Learn wine properly — in one very good weekend
WSET Level 2 is the qualification the trade actually respects. It’s the step where wine stops being a guessing game and starts making sense: why a Sancerre and a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc taste like cousins rather than twins, what oak really does, and how to describe a wine so precisely that someone else can taste it from your words alone.
This session runs in person in Tacoma — two full days on the waterfront at Copper & Salt, with more than 35 benchmark wines poured and tasted side by side. Tasting in a room, in flights, with someone walking you through what you’re smelling is the entire reason to take this format over an online course.
Dates & logistics
- Intro session (Zoom): Saturday, September 27 · 6:00 PM PT
- In-person class: Saturday & Sunday, October 3–4 · 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM PT
- Location: Copper & Salt Northwest Kitchen, 5125 Grand Loop, Ruston, WA 98407 (Point Ruston waterfront)
- Exam: Administered online after the course
- Independent study: plan for roughly 11 hours outside of class
What you’ll cover
- Wine from the consumer’s side — storage, service temperature, glassware, food and wine pairing principles that hold up in the real world
- What makes a wine taste the way it does — grape variety, climate, vineyard practice, and the winemaking decisions behind every bottle
- The white grapes — Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and the regions that define each style
- The red grapes — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and their key appellations
- Sparkling, sweet & fortified — Champagne and its alternatives, Port, Sherry, and the methods behind them
- The WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting — a repeatable method for assessing any glass put in front of you
What’s included
- WSET Level 2 Study Pack — the Looking Behind the Label textbook, study guide, and tasting card
- Guided tasting of 35+ benchmark wine styles across the two days
- Access to the WSET Online Academy: video and audio lectures, plus practice exams
- Certification exam, official certificate, and WSET lapel pin
The exam
50 multiple-choice questions, closed book, one hour. Pass at 55%, Pass with Merit at 70%, Pass with Distinction at 85%. Nearly everyone who does the reading and shows up to both days passes — and a surprising number walk out with Merit.
Who this is for
No prerequisites. Come in as a curious drinker or a working somm — Level 2 is built to take beginners to genuinely competent and to give trade folks the vocabulary and framework they’ve been improvising without. If you’re in restaurants, retail, distribution, or tasting rooms, this is the line on your résumé that gets read.
Good to know
Class size is deliberately small so everyone gets full flights and real answers to their questions. Bring a notebook, eat breakfast, and go easy on the perfume — thirty-five glasses is a lot of nose.
Registration, payment, and certification are handled directly by Wine & Drinks Academy, an approved WSET program provider. Clicking through will take you to their enrollment page.