Sommelier Pins

The Three Flavors of Sommelier Education

In the US, three major firms offer wine credentials: the National Wine School (NWS), the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS), and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Depending on what you are looking for, this will dictate which path you opt for. WSET is expressly designed for restaurant work, CMS is focused on political advocacy, and NWS is a liberal arts school for the wine trade.

No matter which firm you opt for, the types of programs are similar. One crucial difference is that WSET does not offer sommelier pins or credentials to its graduates.

Core Sommelier Certification & Sommelier Pin

In the United States, you need to take three levels of wine courses to attain your core sommelier certification. Thousands of students are working towards this certification in wine schools, universities, hotels, and online sommelier courses.

All three firms offer online courses. However, if you want to attend in person, NWS and WSET offer their courses at regional wine schools. NWS also offers its programs at regional colleges and universities. CMS only offers its programs in hotel meeting rooms.

Level One Wine Certification (L1)

At the Wine School of Philadelphia, we do not require the L1 program for students seeking sommelier credentials if taken in person. However, many of our students take the online program anyway.

The L1 program is an excellent introductory wine course that we offer online. It is also a popular option for staff training at restaurants and wineries.

Level Two Foundation (L2)

Level Two is the only course drastically different between NWS and the other sommelier programs. At NWS (and here at the Wine School of Philadelphia), the core of this program is blind tasting. The different programs don’t require this until the Advanced or Master levels, which we feel is counter-intuitive.

One of the reasons so many people fail the Master Sommelier program is that they forget the blind tasting section of the exam. If blind tasting is so important that you can’t become a Master Sommelier without it, shouldn’t it be part of the wine courses from the beginning?

Level Three Intermediate (L3)

The L3 wine course is the last requirement before earning your sommelier credentials. This program delivers core wine knowledge to the student. This program focuses on the major wine regions, cultures, and grapes key to all sommeliers and wine professionals. This wine course can be taken in person or online.

Advanced Sommelier Pin

Once you have spent so much time and energy earning your sommelier credentials, why rest on your laurels?

The Advanced Program is not a single wine course but a series of sommelier levels culminating with the Advanced Sommelier Pin. To complete this program, the student must pass four Advanced classes. Students can also earn a Specialist Diploma in several fields of study.

The student must complete four semesters of Advanced courses to earn the Advanced Sommelier Pin. The selected programs can depend on the student’s interests or what works with their schedule.

Only the top schools can offer this accreditation, as the programs require instructors who bring highly specialized skills to the classroom. Specializations include Professional Winemaking, Food & Wine Pairing, Advanced France, Advanced Italy, Master of Modern Wine, Advanced Spain, and many other wine courses.

Master in Wine Pin

This is the apex of all sommelier levels. Of the three firms that offer wine certification nationally, only the National Wine School and the Court of Master Sommeliers offer a Level Five. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust only offers programs up to Level Four.

The Master’s program has a series of requirements to guarantee the graduate’s command of all aspects of the wine trade. The difference between the Court of Master Sommeliers and the National Wine School is stark. The pass rate for the Court is 10%, and National Wine is 75%.

For context, the pass rate for people sitting for the bar exam is up to 80%. As an academic, your primary responsibility is to prepare your students to succeed in their exams. If students consistently fail, it suggests either a shortcoming in your teaching methods or issues with the exam itself.

The National Wine School requires an additional four semesters of courses and several other requirements, including recommendations from professors.

Available Courses at the Wine School of Philadelphia

This list includes all wine sommelier levels available in the United States, including the master sommelier levels.