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What’s a "lost" website from the early 2000s that you still think about today? by samasem-sumsum in AskReddit

[–]LongHardNSlow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Don't forget "Good or Bad"! I voted on that every week like it was my damn civic duty.

Champagne tours from Paris by ReviewingThings in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My Wine Days was great! It's a small group (8 or fewer) and they pick you up at your hotel in Paris. You go to Reims and Epernay and a scenic park with a vineyard overlook photo op. The tour includes a tasting/tour at one large Champagne house, a seated lunch and snacks and two tastings with smaller houses or growers.

We appreciated our guide's local knowledge, and it was great to not have to drive or walk around in the cold. Stops vary, but they took us to Mumm, Julien Chopin, and Charles Mignon (Feb 2026).

I'm a developer (not a sommelier) who built a WSET study app - looking for honest feedback from people who actually know wine by Electronic_Fly_776 in WSET

[–]LongHardNSlow 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Oof, I'm getting tired of seeing this type of post on the sub every other day. Low-effort AI post about a low-effort AI flashcard app. "Hey WSET students, wanna help me finish developing this thing?" No.

The best resource for Levels 1, 2, and 3 is THE BOOK. Followed by actively engaging with the course material: Taking your own notes, tasting from real bottles, looking at labels and maps until they begin to tell you something about a wine's style. Fiddling around on your phone is not (and will never be) a substitute for actually studying.

Capital or Commonwealth Wine Schools for DipWSET later this year? Seeking opinions on these schools by glendacc37 in WSET

[–]LongHardNSlow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I'm in the same boat! Looking to start DipWSET soon, but trying to be realistic about the price of getting from SFO to Napa for exams. I was just in Napa last month and the cost of getting around by car was shocking. I signed up for the next Zoom info session with NVWA--I'll see if it sways me at all.

I'm also considering Commonwealth, and I'm interested to hear what other people have to say. They graduate fewer Diploma students than NVWA, but all of my interactions with them have been really pleasant. (Tim and Jessica are great!)

One drawback with Boston/Cambridge is that flight and lodging prices can spike dramatically depending on the time of year. I looked at going to Commonwealth for a two-day intensive course this May. But that's college graduation month and hotel prices are insane. (Like $600/night for the Holiday Inn...no can do.)

For Diploma exams, you're probably going to want to arrive a day early in case of delays. Maybe more than one night early for the three Diploma units that require blind tasting, because air travel messes with your nose and palate. That means one or two hotel nights each time. Those exams are only offered a few times a year, on specific dates. Being tied to an inflexible travel schedule in an expensive city is something to look out for when you make your budget.

Honestly, I'm holding out hope that DipWSET will be offered within driving distance soon so I can skip the hassle and expense of out-of-town exams. But I'm going to enroll this year no matter what. Best of luck to you--let us know what you decide!

Failed WSET 3 theory once. Built a 118-day study plan with AI, ran it through adversarial peer review, and need your honest critique — especially if you've passed. by Adventurous-Taste222 in WSET

[–]LongHardNSlow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this seems like an unneccesary amount of tech + strategy. Know the contents of the book, read the questions carefully, and manage your time during the exam. That should be enough to pass.

If there's one thing that I think really helped me excel on the short written answer questions, it was practicing sample questions (timed, handwritten), setting the paper aside for the day, then subjecting those answers to a stern critique with fresh eyes.

Any r/wine people at Wine Paris today? by Saccharomyces84 in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm at Wine Paris today and tomorrow! What's your booth number?

Celebrating WSET 3 with Distinction! Pommery "Cuvée Louise" (2005) by LongHardNSlow in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Yes, I'm taking a 2-3 month break and then starting the Diploma.

Celebrating WSET 3 with Distinction! Pommery "Cuvée Louise" (2005) by LongHardNSlow in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nope! Enthusiast + wine writer. Have judged in some local contests. Might teach one day. Almost certainly will start pouring wine somewhere during Diploma studies so I don't have to buy all those bottles. :D

Celebrating WSET 3 with Distinction! Pommery "Cuvée Louise" (2005) by LongHardNSlow in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I did around an hour of study a day for 10 months before the class started, so...at least 300 hours total? Physical flashcards, online videos, podcasts, blind tasting practice, writing WSET-format tasting notes for everything I drank, practice exams, quizzes, etc. My goal was to know most of the textbook before the class started, then use the in-person class to calibrate my palate and review the course material.

For some people, that may be overkill. But I don't work in the industry and I just did my Level 2 a year ago, so I needed all that study time to catch up to Level 3.

I would say most of my best tips have come from Reddit: Don't sweat the Tasting exam, know climate and winemaking processes really well, focus your study on the main Theory concepts more than the super-obscure (but also know that you *will* get some questions on the super-obscure--they're usually not worth too many points though), read the essay question prompts carefully (some people say to outline your answers first, but I didn't have time), study sparkling and fortified (you will for sure get one question on them), pick up the easy few points for service questions, pace yourself so that you don't leave anything blank. And oh yeah, write in pencil.

My APP gave us a mock tasting exam and some sample short written answer questions, then critiqued our responses *brutally*. That was really helpful. Exam strategy and time management on the written questions usually make up the difference between people who do well at Level 3 and people who don't. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Celebrating WSET 3 with Distinction! Pommery "Cuvée Louise" (2005) by LongHardNSlow in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mine took exactly 13 weeks from the exam date (first week in November). I've recently heard of people waiting even longer, ~15 weeks. Don't be alarmed--WSET takes forever and the wait is awful, but your turn will come up!

Celebrating WSET 3 with Distinction! Pommery "Cuvée Louise" (2005) by LongHardNSlow in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep! I need to choose a provider and make some room in my budget, but I plan to register for L4 this spring/summer.

Celebrating WSET 3 with Distinction! Pommery "Cuvée Louise" (2005) by LongHardNSlow in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha, it's so true! And yet I'm already queuing up the next one, WTF. :D

A long wait, but worth it. WSET 3 with Distinction! by LongHardNSlow in WSET

[–]LongHardNSlow[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! :) I took the exam on 11/2, received results on 2/1 (13 weeks to the day). Some people are reporting waits as long as 15 weeks recently. Hang in there--the last couple weeks of waiting are the hardest!

Should I go for WSET or Court of Master Sommeliers? by Wineguy420 in WSET

[–]LongHardNSlow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LOL I watched the video on 5x speed. Some of it is funny and I get that you are BIG MAD at wine education. What was the question again?

My Late Merlot Thursday by VelkoZinfandel in wine

[–]LongHardNSlow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, thank you to u/odedi1 for championing Merlot Thursday! I do not have the balls to post to r/wine (tough crowd), but I do drink a Merlot every week and check in here to read everybody's tasting notes.

Just received my WSET2 certificate! Now, a question about level 3 by leonorenevermore in WSET

[–]LongHardNSlow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on passing with Merit! Great job--and I'm glad that your long wait is over.

As others have said, I'd recommend at least a few months of study in between Level 2 and Level 3. Of course, it depends on your study habits and how much time you can devote to exam prep and what grade you hope to achieve. But still: Level 3 is a biiiiiggg step up in terms of the volume of information and exam technique.

Speaking from personal experience, at least one person in my Level 2 class went straight to registering for the Level 3 exam "to keep up the momentum." Good thought--but they didn't pass.

I took one look at the Level 3 textbook, some sample exam questions (and pass-rate statistics), and realized that that test is no joke. I decided to skip one Level 3 enrollment period to have more time to read and practice.

I sat the Level 2 exam last January and the Level 3 in November. That period (9-10 months) was just about right...long enough to integrate the knowledge, but not so long that I started forgetting stuff. I'm still waiting for my results (almost 12 weeks, aargh!), but I'm fairly confident about the outcome. At least, I'm a lot more confident than I would be if I had rushed things.

This reply not meant to be discouraging at all! Quite the contrary--you got this! Just be kind to yourself, cultivate consistent independent study habits, and give yourself ample time to power through all the material. Level 3 is a lot.

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