On Monday 13 March 2023, ASI in conjunction with Sommeliers Australia, is again offering the ‘International ASI Diploma for Sommelier’ certification exam.

The ‘International ASI Diploma for Sommelier ‘certification exam has been created to help:

Develop the Sommelier profession;
Enhance the quality of Sommeliers worldwide;
Establish international standards for Sommeliers.

The Diploma exam will be run by Sommeliers Australia, and gives Sommeliers Australia ‘Professional’ members working as sommeliers, the opportunity to achieve an internationally recognised standard of sommellerie. Completed exams are submitted to ASI for marking.

Due to current interest, the 2023 exam will be offered in Sydney only to a maximum of 8 candidates. Candidates must be working Sommeliers (in restaurants, wine bars, wine retail, distribution, etc), with at least 3 years sommelier experience.

Plus, for the first time in 2023, Sommeliers Australia is offering Australian candidates registered for the ASI Diploma the opportunity to take part in a 5 session Diploma Bootcamp. The Bootcamp programme will provide additional information and training to support candidates in their preparation for the Diploma assessment.

THE DIPLOMA EXAM

Held on Monday 13 March, the Diploma exam will be completed in two stages:

Stage 1 – Written exam (Total time 2 hrs 55 mins)

Written description and identification of 2 international wines served blind. (30 min)
Identification of 2 local beverages and 3 international spirits/liquor/fortified wines (10 min)
Questionnaire focussing on the main wine producing countries; beer, spirits and other beverages; grape varieties; viticulture; winemaking; and other topics related to the sommelier profession (90 min)
An essay (500-800 words) on a professional theme provided by the ASI Certification Exam Committee regarding the world of beverages and the art of ‘sommellerie’ (45 min)

Stage 2 – Oral and practical tests (Each candidate is allocated 15 minutes)

Marketing (e.g. selling a beverage). (4 min)
Practical work (e.g. decantation, service of a bottle of wine). (6 min)
Tasting and food & wine pairing. (5 min)

The exam will be conducted in English, unless candidates advise prior to registration their preference to sit the assessment in either French or Spanish (ASI’s official languages).

Details of the venue and timing of the exam will be shared with all successful candidates in late February 2023, once the final number of candidates has been confirmed.

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to sit the Diploma, candidates must:

be fully financial Sommeliers Australia ‘Professional’ members, working as a sommelier (in restaurants, wine bars, wine retail, distribution, etc), with at least 3 years sommelier experience,
have completed at least WSET Level 3 or CMS Certified OR have equivalent industry experience,
pay the Examination Fee at the time of registration.

Points to note:

Candidates should be aware that ASI follows a classic and logical method of tasting, service, decanting, etc.
As a guideline, in terms of knowledge / difficulty, this exam sits between the WSET Diploma / Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced / Master Sommelier Certificates.
A high level of personal presentation is required by ASI. Please ensure that you attend the exam well presented (in uniform if appropriate to your workplace, or professional attire) and bring with you: your ID, black or blue pen(s), notebook, wine knife, matches/lighter and a service napkin.
Candidates can sit the exam in English, French or Spanish (the three official ASI languages). However, candidates who complete the exam in their native language, will only be eligible to receive the Bronze level of accreditation. Candidates who complete the exam in a foreign language will be eligible to receive Silver or Gold accreditation.

DIPLOMA EXAMINATION FEE

Each candidate will need to pay an Examination Fee of A$600 which covers their ASI Diploma exam registration and certification.

Candidates are responsible for their own travel and associated costs to attend the exam in their selected city (Melbourne or Sydney) on Monday 13 March.

DIPLOMA REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

All Diploma candidates are required to submit their registration to Sommeliers Australia by 5pm, Friday 3 March via the registration page.

All candidates who have registered with Sommeliers Australia will have their details transferred to the official ASI registration portal by Sommeliers Australia, once the portal is opened in early 2023.

Only 8 candidates will be accepted to sit the Diploma in both Melbourne and Sydney. Candidates must be fully financial ‘Professional’ members of Sommeliers Australia and will be accepted on a ‘first in gets a place’ basis.

Diploma exam registration will be close at 5pm, Friday 3 March.

Notes regarding Registration:

Candidates wanting to sit the Diploma in Australia must be current financial ‘Professional’ members of Sommeliers Australia;
Candidates must be working Sommeliers (in restaurants, wine bars, wine retail, distribution, etc), with at least 3 years sommelier experience;
If candidates wish to sit the exam in a language other than English, please contact info@sommeliers.com.au PRIOR to registering for the Diploma for more information;
Candidates must submit a high resolution (min. 500kb), passport-style photograph in jpeg format (for the production of the ASI Diploma certification ID card) at the time of registration;
Registration will be accepted up to Friday 4 March for applicants to be considered;
The Examination Fee must be paid in full at the time of registration;
The first 8 candidates to complete and submit all of the registration requirements will be offered a place to sit the exam in their selected city, Melbourne or Sydney.

DIPLOMA BOOTCAMP - registration for Bootcamp is closed

Australian candidates registered for the 2023 ASI Diploma have the opportunity to take part in a 5 session Diploma Bootcamp, held online starting Monday 30 January.

The 5 x 1 hour sessions will be held on consecutive Mondays from 30 January until 27 February 2023.

Each session will be conducted by our ASI Training Sub-Committee, headed by Sarah Andrew and supported by previous ASI Diploma recipients.

The 5 sessions will cover:

Introduction to the Diploma and Bootcamp training
Food and wine pairing tasks
Theory tests
Practical service tasks
Practical tasting tasks
Tips on exam preparation and approaching the assessment
Homework (theoretical and practical) tasks will also be set

Only candidates registered for the ASI Diploma can choose to take part in the Diploma Bootcamp, by paying the nominal A$100 Bootcamp fee. Those registered for Bootcamp will receive Zoom links and further information ahead of the 30 January start date.

Registration for Diploma Bootcamp will close at 5pm, Wednesday 25 January.

REGISTRATION FEES:
⇒ ASI Diploma Examination Fee – $600
Registration for ASI Diploma closes 5pm, Friday 4 March

⇒ Diploma Bootcamp – $100
Registration for Bootcamp closes 5pm, Wednesday 25 January

To access the Members registration, Sommeliers Australia Professional Members need to login at sommeliers.com.au, click the ‘View Available Coupons’ button on the dashboard for their UNIQUE ACCESS CODE. Then apply the access code on the Humanitix registration page to ‘Access hidden tickets’.