OUR STORY
WSET was founded in 1969 in London to meet the growing need for structured drinks education across the UK’s wine and spirits industry.
Backed by the Vintner’s Company and building on the educational initiatives started by the Wine and Spirit Association of Great Britain, we created a new home for drinks education.
Our founders represent the heart of the trade, and their organisations continue to guide us today:
- The Vintner’s Company
- The Wine and Spirit Association of Great Britain (now the WSTA)
- Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW)
- Worshipful Company of Distillers
In our early years, we offered three progressive wine and spirits qualifications for the UK trade. Demand soon grew, not just in the UK, but around the world. As more people sought structured, reliable drinks education, WSET became a global destination for drinks knowledge and skills.
Going global
In 1977 we launched courses in the Republic of Ireland - our first qualifications outside the UK.
In the same year, we launched WSET qualifications across the Atlantic. The International Wine Education Guild (IWEG) in Ontario, Canada became our first North American provider of WSET qualifications.
By the end of the 1990s, we offered WSET qualifications in Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and Asia. And in 2007, international students taking WSET exams outnumbered UK students for the first time.
In 2016, we opened our first international office in Hong Kong to serve the growing Asian markets.
In 2017, we appointed a dedicated USA team, with permanent offices opening in Hartford, Connecticut in 2019.
Evolving with the industry
Our purpose has always been to provide inspiring learning experiences and globally trusted qualifications, empowering people and supporting the drinks industry from producer to consumer.
We’ve evolved over the past 50 years to reflect the changing needs of the industry. Today, we offer twelve WSET qualifications, across four drinks categories, in over 70 countries and in 15 languages, through an extensive network of course providers.
In 2001, we became an accredited Awarding Body when the first of our qualifications were recognised by Ofqual, the English regulator for qualifications and exams.
Our qualifications continue to be regularly updated to ensure their relevance to learners and the global drinks industry.
