WSET LEVEL 3 LATEST 2026 TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Rheinhessen - ✔✔Largest region
Muller Thurgau and Reisling and black varieties
Nierstein - fuller body riesling
✔✔Pfalz - ✔✔2nd largest region
can be seen as a continuation of Alsace
Riesling and Dornfelder
Ripe, full body riesling
✔✔Baden - ✔✔Warnest and most southerly region
fullest body with highest alcohol
Spatburgunder most widely planted
✔✔Franken - ✔✔To the east
Silvaner dominates
✔✔Pradikat System - ✔✔Qualitatswein - dry to med sweet
Pradikatswein:
Kabinett - most delicate, high acid, light body, green apple & citrus. dry to med sweet
Spatlese - more concentrated, more body and alcohol. dry to med sweet
Auslese - richer and riper. dry to med sweet
Beerenauslese (BA) - Noble rot usually, similar to TBA but less intense. sweet only
Eiswein - varietal purity, high acid, sweet
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) - always noble rot, sweet, honeyed, sweet only.
✔✔Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) - ✔✔independent group of wine
producers classified the best sites
✔✔Grosses Gewächs (GG) - ✔✔Dry (Qualitatsweine) made from the best sites. part of
VDP. not part of law.
✔✔Austria Gruner Veltliner - ✔✔fresh but unexciting if yields too high.
full body, concentrated and high acidity in youth, gives way to citrus, stone fruit, white
pepper, layers of honey and toast as it ages.
Stainless steel or old oak
✔✔Austria white grapes - ✔✔Welschriesling - dry, simple, citrus and green apple, high
acid. susceptible to botrytis
Reisling - med to full body, ripe peach fruit, can mature
,✔✔Austria Black Grapes - ✔✔Zweigelt - deep colored, soft tannin, bramble. most widely
planted
Blaufrankisch - med tannin, high acid, peppery, sour cherry. most highly regarded.
St. Laurent - similar to Pinot, oak aging common
✔✔Austria regions - ✔✔Niederösterreich (lower Austria)
- Wachau - high quality, dry from GV or riesling
- Weinvertel DAC - GV
Burgenland - border with hungary. known for sweet and red wines
Steiermark
Wein (Vienna)
✔✔Tokaj Climate - ✔✔Moderate. best vineyards on hillside slopes with southerly
aspects. Rivers help humidity in early morning for development of noble rot.
✔✔Furmint - ✔✔Concentrated, high acid wine with flavors of apples when young,
developing into nuts and honey as aged.
Can be dry, but late ripening and susceptibility to botrytis makes it perfect for Aszu
wines.
✔✔Tokaji Szammorodni - ✔✔Dry or sweet depending on when grapes are picked. dry
wines will show noble rot characteristics.
must be aged for one year in cask and be two years old before released
✔✔Tokaij Aszu - ✔✔Starts with base wine from healthy grapes.
before, during or after fermentation the Aszu berries are macerated with base wine for
12-60 hours. mixture is pressed and matured in oak.
Minimum: 5 puttonyos. minimum age of 18 months in oak and three years old.
Deep amber, high acid, intense aromas and flavors of orange peel, apricots and honey.
✔✔Tokaji Eszencia - ✔✔Made using just the free run juice of ascu berries. It is so sweet
it takes years to ferment.
✔✔Loire Geographic Regions (West to East) - ✔✔Central Vineyards
- Sancerre (Sauv Blanc)
- Pouilly Fume (Sauv Blanc)
- Menetou-Salon (Sauv Blanc)
Touraine
- Vouvray (Chenin Blanc)
- Chinon (Cab Franc)
- Bourgueil (Cab Franc)
,Anjou-Samur
- Samur (Chenin Blanc),
- Anjou (Chenin Blanc),
- Savennieres (Chenin Blanc)
- Samur Champigny (Cab Franc)
Nantais -
- Muscadet (Melon Blanc),
- Muscadet Sevre et Maine
✔✔Loire Village Names - ✔✔Nantais
- Muscadet (Melon Blanc)
- Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Anjou-Samur
- Anjou (Chenin Blanc)
- Samur (Chenin Blanc)
- Savennieres (Chenin Blanc)
- Samur-Champigny (Cab Franc)
- Coteaux du Layon (Chenin Blanc Noble rot)
Touraine
- Vouvray (Chenin Blanc)
- Chinon (Cab Franc)
- Bourgueil (Cab Franc)
Central Vineyards
- Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc)
- Pouilly-Fume (Sauvignon Blanc)
- Menetou-Salon (Sauvignon Blanc)
✔✔Loire Climate - ✔✔Cool.
Central vineyards - continental;
Nantais - Maritime.
Anjou - slightly warmer given location (Mauges hills). warm stony soils
Touraine - wetter, cooler, clay soils.
Varied vintages, best locations have most sunshine and warmth (southerly aspect, mid
slope)
Fungal disease risk
✔✔Loire - Sauvignon Blanc - ✔✔Sancerre & Pouilly Fume - chalky, well drained stony
soil, high acidity
green apple & wet stones. PF - can be smoky
Most stainless, a few do MLF in old oak or lees for texture or to lower acidity in cold
years
Menetou-Salon - more inexpensive than S/PF
Touraine - most of SB production, inexpensive
✔✔Loire - Chenin Blanc - ✔✔high acid, non-aromatic
grapes ripen differently on same bunch - can be herbaceous if not careful.
, can be dry, sparkling or sweet
fresh apple to tropical fruit, steely smoky,
sweet wines have apricot and citrus peel
honey, toast and hay with age
✔✔Loire - Melon Blanc - ✔✔Muscadet is the varietal
dry, med alcohol, high acid, light body, green fruit, large old oak or stainless steel aging
Muscadet Sur Lie - spends winter on lees.
✔✔Loire - Cabernet Franc - ✔✔ripens early and well suited to Loire. range of styles
depending on climate and soil.
In chinon and Bourguei:
light and fruity come from sandy soils
full body and more tannic come from south facing slopes with limestone and clay.
In Samur-Champigny: wines tend to be lighter and display juicy fruit and floral notes.
✔✔Vouvray - ✔✔Dry, sweet & sparkling
light to medium body
oak rarely used
cool climate
clay and tuffeau soils
✔✔Savennieres - ✔✔Dry, full body, higher alcohol
warm, dry climate
ageable
No noble rot
fresh and fruity, with floral notes. rarely fermented in oak.
✔✔Anjou-Samur - ✔✔Dry and sparkling styles
cool climate
clay and chalk soil
Anjou often oak matured
Samur known for sparkling chenin
✔✔Coteaux du Layon - ✔✔Sweet wines
Noble rot
Warmer climate
Quarts de Chaume & Bonneteaux best sites
✔✔Nantais - ✔✔Muscadet made from Melon Blanc
Dry white, sur lie
✔✔Northern Rhone Geographic Regions (North to South) - ✔✔- Cote Rotie (Syrah, up
to 20% viognier)
- Condrieu (Viognier)
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Rheinhessen - ✔✔Largest region
Muller Thurgau and Reisling and black varieties
Nierstein - fuller body riesling
✔✔Pfalz - ✔✔2nd largest region
can be seen as a continuation of Alsace
Riesling and Dornfelder
Ripe, full body riesling
✔✔Baden - ✔✔Warnest and most southerly region
fullest body with highest alcohol
Spatburgunder most widely planted
✔✔Franken - ✔✔To the east
Silvaner dominates
✔✔Pradikat System - ✔✔Qualitatswein - dry to med sweet
Pradikatswein:
Kabinett - most delicate, high acid, light body, green apple & citrus. dry to med sweet
Spatlese - more concentrated, more body and alcohol. dry to med sweet
Auslese - richer and riper. dry to med sweet
Beerenauslese (BA) - Noble rot usually, similar to TBA but less intense. sweet only
Eiswein - varietal purity, high acid, sweet
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) - always noble rot, sweet, honeyed, sweet only.
✔✔Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) - ✔✔independent group of wine
producers classified the best sites
✔✔Grosses Gewächs (GG) - ✔✔Dry (Qualitatsweine) made from the best sites. part of
VDP. not part of law.
✔✔Austria Gruner Veltliner - ✔✔fresh but unexciting if yields too high.
full body, concentrated and high acidity in youth, gives way to citrus, stone fruit, white
pepper, layers of honey and toast as it ages.
Stainless steel or old oak
✔✔Austria white grapes - ✔✔Welschriesling - dry, simple, citrus and green apple, high
acid. susceptible to botrytis
Reisling - med to full body, ripe peach fruit, can mature
,✔✔Austria Black Grapes - ✔✔Zweigelt - deep colored, soft tannin, bramble. most widely
planted
Blaufrankisch - med tannin, high acid, peppery, sour cherry. most highly regarded.
St. Laurent - similar to Pinot, oak aging common
✔✔Austria regions - ✔✔Niederösterreich (lower Austria)
- Wachau - high quality, dry from GV or riesling
- Weinvertel DAC - GV
Burgenland - border with hungary. known for sweet and red wines
Steiermark
Wein (Vienna)
✔✔Tokaj Climate - ✔✔Moderate. best vineyards on hillside slopes with southerly
aspects. Rivers help humidity in early morning for development of noble rot.
✔✔Furmint - ✔✔Concentrated, high acid wine with flavors of apples when young,
developing into nuts and honey as aged.
Can be dry, but late ripening and susceptibility to botrytis makes it perfect for Aszu
wines.
✔✔Tokaji Szammorodni - ✔✔Dry or sweet depending on when grapes are picked. dry
wines will show noble rot characteristics.
must be aged for one year in cask and be two years old before released
✔✔Tokaij Aszu - ✔✔Starts with base wine from healthy grapes.
before, during or after fermentation the Aszu berries are macerated with base wine for
12-60 hours. mixture is pressed and matured in oak.
Minimum: 5 puttonyos. minimum age of 18 months in oak and three years old.
Deep amber, high acid, intense aromas and flavors of orange peel, apricots and honey.
✔✔Tokaji Eszencia - ✔✔Made using just the free run juice of ascu berries. It is so sweet
it takes years to ferment.
✔✔Loire Geographic Regions (West to East) - ✔✔Central Vineyards
- Sancerre (Sauv Blanc)
- Pouilly Fume (Sauv Blanc)
- Menetou-Salon (Sauv Blanc)
Touraine
- Vouvray (Chenin Blanc)
- Chinon (Cab Franc)
- Bourgueil (Cab Franc)
,Anjou-Samur
- Samur (Chenin Blanc),
- Anjou (Chenin Blanc),
- Savennieres (Chenin Blanc)
- Samur Champigny (Cab Franc)
Nantais -
- Muscadet (Melon Blanc),
- Muscadet Sevre et Maine
✔✔Loire Village Names - ✔✔Nantais
- Muscadet (Melon Blanc)
- Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Anjou-Samur
- Anjou (Chenin Blanc)
- Samur (Chenin Blanc)
- Savennieres (Chenin Blanc)
- Samur-Champigny (Cab Franc)
- Coteaux du Layon (Chenin Blanc Noble rot)
Touraine
- Vouvray (Chenin Blanc)
- Chinon (Cab Franc)
- Bourgueil (Cab Franc)
Central Vineyards
- Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc)
- Pouilly-Fume (Sauvignon Blanc)
- Menetou-Salon (Sauvignon Blanc)
✔✔Loire Climate - ✔✔Cool.
Central vineyards - continental;
Nantais - Maritime.
Anjou - slightly warmer given location (Mauges hills). warm stony soils
Touraine - wetter, cooler, clay soils.
Varied vintages, best locations have most sunshine and warmth (southerly aspect, mid
slope)
Fungal disease risk
✔✔Loire - Sauvignon Blanc - ✔✔Sancerre & Pouilly Fume - chalky, well drained stony
soil, high acidity
green apple & wet stones. PF - can be smoky
Most stainless, a few do MLF in old oak or lees for texture or to lower acidity in cold
years
Menetou-Salon - more inexpensive than S/PF
Touraine - most of SB production, inexpensive
✔✔Loire - Chenin Blanc - ✔✔high acid, non-aromatic
grapes ripen differently on same bunch - can be herbaceous if not careful.
, can be dry, sparkling or sweet
fresh apple to tropical fruit, steely smoky,
sweet wines have apricot and citrus peel
honey, toast and hay with age
✔✔Loire - Melon Blanc - ✔✔Muscadet is the varietal
dry, med alcohol, high acid, light body, green fruit, large old oak or stainless steel aging
Muscadet Sur Lie - spends winter on lees.
✔✔Loire - Cabernet Franc - ✔✔ripens early and well suited to Loire. range of styles
depending on climate and soil.
In chinon and Bourguei:
light and fruity come from sandy soils
full body and more tannic come from south facing slopes with limestone and clay.
In Samur-Champigny: wines tend to be lighter and display juicy fruit and floral notes.
✔✔Vouvray - ✔✔Dry, sweet & sparkling
light to medium body
oak rarely used
cool climate
clay and tuffeau soils
✔✔Savennieres - ✔✔Dry, full body, higher alcohol
warm, dry climate
ageable
No noble rot
fresh and fruity, with floral notes. rarely fermented in oak.
✔✔Anjou-Samur - ✔✔Dry and sparkling styles
cool climate
clay and chalk soil
Anjou often oak matured
Samur known for sparkling chenin
✔✔Coteaux du Layon - ✔✔Sweet wines
Noble rot
Warmer climate
Quarts de Chaume & Bonneteaux best sites
✔✔Nantais - ✔✔Muscadet made from Melon Blanc
Dry white, sur lie
✔✔Northern Rhone Geographic Regions (North to South) - ✔✔- Cote Rotie (Syrah, up
to 20% viognier)
- Condrieu (Viognier)
