This episode covers WSET Diploma D2 — Chapters 6 and 7.

Chapter 6 focuses on the hospitality sector — bars and restaurants — and explains why hospitality represents a much higher share of value than volume in wine sales. We look at how specialist wine bars, general bars, and different restaurant formats each shape pricing, wine selection, margins, and producer suitability.

Chapter 7 then widens the lens to non-free markets, examining monopoly systems and the USA’s three-tier system. These structures fundamentally change how wine reaches the consumer, limiting route-to-market choices while reshaping risk, cost, and control for producers.

Together, these chapters are about constraints. Not every producer can choose every channel, and not every market rewards the same strategy. Strong D2 answers show you understand how hospitality economics and legal market structures influence pricing, availability, and business decisions.

Next episode: Chapter 8, where we move from routes to market into promotion and communication — how wines are positioned, talked about, and ultimately chosen.

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