Preparing for CMS or WSET exams? Choose a study app that fits how you learn, whether you want ready-made wine content, pre-packaged flashcards or prefer to create a deck of your own.
A completely unbiased guide written by the developer of Cork Dork.
MY PICK FOR EVERYDAY WINE STUDY
Cork Dork®
2,300+ curated flashcards, 40+ wine maps and meticulously fact-checked reference content at your fingertips.
Made with love by a wine pro. Cork Dork is built and actively maintained by Paul Kavanagh, a Certified Sommelier, Walter Clore Award winner and WSET Level 3 graduate with Distinction. The content is curated and kept up to date by someone who sweats the details and has prepared for and excelled in these exams.
Remember more with less effort. Spaced repetition and active recall adapt to your knowledge, giving difficult flashcards more attention. Two difficulty levels let you build a foundation and go deeper as you progress. Level 1 is geared towards CMS Intro and WSET 2/3 students. Level 2 is for CMS Certified and Advanced, and WSET 3 and beyond. Switch levels any time as your confidence grows.
Put details into context. Explore wine regions through 30+ interactive map quizzes and 9 matching quizzes. Practice grape synonyms, appellations, classifications and regional geography, then revisit the reference notes to reinforce what you’ve learned. Track your mastery by topic and focus on weaker areas.
Hold yourself accountable. Turn your intention to study into a habit you can see. Your streak and heatmap show when you’ve put in the work, giving you a reason to return and keep building your knowledge, one session at a time.
A good fit: Students who want to crush their CMS and WSET exams, master wine geography and build a study habit that sticks.
Brainscape has a broad library of ready-made wine flashcards, from general wine knowledge to CMS and WSET exam preparation. You can choose from Brainscape-certified collections created by experts and decks shared by individual users, then study with adaptive repetition.
When choosing a user-created deck, check who wrote it, what sources it uses and whether it is still being updated. Cross-check important details against your course materials and other trusted references, especially when a deck’s review history is unclear.
A good fit: learners who want a wide choice of pre-packaged decks and are comfortable evaluating the material they choose.
Anki gives you control over your flashcards, from the content and layout to the timing of your reviews. Build decks from your wine course notes, add images or audio, and sync your cards across devices. Review scheduling adapts to how well you recall each card.
That flexibility suits a personalized study plan, but it comes with some preparation. You’ll need to create and maintain your own material, or check the authorship and accuracy of shared decks. Organizing cards by region, grape or exam topic can help keep your reviews focused.
A good fit: learners who enjoy shaping their own study system and are happy to invest time building their own flashcards.
Want to open an app and get straight into wine study? Start with Cork Dork. Prefer browsing a broad library of pre-packaged decks? Consider Brainscape, taking time to check the authorship and sources. Enjoy making your own study material? Anki gives you that flexibility.
My recommendations reflect these different study needs. Descriptions of other apps are based on the official pages linked above, checked September 14, 2026. Use study apps alongside your course materials and practical tasting or service preparation. Good luck!
