certified Sommelier and completed the C.S.W. and WSET level 3, and then decided to pursue the Diploma.
Although the 2021 ceremony was virtual, my daughter made sure we got our big moment through the magic of Photoshop.
In hopes of being able to keep up my side of the dinner table conversation, I thought I would take WSET 2 and 3, which I did online. By then, I was kind of hooked, and signed up for the Diploma. Lisa and I did most of the units together, which was a godsend to me. Because we live far away from any wine schools, we did a combination of online and home-study through Neil Ewing’s PhillyWine. We were flying back from one last exam in Philly just as Covid was first diagnosed there, and we received our diplomas (both with merit) in the Spring of 2020.
Don Drakeman DipWSET