WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits - Candidate Assessment Guide - Part 2: Tasting - Issue 13 - August 2018

Sep 30, 2026

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WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits Candidate Assessment Guide Part 2: Tasting (Issue 13, August 2018) explains how candidates should study and perform tasting examinations using the WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wines (Wine SAT) and Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits (Spirits SAT), supported by the Wine-Lexicon and Spirits-Lexicon. It outlines the purpose of the blind tasting assessments, the SAT-based tasting notes required, and the assessment structure across Units 3, 4, 5 and 6, including paper formats, sample groupings, marking allocations, and practical guidance for preparation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages50

Reading Time2 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

How Should I Approach my Tasting Studies?

The Wine SAT and the Wine-Lexicon

Describing Wines using the Wine SAT

Evaluating Wines using the Wine SAT

Examples of Wine Tasting Notes

The Spirits SAT and the Spirits-Lexicon

Describing Spirits using the Spirits SAT

Evaluating Spirits using the Spirits SAT

Examples of Spirits Tasting Notes

Appendix 1 – Common Wine Faults

‘creating the trade professional’ WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits Candidate Assessment Guide Part 2: Tasting Issue 13 • August 2018 [wsetglobal.com](wsetglobal.com) Wine & Spirit Education Trust 39-45 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF[e-mail: wset@wset.co.uk](e-mail: wset@wset.co.uk) [wsetglobal.com](wsetglobal.com) © Wine & Spirit Education Trust 2018 COVER PICTURE Seagram UK Designed by WSET® Contents 1 How Should I Approach my Tasting Studies? 1 2 The Wine SAT and the Wine-Lexicon 5 3 Describing Wines using the Wine SAT 10 4 Evaluating Wines using the Wine SAT 19 5 Examples of Wine Tasting Notes 26 6 The Spirits SAT and the Spirits-Lexicon 31 7 Describing Spirits using the Spirits SAT 34 8 Evaluating Spirits using the Spirits SAT 40 9 Examples of Spirits Tasting Notes 43 Appendix 1 – Common Wine Faults 46 HOW SHOULD I APPROACH MY TASTING STUDIES? 1 How should I approach my tasting studies? 1 Developing the ability to taste wines and spirits as a professional is a key learning outcome of the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits (here referred to as the ‘Diploma’) . This skill is taught and assessed using the WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wines® (the ‘Wine SAT’) and the WSET Level 4 Systematic Approach to Tasting Spirits® (the ‘Spirits SAT’) . The SATs are supported by the WSET Level 4 Wine-Lexicon (the ‘Wine-Lexicon’) and the WSET Level 4 Spirits-Lexicon (the ‘Spirits-Lexicon’), respectively. These resources are explained in detail in this document. THE TASTING EXAMINATIONS The Diploma tasting examinations are designed to test your ability to describe a wine or spirit accurately‘blind’ using the SAT methodology and then apply this information to evaluate its key features. Tasting is assessed for Units 3, 4, 5 and 6, with samples presented in flights of three. Unit 3 In the Unit 3 tasting examination you will taste and evaluate 12 wines in total. These are divided into four flights, with two flights on Tasting Paper 1 and two flights on Tasting Paper 2. Each flight has a mark allocation of 100 marks. You have one hour to complete each six-wine paper and there is a short break between the two. The wines used in the examination can be any of the wines listed in the Specification for Unit 3 and are not limited to the Recommended Tasting Samples. Any combination of white, red, or rosé wines is possible. For each wine you will be expected to write a comprehensive tasting note in accordance with the Wine SAT and then give conclusions about the sample and/or samples in that flight. The format of the Unit 3 tasting papers is shown in the table below. | Unit 3 – Light Wines of the World | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Tasting Paper 1
(1 hour) | Question 1 | Three wines from the same or predominantly the same grape variety. | | | Question 2 | Three wines from the same region or country or which otherwise share a common link (e.g. maturation technique) . | | | | | | Tasting Paper 2
(1 hour) | Question 3 | Three wines from the same region/country but different quality levels. | | | Question 4 | A ‘mixed bag’ of three wines which are unrelated. Candidates are typically asked to identify the grape variety/(ies) for each sample and/or origin. | Your grade for the Unit 3 tasting examination is based on your aggregate score across the 12 wines. The tasting examination and the theory examination are treated as separate components of the Unit 3 assessment. This means that you need to pass the tasting examination and the theory examination to achieve an overall pass for Unit 3. If you pass one examination but not the other you will only need toretake the examination you have failed. Units 4, 5, and 6 The examinations for these units comprise a tasting question and a theory question on the same paper. Unlike Unit 3, your final grade for each examination is based on your aggregate mark for the tasting question and the theory question. T

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the Diploma tasting examinations?

The tasting examinations test the ability to describe a wine or spirit accurately ‘blind’ using the SAT methodology, then apply that information to evaluate key features.

How is Unit 3 tasting structured in terms of papers and sample numbers?

Unit 3 includes tasting 12 wines total, divided into four flights across two tasting papers, with each six-wine paper completed in one hour and a short break between the papers.

How do Units 4, 5, and 6 tasting and theory grading differ from Unit 3?

Units 4, 5, and 6 use a combined assessment model where each unit’s final grade depends on aggregate marks from both tasting and theory questions on the same paper, while Unit 3 treats tasting and theory as separate components requiring both passes.

Sep 30, 2026

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