The Institute of Masters of Wine just welcomed eighteen brand new Masters of Wine (MWs) its insanely prestigious ranks. Becoming a Master of Wine means you are in a highly elite club made up of individuals who achieved the highest title achievable in the area of wine knowledge.
It is a rigorous three-stage process that lasts a minimum of three years. Once all levels of the Institute’s examinations are passed, one must sign a Code of Conduct agreeing before they are formally invited to be a Master of Wine. With these new eighteen experts joining the ranks, there are now 369 Masters of Wine in 29 different countries.
First, a candidate must pass the theory and the tasting exam. The theory exam comprises five 3-hour written papers covering viticulture, vinification and pre-bottling procedures, the handling of wine, the business of wine, and contemporary issues. The tasting exam is also written and includes three 12-wine blind tastings, each lasting two and a quarter hours, in which wines must be assessed for variety, origin, winemaking, quality and style.
Lastly, once a pass has been achieved in both the theory and tasting, the candidate must write a research paper. The research paper is an individual project on a topic chosen by the candidate, resulting in a piece of work of between 6,000 and 10,000 words. We are exhausted just thinking about all of that.
Becoming a Master of Wine is quite an impressive feat, so let’s give a massive shout out to these new 18 MW wizards of wine!
- Mark Andrew MW (UK)
- Nova Cadamatre MW (US)
- Julie Chéné Nyheim MW (Norway)
- Alistair Cooper MW (UK)
- Jeremy Cukierman MW (France)
- Emma Dawson MW (UK)
- David Forer MW (Spain)
- Philip Harden MW (UK)
- Ashley Hausman Vaughters MW (US)
- Sarah Heller MW (Hong Kong)
- Tim Jackson MW (UK)
- Andreas Kubach MW (Spain)
- Fernando Mora MW (Spain)
- Aina Mee Myhre MW (Norway)
- Billo Naravane MW (US)
- Catherine Petrie MW (UK)
- Nigel Sneyd MW (US)
- Morgan Twain-Peterson MW (US)
For more information on The Institute of Masters of Wine, click HERE.
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