Become a Certified Sommelier

✓ Unit 1 – Tasting for quality and blind deduction: evidence-based notes, BLIC with reasons, readiness, price and calibration ✓ Unit 2 – Viticulture in depth: site, rootstocks, training, canopy, water, disease, climate change and the cost of a bottle ✓ Unit 3 – Winemaking in depth: adjustments, extraction, fermentation, stability, closures and ageing ✓ Unit 4 – Bordeaux and South-West France: the two banks, the blends, the classifications and Sauternes ✓ Unit 5 – Burgundy and Beaujolais: climats, the four quality levels, Chablis to the Mâconnais and the ten crus ✓ Unit 6 – Loire, Alsace, Rhône and southern France ✓ Unit 7 – Italy: Piedmont, the Veneto, Tuscany, the south and the islands ✓ Unit 8 – Spain and Portugal: Rioja, Ribera, Priorat, Jerez, the Douro and more ✓ Unit 9 – Germany, Austria, Hungary and Greece: the Prädikat, the Wachau, Tokaj and Santorini ✓ Unit 10 – The Americas: California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Canada, Chile and Argentina ✓ Unit 11 – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa ✓ Unit 12 – Sparkling, sweet and fortified in depth: Champagne and its rivals, five routes to sweetness, Port, Sherry and Madeira ✓ Unit 13 – The business of wine and the sommelier: supply chain, the numbers, service, leadership and ethics

Sommeliers, F&B and beverage managers, wine buyers, experienced servers and bartenders, and wine-trade professionals in hotels, restaurants, bars, retail and on cruise ships who want to taste, advise and buy with real authority. Also serious wine lovers and collectors ready for a professional challenge. AWS Level 2 in Wines – Certified Junior Sommelier™ (or equivalent knowledge) is recommended but not required. You must be of legal drinking age (18+ or the legal age where you live) to take part in the tastings. Liquid Lively Fun – One Glass at a Time™. Prefer a classroom? We also teach this course in person across the Caribbean and the US, for individuals and for hotel, restaurant and bar teams. Enquire at [email protected].

How long does it take? About 100 hours: about 84 hours of guided self-study at your own pace, plus 16 hours of one-to-one Zoom sessions. You have 12 months' access, so plan about two hours of study a day, or eight to ten hours a week. Do I need Level 2 first? It's recommended but not required. If you hold an equivalent qualification or have solid professional experience, you'll be fine. How do the Zoom sessions work? Eight sessions of two hours with an AWS educator, booked by email at times that suit you. You taste together, practise blind deduction and get feedback. The last session is your Paper 3 blind tasting. Do I need to buy wine? Yes, tasting is central at Level 3. The suggested tasting list has 36 benchmark wines; buy them unit by unit, use half bottles or share with a tasting group. How does the assessment work? Three papers, each with a 70% pass mark: Paper 1 is 100 multiple-choice questions online (two attempts); Paper 2 is 10 short written answers, submitted online and marked by your educator; Paper 3 is two wines tasted blind on Zoom. Each paper has one free resit. Do I get a certificate? Yes. Pass all three papers to receive your AWS certificate as a Certified Sommelier™, signed by Christian Esser, Director of Education. How much does it cost? US$995 (KY$995 in the Cayman Islands), one-time payment, including the 16 hours of Zoom and 12 months' access. Is there an age requirement? Yes. You must be 18 or older, or of legal drinking age where you live, to take part in the tastings. Please taste responsibly. Can I take it in person, or train my whole team? Yes. We teach Level 3 in person across the Caribbean and the US, including private courses for hotel, restaurant and bar teams. Email [email protected] or call +1 (345) 938 0458. What's next? AWS Level 4 in Wines – Certified Wine Educator™, for those who want to teach wine.