Celebrations as five new Masters of Wine join Institute
The Institute of Masters of Wine is delighted to welcome five new Masters of Wine, from three different continents, into the Membership. The announcement brings the total number of Masters of Wine to 323, in 24 countries.
One of the new Masters of Wine is Australian; two are Canadian; and two are British. They bring with them into the Institute decades of experience across the wine trade, from retail to winemaking, wine journalism to wine education.
Sarah Jane Evans MW, Chairman of the Masters of Wine, said “On behalf of all Masters of Wine worldwide, I am delighted to welcome these new members to our community. Today is a memorable day for them – each one of us can remember that special moment when we received the news that we had become MWs. My congratulations to them on their achievement. They bring a range of experience to enrich the IMW and I wish them every enjoyment of the opportunities that being a Master of Wine brings.”
The new Masters of Wine are as follows:
Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW (Canada)
Michelle is a London-based Italian-Canadian. She is a highly-respected wine lecturer, having taught since 2004 at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET). She has authored articles on wines, wine regions and wine-related events and is a frequent expert at major wine shows. Michelle is a Chair Judge for the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and judges several other international competitions.
Miles Corish MW (Australia)
Miles originally moved to England from Sydney, Australia to play professional cricket. He is currently Managing Director of Bowland Forest Vintners, a wholesaler and retailer based in Lancashire. Miles is a WSET Educator, judges at wine competitions, consults for the on-trade and, whenever time allows, returns to the Hunter Valley in Australia to make wine under his own label.
Jennifer Docherty MW (Canada)
Jennifer Docherty was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. She left at eighteen to study fashion design in New York, but has called London home since 2005. Her love of gastronomy originally led her to pursue part-time WSET wine courses, which inspired her to change career. She is a wine buyer for Liberty Wines and has previously worked in education, sales and fine wine buying. She speaks English, Mandarin and French.
Patrick Schmitt MW (UK)
Patrick Schmitt is editor-in-chief at The Drinks Business. He also chairs the publication’s annual awards programme. Patrick has been shortlisted two years running for Editor of the Year in the business and professional magazine category for the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME). Patrick studied Geography at Oxford University and Landscape Architecture at the University of Greenwich before a job on a horticultural trade journal took him into a career as a journalist.
Victoria Stephens-Clarkson MW (UK)
Victoria joined the wine trade in 2000, working for a Grande Marque Champagne house in Epernay. Since then she has worked as a buyer for Direct Wines and Liberty Wines. Her current position is Head of Buying for Atlas Fine Wines, in London. Victoria speaks several languages, and has spent considerable time travelling amongst wine regions, making wine and overseeing winemaking projects to complement her buying experience. The five new MWs have each successfully submitted a Dissertation, which used to form the third part of the Master of Wine Examination. The Dissertation has now been replaced by the Research Paper, which candidates will submit for the first time this summer.
Ends (20 Mar 2015)
The titles of the successful Dissertation submissions are as follows:
Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW: Does it make a difference when a wine region upgrades its classification? A study of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore.
Miles Corish MW: In-store wine dispensing machines: what role do they play in the UK independent retail sector?
Jennifer Docherty MW: Non-vintage champagne disgorgement date labelling: Understanding the perspectives of the UK trade and champagne producers.
Patrick Schmitt MW: Changing dosages in Brut NV champagne: trends, causes and implications.
Victoria Stephens-Clarkson MW: Tourism and the English Wine Industry: are the needs of tourists being met by English Wine Producers?
Contact:
Ben McKeown
Communications Manager, Institute of Masters of Wine
T: +44 (0)207 383 9131
E: bmckeown@mastersofwine.org
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