Do you want to learn more about wine?

Amsterdam Wine Academy is an approved programme provider of WSET wine courses.

What is WSET?

WSET stands for Wine and Spirits Education Trust. This is the largest and most trusted wine education provider in the world, based in London. At Amsterdam Wine Academy, we believe that WSET offers the best available curriculum for our students. Our teachers are all trained through the WSET program and are therefore very familiar with what WSET expects our students to learn. In the Netherlands there are two major providers of wine education, of which the WSET is one. The other program that many people come across when looking for a wine course is the SDEN program. This is a Dutch qualification, also with four different qualification levels. At WSET, the last and highest level you can do is the level 4 WSET Diploma course, or at the SDEN route you can earn the title of ‘Vinoloog’ by successfully completing the fourth level.

Why we choose WSET

There are two main reasons why we at Amsterdam Wine Academy have decided to become a WSET accredited program provider:

First, we believe it is in the best interest of our students to participate in an international wine education program. The completed WSET qualifications look good on any CV and are recognized as the standard around the world. The SDEN certification guarantees no one outside our national borders any wine knowledge.

Second, there are major differences in the way wines are described during tasting. The SDEN program focuses on determining what the wine is, while the WSET focuses solely on the analysis of aromas, flavors and structural compounds of the wine without asking the students what it is. For us, the latter makes more sense: once you think you know what the wine is, you only want to confirm yourself by smelling and tasting what you expect from that variety or region. This is the power of perception.

If this doesn’t answer all your questions about WSET and it’s qualifications, drop us a line at info@amsterdamwineacademy.com or call us at +31(0)20 2611 583