Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/724773
5 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t A Clarification of Abbreviations The Wine & Sprit Education Trust (WSET) and Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) are two separate programs. Quite often, even those in the know think these two programs are one and the same. PHOTOS: CAL BINGHAM INSIGHT ON THE WSET PROGRAM FROM A FEW OF ITS BRIGHTEST STUDENTS by Jessie Birschbach EDUCATION GAME. WSET. MATCH. I'M A CERTIFIED SOMMELIER with the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) and don't intend to stop at the second level. But lately—especially because I'm now writing about wine instead of serving it— I've been considering accreditation with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). WSET—founded as a chari- table trust in the U.K. in 1969—has organized an exactingly thorough wine and spirits educational program that employs exams, courses and research papers in four levels, and even separate category units within the Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits. As if the hard-earned WSET Level 4 Diploma isn't award enough in itself, graduating from the program sets you on the path to become a prestigious Master of Wine (MW) via the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW); there are currently only 341 MWs in the world. So in pursuit of getting a true sense of the experience for my own selfish reasons, I spoke with a few respected wine professionals who are involved with the WSET program. Chloe Dickson and Elizabeth Kelso sample Bordeaux with Emmanuel Mathe, Marketing and Promotion Consultant for Clarence Dillon Wines, during his visit to Wally's Vinoteca. Wally's Vinoteca Retail Sommelier Chloe Dickson, Beverly Hills, CA.