The Wine & Spirit Education Trust or WSET is an awarding body and registered charity devoted to the development and delivery of qualifications and courses in wines and spirits. A global organisation, the WSET arranges courses and exams in the field of wine and spirits. Established in 1969 for the UK wine trade, WSET is headquartered in London and is the world’s leading provider of wine education. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, its educational products offer impartial and sound learning on which individuals and businesses can build knowledge and expertise. The WSET offers courses and qualifications for both wine trade and consumer at several different levels. A WSET Diploma is the usual pre-requisite for studying to become a member of the Institute of Masters of Wine.

Staff: Chief Executive: Ian Harris (since 2002).

Social responsibility: Social responsibility is a part of all WSET’s  teaching programmes, therefore WSET is proud to partner with Wine in Moderation–Art de Vivre Programme and DrinkAware.co.uk.

WSET qualifications: These are available through a network of over 900 Approved Programme Providers (APPs) working in over 70 countries and in 15 languages.

WSET also runs its own flagship school, WSET School London from its headquarters on Bermondsey Street, London. The school offers the full suite of WSET qualifications alongside tasting sessions, career talks and bespoke programmes.

Bibliography

Oxford Companion to Wine 4th edition ed. Jancis Robinson MW and Julia Harding MW (Oxford University Press, 2015), p.824