Looking to dive into the world of wine? The WSET Level 1 in Wine is the perfect place to start. Whether you are thinking about a professional career in the drinks industry or just want to up your wine-tasting game, this course is a fun, relaxed, and interactive way to start your wine journey. You can complete the whole course, including the exam, in just one day, resulting in a qualification to accompany your new knowledge.
Our WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) courses offer everyone the chance to earn an internationally recognised qualification in wine with us here at the Gordon Ramsay Academy.
Join top sommeliers from the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants group for a daytime course learning about the essentials of wine tasting. Your friendly hosts will talk you through the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting, giving you practical insights into food and wine pairing like a pro.
The course will also cover wine service and storage (because nobody wants a corked bottle ruining the party!), including how to identify common faults in wine. You’ll explore the main grape varieties, both white, such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and black, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, tasting at least nine wines throughout the day.
At the end of the course, you will sit a 45-minute exam comprising of 30 multiple choice questions. A mark of 70% and higher will pass the course, with all who pass receiving an official certificate and a WSET lapel pin.
This course will not only provide you with a wine qualification that is recognised around the world, but also the foundations to continue to explore the huge world of wine and spirits.
Alongside the course material, you’ll also receive tasters from the Academy chef team to help you identify food and wine pairings, hear anecdotes and hints and tips from Gordon Ramsay Restaurant’s top sommeliers, and have plenty of time for questions, too!
Please ensure you read the Terms & Conditions prior to booking this course.
Course requirements: You are required to provide authorised photographic ID (e.g. passport, photo driving licence or national ID card) in order to take the examination.
All participants must be over 18 years old.
No previous experience of Wine Tasting is necessary to join this course
Course starts: 9.30am, arrive anytime from 9am to check in at reception
Course finishes: 4.30pm
Course size: Maximum 8 guests (please note, the course may be subject to rescheduling if less than a minimum 4 guests are attending)
Course details:
What’s included:
For more information, please view the WSET course specification.
Gordon tries to visit the Academy when he can and loves following what you’re all doing on social media. Our WSET courses are hosted by brilliant sommeliers and wine experts who will be passing on tons of knowledge from their own training and experience in restaurants around the world.
Of course! If booking for six or more to take the qualification at once, please get in touch with our Private Dining and Events team who can help you plan your course with us.
WSET courses are open to anyone over 18 years of age to take part in. You do not need any prior knowledge to take Level 1 Award in Wine, making it a great introduction for anyone interested in learning more about the world of wine.
If you have any accessibility needs or if there's anything we can do to help make your experience more comfortable, please let us know in the booking form or give us a call to chat through.
The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines does include a food pairing element but all tasting dishes and ingredients are optional. We may not be able to adapt these on the day as all dishes are prepared specifically to showcase certain flavour profiles alongside the wines.
You can still let us know any specific requirements on the booking form so that the team can be aware of this during your course.
We unfortunately cannot guarantee an allergen or nut-free environment in any of our kitchens.
All wines, equipment and ingredients are provided, along with your course materials. You may want to make notes during the course and are welcome to bring stationery or small laptops/tablets to do so.
You will take your examination during your course at The Academy. This is externally marked by WSET and therefore is not awarded on the day. Participants will be notified in a timely manner of their results and successful participants will receive their certificates and pin badges in the post.
For more information on the examinations, resit options and more, please see the WSET Terms and Conditions.
We’re handily located in Woking town centre, have a look at our Contact page for all location and travel advice.
Great idea! We’ve got several gift voucher options starting from just £10. All e-vouchers can be emailed over instantly so make great last-minute gifts.
If booking a specific class or event on behalf of someone else, please ensure you provide their details and requirements in the attendee part of the booking form.
Lucky you! Simply put the voucher code into the Promo/Voucher code box during checkout and the voucher amount will be taken off your order. For full details on how to redeem your voucher, please see our How to redeem a voucher page.
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from purchase and can be redeemed against one order (including any classes, events and products but excluding gift vouchers) – we regret that we are unable to offer a refund or credit for any outstanding balance.
No problem. We understand sometimes things come up unexpectedly - please just let us know as soon as possible and we'll always try and reschedule your booking to another date if we can.
You can call us on 020 7352 2442, email us on woking@gordonramsayacademy.com or amend your booking in your account up to one week before the class start time. If there are no other suitable dates available or you'd like to switch to a different class or event, please get in touch with our team.
Due to the preparation required for classes, we cannot guarantee being able to reschedule any bookings within 48 hours of the class start time.
Bookings can only be refunded if cancelled more than 14 days before the class. Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information.
We’d love you to share your photos and experiences with others on social media – tag @gordonramsayacademy and show everyone what you’ve been cooking!
We often photograph and film classes to share in our social and marketing but if you’re not comfortable with this, you can choose to opt out in the booking form and we’ll always check with you in class as well. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
If you have any questions at all about what happens at the Academy, how bookings or vouchers work, your account, or how we can make sure you have the best experience you possibly can, just get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.
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