Record number of new Masters of Wine inducted at Institute celebration
The Institute of Masters of Wine welcomed a record-breaking 24 new Members this evening at its Annual Award Ceremony and Reception, held in the City of London Livery Hall of the Vintners’ Company. The previous record for new MWs was 19, set in 1993.
Sarah Jane Evans MW, Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, said:
“It’s a very special moment to be able to welcome 24 new Masters of Wine to our Institute. Every Master of Wine recognises their dedication to achieve their goal. I am especially delighted to see that our new Masters of Wine have flown in from all over the world. This underlines the international nature of our membership, and our relevance to the global wine trade.”
The new Masters of Wine – 14 women and 10 men – live and work in 10 countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Institute also welcomed its first Singaporean Member. The Institute’s membership now stands at 340 MWs in 24 countries. The Institute’s student body numbers 324, from 32 countries, following the highest ever number of applications to join the MW Study Programme during the summer.
This year marks the culmination of a process to replace the Dissertation, the previous third part of the MW Examination, with a Research Paper. The Research Paper, which is submitted after candidates have passed the MW Theory and Practical exams, is designed to be broader in scope while maintaining the rigour of the its predecessor. This year’s candidates, who were submitting the Research Paper for the first time, undertook an in-depth study of a wine-related topic from any area of the sciences, arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Penny Richards, Executive Director of the Institute, said:
“Our Annual Reception is a wonderful occasion when our established Members come together to welcome our new Masters of Wine. The 24 people who are joining the Institute are all so special, and have earned every bit of the recognition and admiration that is being offered today.”
The awards, each of which is sponsored by a Supporter of the Institute, are given for exceptional performance in a particular area of the MW exam:
The Villa Maria Award is awarded to the new MW who shows outstanding knowledge and understanding of viticulture in their exams. Philip Tuck MW of Hatch Mansfield, representing Villa Maria, presented the award to Marcus Ansems MW.
The Errázuriz Award is for performance in the Business of Wine examination. Philip Tuck MW presented the award on behalf of Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz to Marcus Ansems MW.
The Taransaud Tonnellerie Award is for excellence in the Production and Handling of Wine paper. Henri de Pracomtal, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Chêne Et Cie, parent company of Taransaud, presented the award to Victoria Burt MW.
The Robert Mondavi Winery Award is presented for outstanding performance across all of the Theory papers. Mark de Vere MW of Constellation Brands presented the award to Eugene Mlynczyk MW.
The Bollinger Medal is awarded as recognition of outstanding tasting ability. Andrew Hawes of Mentzendorff, representing Etienne Bizot of the Mme Bollinger Foundation presented the award to Rebecca Gibb MW.
The Noval Award, sponsored by Quinta do Noval, part of AXA Millésimes, is awarded for the best Research Paper by a new MW. Melissa Draycott of Gonzalez Byass, representatives of Quinta do Noval in the UK , presented the award to Sarah Knowles MW for her Research Paper What is the relative importance when using a member’s (amateur’s) positive review versus an expert’s positive review on sales within The Wine Society?
The Institute of Masters of Wine Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, is awarded to a candidate who was outstanding in all parts of the exam. Marie-Sophie Hartl from AWMB presented the award to Rebecca Gibb MW. The full list of new Masters of Wine is as follows:
Marcus Ansems MW (Canada)
Mollie Battenhouse MW (United States)
Konstantin Baum MW (Germany)
Victoria Burt MW (United Kingdom)
Wendy Cameron MW (Australia)
Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW (Canada)
Miles Corish MW (Australia)
Lynne Coyle MW (Ireland)
Dawn Davies MW (United Kingdom)
Jennifer Docherty MW (Canada)
Romana Echensperger MW (Germany)
Rebecca Gibb MW (New Zealand)
Richard Hemming MW (United Kingdom)
Yiannis Karakasis MW (Greece)
Sarah Knowles MW (UK)
Eugene Mlynczyk MW (Canada)
Kenichi Ohashi MW (Japan)
Andrea Pritzker MW (Australia)
Patrick Schmitt MW (United Kingdom)
Schumann MW (Germany)
Victoria Stephens-Clarkson MW (United Kingdom)
Emma Symington MW (United Kingdom)
Ying Tan MW (Singapore)
Taina Vilkuna MW (Finland)
Ends (03 Nov 2015)
Please contact:
Ben McKeown
Communications Manager, Institute of Masters of Wine
T: +44 (0)207 383 9131
E: bmckeown@mastersofwine.org
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