Our Vision and Mission
Since its foundation in 1955, the Institute and its members have dedicated themselves to upholding and promoting the highest professional and educational standards in the wine trade.
Master of Wine is both a qualification and a title, usually abbreviated to the letters MW following a member's name. To use these letters an individual must have passed the Institute’s rigorous Master of Wine examination, which tests their practical and theoretical understanding of the art, science and business of wine.
The Institute currently has 279 members around the world. These Masters of Wine are active in all aspects of the wine industry and include winemakers, importers, buyers, retailers, consultants, journalists, educators, sommeliers and senior executives.
Over more than 50 years the Institute has built a truly international community of individual Masters of Wine as they strive for excellence in their wine-related activities. Every year it attracts new members of the highest calibre from across all professional disciplines within the wine community. Today, in keeping with its original aims, the Institute promotes a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding wine at the highest level and conducts wine trade education which leads to the qualification Master of Wine.
The Institute's global activities include its annual education and examination programmes, organising events which provide professional development opportunities to the wine trade, and hosting an international symposium every four years where leading figures from the wine community address topical issues.
On this website you can learn more about the Institute past and present, view the global community of Masters of Wine and discover what it takes to attain the most highly regarded qualification in the world of wine, as well as reading the latest news about its work.
Featured MW
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Doug Frost
: "The MW program brings together some of the most fascinating colleagues you will ever meet, in a rigorous and inspiring atmosphere. You will be changed by it." More >Region: The Americas
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Michael Hill Smith AM
: "As a wine producer, being an MW has broadened my understanding of international styles, and influenced the wines we make." More >Region: Australasia
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Rebecca Hull
: "It is a highly-respected qualification, one which people interpret as shorthand for a real enthusiasm for wine together with a vast amount of knowledge." More >Region: Europe
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Debra Meiburg
: "As a media commentator and wine educator in Asia's booming but cluttered market, the MW gives my work credibility, making me a reputable source of knowledge." More >Region: Asia