WSET LEVEL 2 EXAM 2026 WINE AND SPIRITS
CERTIFICATION TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ The most common fault that can be discovered on the nose is?
Answer: Cork taint:
low levels - strips wine of fresh, friuty aromas
high levels - adds pungent, unpleasant damp cardboard or musty
smell to wine
◉ Wines that are slightly sweet are called? Answer: off-dry
◉ Tannin is present is grapes skins. High levels of tannins indicate
what type of climate? Answer: warm/hot climate
◉ What is the body of the wine? Answer: "mouth-feel"; richness,
weight or viscosity
◉ What characteristics indicate a good wine? Answer: well
balanced, smooth, complexity, layers to wine
◉ What wine would match a rich heavyweight food? Answer: full-
bodied wines. Preferably red wine, but full-bodied white can go well
,◉ What does a wine need to match tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar?
Answer: high acidity
◉ If you have a dry wine with a dessert what happens to the wine?
Answer: it will seem tart and over-acidic
◉ What component in wine is a good match with protein? Answer:
wines with high levels of tannin
◉ In order to grow a vine needs:
a, b, c, d, e Answer: a. Carbon dioxide (CO2)
b. Sunlight
c. Water
d. Warmth
e. Nutrients
◉ What affects the style and quality of wine each year? Answer:
Climate; weather conditions vary from year to year
◉ What are four vineyard activies? Answer: 1. careful pruning
2. controlling the number of bunches of grapes on each vine
3. pest control
,4. careful positioning of leaves to increase or decrease temperature
of grape bunches, or their degree of exposure to sunlight
◉ Lower yields result in ________ grapes Answer: riper; with more
concentrated flavors
◉ What are two pests in the vineyard? Answer: Animal pests (birds
& insects)
Fungal diseases (long-term diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, or
viruses
◉ When does harvesting occur? Answer: once the grapes have
ripened. End of September or end of August if it's a good summer
◉ White wines and red wines are both crushed but what extra step
happens to white wines after they have been crushed? Answer: they
are pressed to separate juice from skins
◉ What temperature does white wine get fermented at? Answer: 12-
22 Celsius (53.6-71.6 Fahrenheit): preserves delicate fruit aromas
◉ What temperature does red wine get fermented at? Answer: 20-
32 Celsius (68-89.6 Fahrenheit)
, ◉ What vessels can wine mature in? Answer: barrels or large
neutral wooden or stainless steel vats, concrete. Also takes place in
bottle after bottling
◉ What vessels allow oxidation? Answer: new and old vats or
barrels (oak)
◉ What vessels do not allow oxidation? Answer: bottles, cement,
and stainless steel vats
◉ What does vintage mean? Answer: the year the grapes were
harvested
◉ The European Union divides its wine into 2 categories that are:
Answer: a. wines with a geographical location (GI)
b. wines without
◉ State traditional terms for Protected Denomination of Origin
(PDO) for each country:
a. France
b. Italy
c. Spain
d. Germany Answer: a. Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC)
b. Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
CERTIFICATION TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ The most common fault that can be discovered on the nose is?
Answer: Cork taint:
low levels - strips wine of fresh, friuty aromas
high levels - adds pungent, unpleasant damp cardboard or musty
smell to wine
◉ Wines that are slightly sweet are called? Answer: off-dry
◉ Tannin is present is grapes skins. High levels of tannins indicate
what type of climate? Answer: warm/hot climate
◉ What is the body of the wine? Answer: "mouth-feel"; richness,
weight or viscosity
◉ What characteristics indicate a good wine? Answer: well
balanced, smooth, complexity, layers to wine
◉ What wine would match a rich heavyweight food? Answer: full-
bodied wines. Preferably red wine, but full-bodied white can go well
,◉ What does a wine need to match tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar?
Answer: high acidity
◉ If you have a dry wine with a dessert what happens to the wine?
Answer: it will seem tart and over-acidic
◉ What component in wine is a good match with protein? Answer:
wines with high levels of tannin
◉ In order to grow a vine needs:
a, b, c, d, e Answer: a. Carbon dioxide (CO2)
b. Sunlight
c. Water
d. Warmth
e. Nutrients
◉ What affects the style and quality of wine each year? Answer:
Climate; weather conditions vary from year to year
◉ What are four vineyard activies? Answer: 1. careful pruning
2. controlling the number of bunches of grapes on each vine
3. pest control
,4. careful positioning of leaves to increase or decrease temperature
of grape bunches, or their degree of exposure to sunlight
◉ Lower yields result in ________ grapes Answer: riper; with more
concentrated flavors
◉ What are two pests in the vineyard? Answer: Animal pests (birds
& insects)
Fungal diseases (long-term diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, or
viruses
◉ When does harvesting occur? Answer: once the grapes have
ripened. End of September or end of August if it's a good summer
◉ White wines and red wines are both crushed but what extra step
happens to white wines after they have been crushed? Answer: they
are pressed to separate juice from skins
◉ What temperature does white wine get fermented at? Answer: 12-
22 Celsius (53.6-71.6 Fahrenheit): preserves delicate fruit aromas
◉ What temperature does red wine get fermented at? Answer: 20-
32 Celsius (68-89.6 Fahrenheit)
, ◉ What vessels can wine mature in? Answer: barrels or large
neutral wooden or stainless steel vats, concrete. Also takes place in
bottle after bottling
◉ What vessels allow oxidation? Answer: new and old vats or
barrels (oak)
◉ What vessels do not allow oxidation? Answer: bottles, cement,
and stainless steel vats
◉ What does vintage mean? Answer: the year the grapes were
harvested
◉ The European Union divides its wine into 2 categories that are:
Answer: a. wines with a geographical location (GI)
b. wines without
◉ State traditional terms for Protected Denomination of Origin
(PDO) for each country:
a. France
b. Italy
c. Spain
d. Germany Answer: a. Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC)
b. Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
