WSET LEVEL 3 CERTIFICATION EVALUATION
EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉ Since sweet food can dull the taste of a wine (losing its fruit and
becoming unpleasantly acidic), a good general rule is to select a wine
with a higher level of sweetness. Answer: What type of wine should you
pair with sweet food?
◉ Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and alcohol
burn in the wine. It also decreases the perception of body, sweetness, and
fruitiness of the wine. Answer: What effect does umami food have on
wine?
◉ Pair with low tannin, lower alcohol red wines without (or limited) oak
character. Crisp whites with minimal oak and lower alcohol also work
well. Answer: What type of wine should you pair with umami food?
◉ Salt will increase the perception of body in a wine and decrease
astringency, bitterness and acidity. Answer: What effect does salty food
have on wine?
◉ Fruity and rich (less bitter. less alcoholic) Answer: Salty foods will
make a tannic, alcoholic red wine taste more ......... ?
,◉ Acid in food will increase the perception of body, sweetness, and
fruitiness in wine. It will also decrease the perception of acid in a wine.
Answer: What effect does acidic food have on wine?
◉ It's a good rule of thumb to pair high acid food with high acid wine
(as wines can appear flat and flabby if the acid of the wine is
overwhelmed by the food). Answer: What type of wine should be paired
with acidic food?
◉ Bitterness in food increases the bitterness in wine. Answer: What
effect does bitter food have on wine?
◉ The wine can be overwhelmed by the food flavors. Answer: What
effect does highly flavored food have on wine?
◉ Pair with wines of similar intensity or flavors. Answer: What type of
wine should be paired with highly flavored food?
◉ It makes the wine appear less acidic. Answer: What effect does
fatty/oily food have on wine?
◉ Pair with wines of high levels of acidity. Answer: What type of wine
should be paired with highly fatty/oily food?
,◉ In 2009 Answer: When did the European Union change it's wine
laws?
◉ 1) Protected Designation of Origen (PDO)
2) Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Answer: What are the two
labelling terms of EU wines with a geographical indication?
◉ Apellation d'Origine Controlee (AC or AOC) Answer: What term is
used to delineate a PDO wine from France?
◉ Vin de Pays (VdP) or Indication Geographique Protegee (IGP). IGP
has appeared on many wine labels begining with the 2009 vintage.
Answer: What term is used to delineate a PGI wine from France?
◉ Vin de France Answer: What term is used to delineate a wine in
France without any geographical indication?
◉ Located in south-west France, Bordeaux has a moderate/maritime
climate. Answer: What is the location and climate of Bordeaux?
◉ Stone/Gravel Answer: What type of soil is found in the Medoc, Haut-
Medoc, and Graves regions of Bordeaux?
, ◉ Clay with limestone subsoil Answer: What type of soil is found in the
St-Emilion and Pomeral regions of Bordeaux?
◉ 1) Merlot
2) Cabernet Sauvignon
3) Cabernet
4) Malbec
5) Petit Verdot
6) Carmenere Answer: What are the 6 main black grape varieties of
Bordeaux (in order of most to least vineyard acreage)?
◉ 1) Semillon
2) Sauvignon Blanc
3) Muscadelle Answer: What are the 3 main white grapes of Bordeaux
(in order of most to least vineyard acreage)?
◉ High-density planting Answer: Are there high or low density
plantings in Bordeaux?
◉ Lower yields for higher-quality wines Answer: Do the higher quality
wines of Bordeaux experience lower or higher yields?
◉ 1) Ripening Grapes
EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉ Since sweet food can dull the taste of a wine (losing its fruit and
becoming unpleasantly acidic), a good general rule is to select a wine
with a higher level of sweetness. Answer: What type of wine should you
pair with sweet food?
◉ Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and alcohol
burn in the wine. It also decreases the perception of body, sweetness, and
fruitiness of the wine. Answer: What effect does umami food have on
wine?
◉ Pair with low tannin, lower alcohol red wines without (or limited) oak
character. Crisp whites with minimal oak and lower alcohol also work
well. Answer: What type of wine should you pair with umami food?
◉ Salt will increase the perception of body in a wine and decrease
astringency, bitterness and acidity. Answer: What effect does salty food
have on wine?
◉ Fruity and rich (less bitter. less alcoholic) Answer: Salty foods will
make a tannic, alcoholic red wine taste more ......... ?
,◉ Acid in food will increase the perception of body, sweetness, and
fruitiness in wine. It will also decrease the perception of acid in a wine.
Answer: What effect does acidic food have on wine?
◉ It's a good rule of thumb to pair high acid food with high acid wine
(as wines can appear flat and flabby if the acid of the wine is
overwhelmed by the food). Answer: What type of wine should be paired
with acidic food?
◉ Bitterness in food increases the bitterness in wine. Answer: What
effect does bitter food have on wine?
◉ The wine can be overwhelmed by the food flavors. Answer: What
effect does highly flavored food have on wine?
◉ Pair with wines of similar intensity or flavors. Answer: What type of
wine should be paired with highly flavored food?
◉ It makes the wine appear less acidic. Answer: What effect does
fatty/oily food have on wine?
◉ Pair with wines of high levels of acidity. Answer: What type of wine
should be paired with highly fatty/oily food?
,◉ In 2009 Answer: When did the European Union change it's wine
laws?
◉ 1) Protected Designation of Origen (PDO)
2) Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Answer: What are the two
labelling terms of EU wines with a geographical indication?
◉ Apellation d'Origine Controlee (AC or AOC) Answer: What term is
used to delineate a PDO wine from France?
◉ Vin de Pays (VdP) or Indication Geographique Protegee (IGP). IGP
has appeared on many wine labels begining with the 2009 vintage.
Answer: What term is used to delineate a PGI wine from France?
◉ Vin de France Answer: What term is used to delineate a wine in
France without any geographical indication?
◉ Located in south-west France, Bordeaux has a moderate/maritime
climate. Answer: What is the location and climate of Bordeaux?
◉ Stone/Gravel Answer: What type of soil is found in the Medoc, Haut-
Medoc, and Graves regions of Bordeaux?
, ◉ Clay with limestone subsoil Answer: What type of soil is found in the
St-Emilion and Pomeral regions of Bordeaux?
◉ 1) Merlot
2) Cabernet Sauvignon
3) Cabernet
4) Malbec
5) Petit Verdot
6) Carmenere Answer: What are the 6 main black grape varieties of
Bordeaux (in order of most to least vineyard acreage)?
◉ 1) Semillon
2) Sauvignon Blanc
3) Muscadelle Answer: What are the 3 main white grapes of Bordeaux
(in order of most to least vineyard acreage)?
◉ High-density planting Answer: Are there high or low density
plantings in Bordeaux?
◉ Lower yields for higher-quality wines Answer: Do the higher quality
wines of Bordeaux experience lower or higher yields?
◉ 1) Ripening Grapes
