Prerequisites and Testing Criteria

For Certified Sommelier

  • Pass the online exam for Certified Sommelier with at least a score of 75%
  • Schedule your practical in person or submit video of yourself performing bottle service of either still or sparkling. Video should contain bottles and 3 glasses being brought to a table, presentation, opening, tasting sample, pouring into remaining glasses and bottle placed in proper location after service. Passing score is 75%.

You must hold one of the following certifications and be able to prove successful completion:

  • WSET Level 2 Wine (or Wine & Spirits)
  • Society of Wine Educators Certified Specialist of Wine

For Advanced Sommelier

  • Pass the online exam for Certified Advanced Sommelier with at least a score of 75%.
  • Schedule your practical in person or submit video of yourself performing formal bottle service of still wine and sparkling. You may use a tray to simulate full mis en place. Please bring 6 glasses to the table for the presentation and pouring and leave the bottle as per guidelines. Passing score is 75%.

You must hold one of the following certifications and be able to prove successful completion:

  • WSET Level 3 Wine (or Wine & Spirits)
  • Society of Wine Educators Certified Wine Educator

sommelier judging form

Video Guidelines

Your camera should be close enough to you to have the bottle clearly visible at all times. Please start the video by declaring your name and showing a clear image of your ID (passport or driver's license). We suggest you get a friend to do the filming and please do the entire process in one "take". You may use two takes for the Advanced presentation that required 2 wines to be poured. Your video will not be shared by WEI.

You may also contact exams@edu.wine to schedule an in-person practical at no additional charge.

Service Evaluation Guidelines

Service is graded on a 100 point scale with 75 points being required for passing of both levels. The grading criterias for both:

  • 30 points for Presentation
  • 40 points for Opening
  • 30 points for Pouring

Please note the standards for Advanced are more stringent. It is impossible to define the exact point deductions for specific protocol violations. A slightly visible wobble to the bottle might only be 2 points on the Certified Exam (3 points Advanced) while a vigourous shake could result in up to 12 points being deducted. A drop of wine spilled during pouring is clearly different than a visible splash.

You may challenge the results by emailing exams@edu.wine, please include your order number in all correspondence. Generally the exams scores are uphead but you may receive additional details to help improve on a future submission. Occasionally an additional video may be submitted at no charge in cases where judges were unable to score due to quality issues.

Testing Guidlines and Course Overview

Online Exam

You will only receive one attempt on the exam. Failure to finish in time is not grounds for a re-take. You will need to sign up for another exam which cannot be taken within two weeks of any prior exam.