Our story

Our foundation

WSET was founded as charitable trust in 1969 to serve the growing educational needs of the UK wine and spirits industry which, at the time, primarily spanned import, distribution and retail. Funding was provided by The Vintners' Company and WSET took over the education initiatives started by the Wine and Spirit Association of Great Britain.

Our founders represented the cornerstones of the UK wine and spirits trade, and representatives from each of these organisations continue to serve on our Board of Trustees.

In 1969 WSET provided three qualifications for individuals working in the trade all delivered from our base in London:

Certificate in Wines, Spirits and Other Alcoholic Beverages
Higher Certificate in Wines and Spirits
Diploma in Wines and Spirits

Going Global

As recognition grew for WSET qualifications we realised there was a demand beyond the UK for quality education in wines and spirits. In 1977 WSET expanded access to qualifications abroad, by launching courses in the Republic of Ireland. And in the same year we launched WSET qualifications across the Atlantic, with the International Wine Education Guild (IWEG) in Ontario, Canada, becoming the first North American provider of WSET qualifications.

By the end of the 1990’s WSET qualifications were available in the UK, Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia. In 2007 international students taking WSET exams outnumbered UK students for the first time.

In 2016 we opened our first international office in Hong Kong to serve our growing Asia markets. In 2017 we appointed a dedicated on-territory USA team, with permanent offices opening in Hartford, Connecticut in 2019.

Today WSET qualifications are available in over 70 countries in 15 languages, through a network of 900+ course providers, and students outside the UK represent over 75% of WSET candidates each year.

World map showing % share of WSET candidates AY2021/22

Ensuring quality

Throughout our history our foremost priority has been to provide best-in-class education and qualifications to inspire and empower the individuals who take our courses. To that end our qualification suite has evolved over time to reflect the changing needs of the industry.

From just three qualifications in 1969 our suite of qualifications has grown to nine with dedicated programmes now available in spirits and sake.

In 2001 we became an accredited Awarding Body with the first of our qualifications becoming recognised by the UK government.

Our qualifications continue to be updated on a three year cycle to ensure their relevance to students and industry.

Key dates in our history

1969

WSET is founded offering three core qualifications for the trade:

Certificate in Wines, Spirits and Other Alcoholic Beverages
Higher Certificate in Wines and Spirits
Diploma in Wines and Spirits

1977

WSET launches courses in the Republic of Ireland and Canada

1991

WSET launches courses in France.
WSET remit is changed and courses are opened to students who do not work in the wine and spirits trade.

1993

The first German language WSET Diploma course is held in Austria.

1994

WSET launches courses in the USA

1997

WSET launches courses in Japan

1999

WSET holds the first WSET Diploma course in Australia.

2001

WSET is accredited as an Awarding Body with the first of our qualifications becoming recognised by the UK government.
Our three qualifications are renamed, in-line with the UK National Qualifications Framework guidelines.
- Certificate in Wines, Spirits and Other Alcoholic Beverages becomes WSET Intermediate Certificate in Wines, Spirits and Other Alcoholic Beverages
- Higher Certificate in Wines and Spirits becomes WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits
- Diploma in Wines and Spirits becomes WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits

2002

WSET Chief Executive Andrew Paviour retires
Ian Harris, Marketing Director at Seagram UK, joins the trust as the new chief executive

2003

The redeveloped and improved Diploma is launched
The WSET Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Wines is launched (now the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines)
The WSET Level 2 Professional Certificate in Spirits is launched (now the WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits)

2004

WSET’s Global Campus goes live
The Institute of Wines and Spirits (now the WSET Alumni) is launched

2005

WSET relocates its headquarters to Bermondsey Street, London Bridge, UK.

2007

International candidate numbers exceed UK candidate numbers for the first time.

2008

Michael Broadbent MW, wine critic, writer and auctioneer, becomes WSET’s first honorary president
The first Awards and Graduation ceremony is held at Guildhall in London
The Educator Training Programme is launched

2009

Annual candidate numbers exceed 25,000 for the first time
The WSET Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Spirits is launched (now the WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits)

2010

Hugh Johnson OBE, best-selling wine writer, is appointed honorary president, replacing Michael Broadbent MW

2011

Qualification names are updated to bring them in-line with the UK academic levels.

2012

Jancis Robinson OBE, MW, renowned wine writer and commentator, is appointed honorary president, replacing Hugh Johnson OBE

2013

Countries where WSET courses are available exceed 60 for the first time

2014

WSET celebrates its 45th anniversary
Gerard Basset OBE MS MW MBA, is appointed as WSET’s honorary president, replacing Jancis Robinson MW
Annual candidate numbers exceed 50,000 for the first time
WSET pilots a new qualification: the WSET Level 3 Award in Sake

2019

WSET celebrates its 50th anniversary with a full schedule of activity throughout the year
WSET launches the Level 3 Award in Spirits
New and enhanced Level 2 Award in Wines and Level 4 Diploma in Wines go live
WSET opens a permanent office in the USA, in Hartford, Connecticut

Beer

Sake

Spirits

Wines