EXAMS & EDUCATION

Exams and education go hand in hand. Sommeliers or future sommeliers must learn and train, but they also need to test their knowledge and skills and receive diplomas attesting to their talents. ASI gives them this opportunity!

EXAMS

The ASI examination program ‘challenges’ sommeliers to put into practice the knowledge gained in the ‘Learn’ stage. As such, it fills the gap between a sommelier’s formal learning and their subsequent entry into the international competitions (‘Compete’ ’) stage of their career.

Sommellerie is a skilled trade that requires deep knowledge of many different fields, including tasting, wine culture, food and wine pairing, oenology, viticulture, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and much more, often alongside a mastery of foreign languages.

History and eligibility //

The ASI Diploma was created in 2012 to promote the overall education, know-how and well-being of sommeliers and harmonize their level worldwide.

To date, 614 sommeliers have passed the Diploma, becoming ASI Dip Sommeliers and marking themselves as part of the elite of international sommellerie.

The ASI Certification 1 and ASI Certification 2 exams were launched in 2021. They are open to sommeliers or future / aspiring sommeliers studying or working in the oeno-gastronomic world (restaurants, wine bars, wine merchants, distribution…) according to the official OIV definition.

The ASI Prep will be launched in 2026

Four levels, four audiences

In response to demand from teachers at hotel schools, the Exams & Education Committee is launching an introductory level. Starting in 2026, the ASI Prep exam will give students at hotel schools and training centers the opportunity to discover the world of sommeliers and test their aptitude for this profession.

The four levels of the examination program are aimed at students and sommeliers at various stages:

* The ASI Prep allows young people to discover the profession of sommelier.

* The ASI Certification 1 tests the basic international knowledge of aspiring sommeliers.

* The ASI Certification 2 builds on these expectations and also tests the skills required of a sommelier in an international environment.

* The ASI Sommelier Diploma certifies the highest level of skills and knowledge required of international sommeliers.

The four levels build on each other, and while it is not mandatory to have acquired the entry level (ASI Prep) then the Certifications before the Diploma exam, it is highly recommended to follow this progression.

All ASI exams are outcome-based assessments.

CALENDAR FOR ASI EXAMS 2026

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ASI PREP EXAM

The ASI Prep, primarily intended for students at schools and training centers for careers in the hotel and restaurant industry.

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Cert 1

ASI Certification 1 assesses whether a prospective sommelier has mastered the core international knowledge required for this profession.

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Cert 2

ASI Certification 2 tests whether candidates possess the set of skills required to practice the profession in an international environment.

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ASI Diploma

The ASI Diploma is offered in French, English or Spanish, and leads to three levels of qualification: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

ASI AGENDA

CHECK ASI AGENDA

Agenda EN

2026

ASI Diploma Exam, 9th March 2026.
ASI General Assembly, 18 – 22 May 2026, Taipei, Taiwan
ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World, 11 – 17 October 2026. Lisbon, Portugal
ASI Bootcamp Americas, 2026, TBC