Anyone who is not a Wineakademiker cannot even begin training for the Master of Wine title. During the visit to the Austrian Wine Academy, the director and the first Austrian Master of Wine Josef Schuller told us that out of 50 academicians, about 40 enroll in thismaster course, and on average only two complete it.
Ten years and 100,000 euros
They listen to lectures in Austria and France for two years. At the final exam, they first write a test for three hours, and then they taste 36 wines blindly. For each, they should specify the variety, the country, and even the region where the grapes are from, and describe the production method. At the end, they defend the dissertation they submitted before the start of the exam. And that costs them another 5,000 euros. Without accommodation, of course. But also without private trips to wineries on all continents, without which it is impossible to acquire the title of Master of Wine, said Schuller.
It took a German man with no background in the wine industry ten years to prepare for and pass the final exam. He is an extreme case, as amateurs rarely undertake this type of training, and he spent 100,000 euros. Professionals typically take between five and eight years to become a Master of Wine. The cost depends on how well they organize themselves, but the title guarantees a job that quickly recoups the investment, explained Pepi Schuller.
WSET has been in Croatia since 2013.
Will the bubbles in a glass of sparkling wine dissipate faster or last longer if detergent residue remains in the glass after washing? This was one of the sample questions for students taking the Level 1 wine course offered by London’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). It is the world’s most popular wine school—with over 100,000 students annually—and it will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2027.
It was founded by companies and institutes linked to the wine and spirits industry to train personnel for their needs in the United Kingdom. Today, together with partners worldwide, they offer 750 educational programs on wine and other beverages in 15 languages. They have also been operating in Croatia since 2013. Here is how the training progresses.
Four exams for certification, and then...
Is Grand Cru Classé a designation found on wine labels from Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, or the Loire? That was one of the questions posed to students taking the WSET Level 2 course. Those with prior experience in the wine industry can skip Level 1 and enroll directly in Level 2.
Can the grapes for Cava wines be grown anywhere in Spain, only in Penedès, in a few specific areas across different parts of Spain, or solely in Catalonia? This is a sample question for students taking the Level 3 course. A certificate is awarded after passing three exams, and a Level 4 course, leading to a diploma, is available in London. The Level 4 course is one of the prerequisites for taking the Master of Wine exam.
The title guarantees a well-paid job
The demand for vineyard workers is rising in many parts of the world. If this trend continues, how will winegrowers overcome the labor shortage? This is one of the questions on the Master of Wine exam. The title guarantees a well-paid job in the wine trade, production, or wine writing within major wine-producing countries.
The Master of Wine examination consists of three stages, culminating in a research paper, a study on a wine-related topic from any field of science, the arts, the humanities, or the social sciences. Pro Wine is proud to note that our columnist, Manuela Plohl, was the first person from Croatia to become an Austrian Wine Academy graduate. Here is how she described the journey to earning that title.