1|Page
WSET DIPLOMA D1 NEWEST 2026/2027 ACTUAL EXAM
COMPLETE 250 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+||JUST
OUT!!!
Define spur pruning - ANSWER-short sections of one-year-old
wood (the shoots from the last growing season that have
lignified) that have been cut back to only two or three buds
- can either be distributed along a cordon (cordon training) or
around the top of the trunk (head training)
- easier to carry out than replacement cane pruning and can
often be mechanized
Define replacement cane pruning - ANSWER-- longer sections of
one-year-old wood with anything between 8 and 20 buds,
typically laid down horizontally and need tying to a trellis for
support and positioning
- more complex than spur pruning and requires a skilled labor
force to pick suitable canes and train them
What are the benefits and detriments of untrellised vines? -
ANSWER-- simple & inexpensive, provides shade
- not possible to mechanize, canopy can become too dense
,2|Page
What are the two types of frosts? - ANSWER-- advective: large
volumes of cold air moving in from very cold areas
- radiative: heat being lost on still, cool nights (Windless nights
will allow a layer of freezing cold air to develop just above the
surface of the soil)
How do growers reduce the risk of frost damage in advance? -
ANSWER-- site selection
- delaying pruning
- late-budding varieties
- high training
- bare soils between the vines
How do growers reduce the risk of frost damage when frost
threatens? - ANSWER-- sprinklers
- turbines
- heaters
How do growers deal with hail? - ANSWER-- cloud rockets
- nets
- diversity of sites
- insurance
,3|Page
How can winemakers deal with smoke taint? - ANSWER--
analysis of must or test fermentations (ferment releases smoky
aromas) leading to harvest
- gentle handling, whole bunch pressing/harvesting of grapes
- low fermentation T, reduced maceration
- flash detente, reverse osmosis
- blending with unaffected wines
What are the symptoms of phylloxera infestation? - ANSWER--
Vines die of drought in patches that increase in size year by
year
- Vine roots are covered with the insects surrounded by yellow
eggs
- Swellings on older roots
- Pale green leaf galls on the under-surface of the leaves
- Slow, stunted shoot growth and leaf yellowing appears in
around three years, the plant dies after around five years
What are the two most commonly occurring nematodes? -
ANSWER-root-knot and dagger
, 4|Page
How can grape moths be managed? - ANSWER-- the bacterium
Bacillus thuringiensis (which produces substances that are toxic
to the moths)
- use of pheromone capsules to disrupt mating ('sexual
confusion')
- natural predators (parasitic wasps, green lacewings, some
spider species)
- insecticides
How can spider mites be managed? - ANSWER-- Make the
environment inhospitable by the use of water sprinklers and/or
cover crops or mulches to reduce dust
- Encourage predatory mites (by planting host species) that
feed on spider mites
- General pesticides may kill beneficial predatory mites. Specific
sprays can be applied to kill only the mites that are problematic
in the vineyard, but this can add to costs.
What is the scientific name of powdery mildew? - ANSWER-
Erysiphe necator (aka Oidium tuckeri)
When was powdery mildew introduced to Europe? - ANSWER-
mid-1800's
WSET DIPLOMA D1 NEWEST 2026/2027 ACTUAL EXAM
COMPLETE 250 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+||JUST
OUT!!!
Define spur pruning - ANSWER-short sections of one-year-old
wood (the shoots from the last growing season that have
lignified) that have been cut back to only two or three buds
- can either be distributed along a cordon (cordon training) or
around the top of the trunk (head training)
- easier to carry out than replacement cane pruning and can
often be mechanized
Define replacement cane pruning - ANSWER-- longer sections of
one-year-old wood with anything between 8 and 20 buds,
typically laid down horizontally and need tying to a trellis for
support and positioning
- more complex than spur pruning and requires a skilled labor
force to pick suitable canes and train them
What are the benefits and detriments of untrellised vines? -
ANSWER-- simple & inexpensive, provides shade
- not possible to mechanize, canopy can become too dense
,2|Page
What are the two types of frosts? - ANSWER-- advective: large
volumes of cold air moving in from very cold areas
- radiative: heat being lost on still, cool nights (Windless nights
will allow a layer of freezing cold air to develop just above the
surface of the soil)
How do growers reduce the risk of frost damage in advance? -
ANSWER-- site selection
- delaying pruning
- late-budding varieties
- high training
- bare soils between the vines
How do growers reduce the risk of frost damage when frost
threatens? - ANSWER-- sprinklers
- turbines
- heaters
How do growers deal with hail? - ANSWER-- cloud rockets
- nets
- diversity of sites
- insurance
,3|Page
How can winemakers deal with smoke taint? - ANSWER--
analysis of must or test fermentations (ferment releases smoky
aromas) leading to harvest
- gentle handling, whole bunch pressing/harvesting of grapes
- low fermentation T, reduced maceration
- flash detente, reverse osmosis
- blending with unaffected wines
What are the symptoms of phylloxera infestation? - ANSWER--
Vines die of drought in patches that increase in size year by
year
- Vine roots are covered with the insects surrounded by yellow
eggs
- Swellings on older roots
- Pale green leaf galls on the under-surface of the leaves
- Slow, stunted shoot growth and leaf yellowing appears in
around three years, the plant dies after around five years
What are the two most commonly occurring nematodes? -
ANSWER-root-knot and dagger
, 4|Page
How can grape moths be managed? - ANSWER-- the bacterium
Bacillus thuringiensis (which produces substances that are toxic
to the moths)
- use of pheromone capsules to disrupt mating ('sexual
confusion')
- natural predators (parasitic wasps, green lacewings, some
spider species)
- insecticides
How can spider mites be managed? - ANSWER-- Make the
environment inhospitable by the use of water sprinklers and/or
cover crops or mulches to reduce dust
- Encourage predatory mites (by planting host species) that
feed on spider mites
- General pesticides may kill beneficial predatory mites. Specific
sprays can be applied to kill only the mites that are problematic
in the vineyard, but this can add to costs.
What is the scientific name of powdery mildew? - ANSWER-
Erysiphe necator (aka Oidium tuckeri)
When was powdery mildew introduced to Europe? - ANSWER-
mid-1800's
