When working on improving your tasting skills and opening more than one bottle at a time, how can you preserve your wine’s freshness for as long as possible? Practising wine tasting without a study group is always challenging. It’s also more expensive, as you cannot split the cost between you and then you’re left with wine you understandably wouldn’t want to waste. The clock is ticking from the moment you open the bottle, and your wine is beginning to lose its aromas and flavour characteristics. We’ve put together the best wine preservation tips to help you keep your wine at its best for a lit ..read more

However much you love wine, learning how to taste and describe it confidently takes time and practice. But wine tasting should never be a chore! Here are a few ways to keep the fun of wine tasting alive while honing your palate. We hear it all the time - “I’d love to learn more about wine, but my palate isn’t great.” The way we see it, tasting technique is not some magical gift - it’s a skill that improves with practice. For most wine drinkers, simply knowing which wines you enjoy is more than enough. But as soon as you start delving further into why you like the wines you like, and what makes ..read more

If you have ever learnt about winemaking history in Europe, you’ll have heard of the Great French Wine Blight. This blight was caused by the Phylloxera insect, and it led to devastation across the majority of European vineyards in the mid-nineteenth century. So, what is this pest? What enabled its spread, and what was the extent of its damage? And how have grape growers combatted it over the years? What is phylloxera? Phylloxera is an aphid-like insect. Native to North America, it was carried across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe where it was first identified in 1863. During this period, it was ..read more

Romania has one of the oldest wine-producing cultures in Europe, it was shaped by the Romans, and then the monasteries and subsequently influenced by the French. Today, the Romanian wine industry has a clear focus on quality and integration with European standards. This article investigates the history, scale, regions, geography, winemaking techniques, and the future of the Romanian wine industry. A brief history of Romanian wine culture Wine production in the region that is now modern Romania dates back to ancient times when the Greeks brought grapevines to the country via the Black Sea betwe ..read more

It has probably been a while since you were last in a classroom environment. We’re guessing that you might not be feeling too confident about stepping back into this kind of setting. But ultimately, learning new knowledge, revising, and eventually sitting an exam is a challenge worth facing! To make sure you have all the tools and guidance you need, rest assured - our product development team aren’t just experts in wine, spirits or sake – they have extensive expertise, experience and training in education, ensuring that they are creating engaging, enjoyable and approachable courses for everyon ..read more

The natural wine movement has gained significant momentum in the last decade. It’s helped bring a new generation of wine lovers to the industry and improved transparency in winemaking practices. However, without many legal definitions of this category, it can leave some people confused about what natural wine actually is. To confuse matters further, some producers are choosing to market their wine as ‘natural’ despite the fact it may not follow any principles of the movement. In this blog, we will be covering some key natural wine terminology to help you navigate this exciting (and sometimes c ..read more

In conjunction with our wine and grape days calendar, we have created a spirits and cocktails calendar for all the key dates in 2023. Join mixologists and spirits lovers from across the globe to celebrate the endlessly fascinating range of spirits and cocktails. For your Pisco Sours and happy hours, there's always something new to learn about and taste! Happy tasting for 2023! 11 January - National Hot Toddy Day - #HotToddyDay 25 January – National Irish Coffee Day - #IrishCoffeeDay 4 February - International Pisco Sour Day - celebrated on the first Saturday in February #PiscoSourDay; #Interna ..read more

We have put together a handy calendar with the key international wine and grape days for 2023. If you are looking for new wines or tasting inspiration our ever-growing wine and grapes days calendar should guide you through the dates throughout the four seasons.   Whether you are mad for Mavrud or starstruck for Shiraz, we have you covered. In addition, we have also included some of the most used hashtags.   Show us what you’re drinking on Instagram: either tag us at @WSETglobal or use the hashtag #WSET   Happy tasting for 2022!  1 February - Internationa ..read more

Portugal is home to more than 250 indigenous grape varieties, and most of them can only be found there. The country has also a great diversity of regions, climates and cultural practices, increasing, even more, the range of wine styles that can be explored by the curious wine lover. Please note that some of the following grapes are given different names, depending on the region where they are planted. White grapes Fernão Pires [fer-now-pee-resh] This is one of the most widely planted white grape varieties in Portugal, able to produce high yields and create aromatic wines with linden and orange ..read more

As families and friends come together to celebrate the festive season across the world, many of us might be opting for traditional beverages. One of the most coveted Christmas drinks is Port, but how much do you really know about this sweet, fortified phenomenon? Join us for a festive edition of WSET Bitesize as we look at the world of Port. You can register for this event for free here or catch it on demand here. Portugal produces four types of fortified wines (Port, Madeira, Moscatel de Setúbal and Carcavelos), but Port is undoubtedly the most well-known across the world. Port comes in a ran ..read more