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WSET LEVEL 1 WINES LATEST 202 5/2026 ACTUAL EXAM
(QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS)
What is Wine? An Alcoholic drink made from the total or partial fermentation of freshly-picked grapes' juice. What is Fermentation? Yeast feed on sugar, converting it into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas and heat Types of wine.
- Still wine
- Sparkling wine
- Fortified wine Still wines.
- They have no bubbles
- 8 - 15% alcohol
- Named after a region (old world)
- Named after a grape variety (new world)
Sparkling wines.
- Carbon dioxide trapped (bubbles)
- Champagne is the best known French Sparkling
- Crémant is also an sparkling wine from France
- Cava is made in Spain
- Prosecco is made in Italy
- Sekt is made in Austria and Germany Fortified wines.
- Extra alcohol added
- 15 - 22% alcohol
- E.g. Sherry (Spain) & Port (Portugal) Styles of wine.
- Colour
- Sweetness
- Body
- Oak
- Tannins
- Acidity Colour of wine.
Examples of Medium wines.
- Germany white wines (Riesling)
- White Zinfandel (rosé) from California Sweet wines.
- Wine made out of grapes rich in sugar, yeast dies before all sugars are consumed or yeast dies because of the addition of extra alcohol
- Sweetness and acidiy must be balanced ➜ not cloying Examples of Sweet wines.
- Sauternes from France
- Port from Portugal What is Body?
- The general feel of the wine in the mouth when you taste it
- Light - Medium - Full Light bodied wine.
- Refreshing and easy to drink
- E.g. Pinot Grigio (Italy) & Beaujolais (France)
Medium bodied wine.
- Richer more substantial
- Oak barrels ➜ extra texture
- E.g. Merlot (Chile) & White Burgundy (France) Full bodied wine.
- Powerful, concentrated and heavy
- Ripen grapes & use of Oak barrels
- E.g. Shiraz (Australia) & oaked Chardonnay (California) Oak.
- Fermented or matured in oak barrels
- Gives flavour, tannins & texture
- White wine becomes buttery with vanilla flavour
- Red wine becomes smoother with spicy character Tannins.
- Found in black grape skins
- Felt in teeth, gums and tongue
- Mouth dry sensation
- Provides structure and complexity
How would taste a wine made from over ripe grapes? Over alcoholic, flabby and lacking balance. What is the importance of climate? It can gives us an idea of the expected temperature and weather conditions in a region and how it will affect the grapes and therefore the wine produced in those regions. Cool climate.
- Mainly white grapes
- High in acidity
- Lower in alcohol
- Refreshing and crisp
- E.g. North of France and Germany Hot climate.
- Mainly red grapes
- High in alcohol
- Rich in flavour
- E.g. South of France, Central Spain and Australia
What is Climate? The amount os sunlight and heat that a region normaly gets. Which are considered the Noble grape varieties?
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Riesling
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Syrah/Shiraz Chardonnay profile.
- Dry
- Full bodied
- Rich creamy texture
- Cool region: green fruits, citrus high acidity
- Hot region: Stone fruits, tropical fruits
- It can spend time in oak ➜ spice & vanilla Famous Chardonnays.
- Chablis (France)
Famous Rieslings.
- Alsace (France)
- Mosel (Germany)
- Australia How does ageing affect red wines?
- Soften tannins
- Allows wines to gain complexity
- Develops aromas of leaves and mushroom Cabernet Sauvignon profile.
- Dry
- Medium to full bodied
- High acidity
- High tannins, deeply coloured
- Black fruits & herbaceous flavours
- Oaked ➜ spice & vanilla
- Often blended Which other varieties are blended with Cabernet Sauvignon?
- Merlot (Bordeaux)
- Shiraz (Australia-California) Merlot profile.
- Dry
- Full bodied
- Medium acidity
- Low to medium tannins
- Red fruits and black fruits flavours
- Oaked ➜ spice & vanilla Famous Merlots.
- St.Emilion (Bordeaux)
- Chile Pinot Noir profile.
- Dry
- Light bodied
- High acidity
- Low to medium tannins
- Red fruits flavours
What is Champagne?
- French sparkling wine
- Made from Chardonnay & Pinot Noir
- High acidity What is Sancerre?
- French white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc
- Dry
- Medium bodied
- High acidity
- Green fruits and herbaceous flavours What is a Red Bordeaux?
- French red wine from Bordeaux
- Dry
- Medium bodied
- Medium to high acidity
- High tannins
- Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Pinot Grigio profile.
- Italian white grape
- Dry
- Light bodied
- High acidity
- Neutral/light flavours What is Sauternes?
- French sweet wine
- Made in Bordeaux
- Full bodied
- HIgh acidity
- Stone fruit & honey flavours What is Soave?
- Italian white wine
- Made of Garganega grape
- High acidity
- Green apple and citrus flavours What is Châteauneuf-du-Pape?
- French red wine
When is the Harvest? In the Autumn What is the process to make Red wine? Black grapes are...
- Picked
- Crushed
- Destemmed
- Fermented in contact with skins
- Pressed to separate the wine from the skins
- Wine is matured
- Wine is bottled What is the difference when making Rosé wine? The juice is in contact with the skins for a shorter period of time so the resulting wine is lighter in colour (pink). What is the process to make White wine? White (even black) grapes are...
- Picked
- Pressed to separate the juice from the skins
- Juice is fermented
- Wine is matured
- Wine is bottled True or False: Red wines high in tannins are meant to mature further in the bottle? True When following a professional tasting technique, what are the 3 elements to assess?
- Look
- Smell
- Taste How to assess the Look of a wine?
- Colour (Red - Rosé - White)
- Intensity (Pale - Medium - Deep) How to assess the Smell of a wine?
- Swirl the wine
- Sniff the wine
- Condition (Clean - Unclean)
- Sweet wines ➜ Well chilled (6-8˚C)
- Sparkling wines ➜ Well chilled (6-10˚C)
- Light bodied ➜ Chilled (7-10˚C)
- M/F bodied ➜ Lightly chilled (10-13C) Serving temperature for Red wines.
- Light bodied ➜ Lightly chilled (13˚C)
- M/F bodied ➜ Room temperature (15-18˚C) Glassware for serving wines.
- Red ➜ Large size glasses
- White/Rosé ➜ Medium size glasses
- Sparkling ➜ Flute glasses
- Fortified ➜ Small glasses Why large size glasses are recommended for Red wines? To aerate the wine, they allow air to come in contact with the wine to develop the aromas and flavours. Why medium size glasses to be used with White wines? So the fresh and fruity characteristics are directed towards the top of the glass.
How the flute glasses affect the tasting of Sparkilng wine? The long bowl allows the bubbles and therefore the flavours to travel through larger area before bursting at the top. Why small glasses are better to taste Fortified wines? Cause they emphasize the fruit characteristics instead of the alcohol. Best way to prepare the glassware.
- Ensure no detergent residues remain in the glass
- Polish them before each use Opening a bottle of Light (still) wine.
- Remove the top of the capsule
- Clean the neck of the bottle
- Draw the cork gently
- Clean the neck of the bottle inside-out Opening a bottle of sparkling wine.
- Ensure the wine is well chilled
- Remove the foil
- Loosen the wire cage
