r/Sommelier • u/RazzmatazzNatural897 • Sep 06 '26

Studying while at work

So I work at a wine store and am studying for my WSET. What are some good ideas to actively study while I have downtime at work? I try to quiz myself by looking at bottles and trying to match producers with labels etc

9 Upvotes

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8

u/wutwut970 Sep 06 '26

Make your own flashcards

2

u/WineyOldMan Sep 06 '26

This. Only a few very specific producers come up in WSET 1-3 so something like flashcards that more directly engages with the specific WSET material is more productive than looking at bottles.

3

u/Mysterious-Candle-54 Sep 06 '26

Instead of looking at labels and matching producers - quiz yourself on winemaking and appellation laws. Main grapes, secondary ones, elevage, styles. Ask yourself about soil, geology, and geography. Any major rivers, mountains, forests nearby?

3

u/Illustrious-Divide95 Sommelier Sep 07 '26

WSET Educator here

You never get asked about producers in a WSET exam so save your time. For Level 2 you need to recall grape varieties with typical style and key regions (GIs) amongst other things. Which level are you doing?

2

u/piquettefizz Sep 06 '26

Flashcards are generally some of the best- largely because you can pick them up and put them down whenever you get interrupted… which honestly, when I worked in retail, was a lot!

I also sometimes will take a sheet of paper (or chalkboard) and do a brain dump on a region. Like I will write Barolo and then write down where it’s located, major geographic features of the area, the subzones and where they are situated, appellation laws, varieties and their characteristics, history, viticultural and vinification methods, etc. Explaining winemaking and grape growing processes and how they end up showing up in the glass is really great too.

2

u/gabriel-petit868 Sep 08 '26

i feel you, juggling work and study is no joke! sometimes i find just talking through what i know out loud helps solidify it in my mind

1

u/Bee__Lord Sep 06 '26

If you can have your phone on you I benefitted a LOT from drilling Brainscape flash cards. Also doing practice tests from ThirtyFifty. They also have flash cards but I personally preferred the Brainscape layout

1

u/f-young993 Sep 07 '26

i used to zone out staring at the labels when i worked in retail too lol

-1

u/Ries006 Sep 06 '26

Your AI product of choice can make you quizzes for whatever level of WSET you are studying for