Online Course Catalog

The National Wine School offers a full complement of online wine courses. The programs start with Level One and progress through Level Four, the Advanced Sommelier level. All of our classes are fully online, including the exams. This means you can start at Level One and progress to Advanced Sommelier entirely online and at your own pace.

To begin, you have three options. The first is to start with Level One. The second is to enroll in the Core Sommelier program, which includes Levels One, Two, and Three. Finally, if you previously earned your Level One credential through WSET or CMS, you can transfer that credential to the National Wine School.

Core Sommelier

The Complete Sommelier Program

The Core Sommelier program combines all three certification levels:

Level One: 45 clock hours
Level Two: 90 clock hours
Level Three: 90 clock hours

225 clock hours • $1,100

Complete all three levels, and you earn Core Sommelier certification.

If your goal is to become a sommelier from the beginning, the Core program is the most direct path.

Enroll in Core Sommelier

Level One Sommelier

The Starting Point

Level One is where most students begin.

This course establishes the fundamentals you need before moving into professional wine study: how wine is made, how to taste it, the major grape varieties, wine service, and the principles of food and wine pairing.

45 clock hours • $300

Successful completion earns Level One Sommelier certification.

If you have never completed a formal sommelier or wine-certification program, start here. Former WSET Student? Transfer your credits.

Explore Level One SOMMELIER

Level Two Sommelier

Professional Wine Tasting

Level Two develops the sensory skills of a sommelier.

You move beyond identifying basic flavors and begin learning why a wine tastes the way it does. The course connects grape growing, winemaking, and sensory analysis, with an emphasis on blind tasting.

90 clock hours • $499

Level One is required before starting Level Two.

Successful completion earns Level Two Sommelier certification.

Explore Level Two Sommelier

Level Three Sommelier

The World of Wine

Level Three takes the tasting skills developed in Level Two and applies them to the world’s major wine regions.

You study the grapes, geography, climate, terroir, and wine styles of the world’s important producing regions while developing deductive tasting skills.

90 clock hours • $550

Level One and Level Two must be completed before Level Three. Successful completion earns the Core Sommelier certification.

Explore Level Three Sommelier

Earn Your Pin!

See how the certification levels fit together.

Help Me Choose an Online Wine Course

Advanced Sommelier Courses

Advanced Certification Requires Four Advanced Wine Courses, Along with the Core Sommelier Certification.

Master of French Wine Course

Undertake advanced study of France and its major wine regions, traditions, classifications, and styles.
135 clock hours

Italian Wine Specialist Course

Explore the major regions, grapes, appellations, and wine traditions of Italy at the Advanced level.
135 clock hours

Spanish Wine Specialist Course

Develop advanced knowledge of Spanish wine through focused study of its regions, grapes, traditions, and modern wine industry.
135 clock hours

Ancient Wine Scholar

Examine the historical foundations of wine and the cultures and developments that shaped wine before the modern era.
135 clock hours

Scholar of Modern Wine Course

Study the historical, technological, and commercial forces that shaped the modern world of wine.
135 clock hours

Master of Wine Terroir Course

Study terroir at an Advanced level and examine how geography, geology, climate, and viticulture influence wine.
135 clock hours

American Wine Specialist Course

Study the wines, regions, and development of the American wine industry through an Advanced-level program.
135 clock hours

COMING SOON

Germanic Wine Specialist Course

Develop Advanced-level expertise in the wines and wine regions of the Germanic wine world.
135 clock hours

COMING SOON

The National WIne School is the top sommelier accreditation body in the United States.
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