Tag: Wine Education

Uncorking Profit: How Reimagining Wine Education Can Boost the Industry

At Wine Paris 2025, Areni Global unveiled its whitepaper Rethinking Wine Education, the result of an 18-month research initiative led by CEO Pauline Vicard. The project addressed a pressing concern in the wine industry: the persistent gap between current educational offerings and the evolving needs of the global wine trade.

Findings: A Misalignment of Passion and Proficiency

The research encompassed roundtables, workshops, and interviews with key stakeholders across the USA, Netherlands, and China, including recruiters and educators. The consensus was clear—while the industry attracts passionate and creative individuals, many lack essential business competencies.

Notably, institutions like the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) reported a 15% rise in Diploma candidates in 2024, demonstrating strong demand for wine-specific education. However, trade leaders consistently highlighted critical deficiencies in broader professional skills—particularly in sales, finance, and strategic planning.

The Ten Core Skill Gaps Identified by Areni Global

  1. Financial literacy and commercial awareness
  2. Project and operations management
  3. Sales strategy and execution
  4. Market and consumer insights
  5. Digital content creation
  6. Data literacy and analysis
  7. Professional resilience and adaptability
  8. Negotiation and conflict resolution
  9. Strategic foresight and entrepreneurial initiative
  10. Communication: editing and writing

This deficit extends beyond technical knowledge. Respondents cited challenges with communication styles, noting that some professionals are unwilling to promote wines they dislike or speak condescendingly to customers.

Conclusion: Towards a Holistic Wine Education Model

The whitepaper argues for a recalibration of wine education—integrating commercial and interpersonal competencies alongside traditional wine studies. Such a shift is essential to develop well-rounded professionals capable of sustaining and scaling profitable wine businesses in a competitive global market.

Source: Areni Global

Five New Masters of Wine Announced

Five members of the wine trade from the US, the UK, Norway, Singapore and Mainland China have become Masters of Wine last week, taking the total number of MWs to 421.

The new MW’s will now join the Institute of Masters of Wine having passed all stages are: Neil Bernardi, Tone Veseth Furuholmen, Benjamin Hasko, Victoria Mason and Wei Xing.

They complete the 2024 vintage of Masters of Wine, joining Emily Brighton MW, Christopher Martin MW, Robert Mathias MW, Dror Nativ MW and Pietro Russo MW, who passed in February of this year.

There are now 421 active Masters of Wine based in 30 countries, spanning a wide range of areas in the wine industry.

The MW exam consists of three parts: the theory and practical exams taken at the end of stage two and the research paper (RP) submitted at the end of stage three. The RP is an in-depth study on a wine related topic from any area of the sciences, arts, humanities or social sciences. Completion of the exam seeks to represent an all-encompassing knowledge of the industry, and only when an individual passes the RP do they become a Master of Wine.

All members must sign the IMW’s code of conduct before they have the right to use the title Master of Wine or the initials MW. By signing the code of conduct, MWs agree to act with honesty and integrity and to use every opportunity to share their understanding of wine with others, echoing the IMW’s mission to promote excellence, interaction and learning.

IMW Chair, Cathy van Zyl MW, shared her thoughts on the announcement: “The announcement of new Masters of Wine is always a happy day for the Institute, but more importantly marks a momentous achievement to those receiving the MW title. The journey to becoming a Master of Wine is no small feat and I share my heartfelt congratulations to Neil, Tone, Benjamin, Victoria and Wei. Your dedication, sacrifices, and pursuit of knowledge have led you here. Welcome to the IMW.”

She went on to say, “I’d also like to thank all the MWs who have contributed to our five new MWs’ journeys, those involved in the education programme and examination, as well as those who may simply have answered the odd question here and there, or shared words of encouragement.”

Source: The Institute of Masters of Wine

Stellenbosch “Sommelier Bootcamp” Launches September

Stellenbosch Wine Routes will hold its inaugural “Sommelier Bootcamp” this September, in a bid to educate wine professionals about the region’s terroir. There will be an intensive five-day course aimed at sommeliers, hospitality professionals and wine media across South Africa with the aim is to immerse participants in the stories of the region and enlist them to help spread the word about its micro terroirs. There will also be tutored technical tastings, and site visits with producers and experts.  Bootcamp attendees will complete a practical exam at the end of the course to earn their Stellenbosch Ambassador’s pin.

“It’s our job to tell people the story and create a value proposition for someone or for something [like Stellenbosch wine],” said Spencer Fondaumiere, chair of the South African Sommeliers Association. “Marketing terroir will increase price points and value.”

“There are so many wine brands,” said Thomas Webb of Stellenbosch wine producer Thelema. “We need to do everything we can to promote our wines. And our terroir is the most obvious one. It’s important to look at the wards of Stellenbosch and promote them. The more we look at the smaller level, the more we push up the whole region and country. Now is definitely the time for specialisation.”

“Quite frankly that information isn’t out there,” said Fondaumiere. “There’s no one beating the drum for the different wards in Stellenbosch and saying this is what we’re good at and this is what to expect. If you’re trying to gain information, there’s not much, other than lived experiences which may or may not be correct.”

The bootcamp aims to create a single, relatable story on the region’s typicity. “Stellenbosch is a recognised quality brand in key markets, but it is much more exciting to learn about the region in an immersive experience,” said Elmarie Rabe of Stellenbosch Wine Routes.

Here is the website to apply somm.wineroute.co.za; the deadline is September 2nd, 2022 and a second bootcamp is planned for November.

#southafrica #stellenbosch #wine #capetown #winetasting #winelands #vineyard #capewinelands #wineinfluencer #winelover #winenews #sommelier #winelife #sommlife#wineeducation #somm #Stellenboschwineroutes #winemedia #winesofsouthafrica

The Wine Business Institute Celebrates 25 Years on May 31st

The Wine Business Institute, of the School of Business and Economics, at Sonoma State University will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Tuesday, May 31st, 2022, at the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

Twenty-five years ago, forward-thinking leaders envisioned a new kind of partnership between academia and the wine industry, and the resulting vision became the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University. Founded in 1996 as a brainchild of Gary Heck of Korbel Champagne Cellars and Sonoma State, “We wanted to create a program that would prepare the next generation to run our businesses, a viable succession plan for the wine industry. Great grapes and great wine were already the norm.  Professionalizing the business of wine was the next frontier to tackle“ explains Mr. Heck. “Over the past 25 years, our faculty has built the most comprehensive suite of wine business education in the world with the support of our wine industry, generous donors and board members,” noted Ray Johnson, WBI executive director. “Today our alumni occupy positions of leadership across the wine industry value chain, in organizations large and small.”

“The WBI is an exemplar of successful collaboration between industry and academia,” said Jean-Francois Coget, dean of the School of Business and Economics, within which hosts the WBI. “We will continue to provide diverse talent for the business side of the wine industry and conduct research and other activities that can help the industry address its keenest opportunities and challenges.”

Sonoma State’s School of Business and Economics is the first in the United States to offer an undergraduate degree (since 1998), an MBA (since 2008), an Executive MBA (since 2012) and a new Global EMBA (since 2020) focused on the business of wine. In addition to the degree programs, the WBI offers professional certifications in subjects such as Wine Business Data Analytics, Wine Business Management and Wine Entrepreneurship.  The institute regularly brings together wine industry leaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges in the current landscape and those on the horizon.

Looking back on the past 25 years, the WBI celebrates three major achievements: the awarding of 257 Wine MBAs, the launch of the Global Wine EMBA, and the opening of the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

 

#wine #winebusiness #wineeducation #winenews #wineeconomics #winestudy #winemaking

#winelovers #sommlife #wset #wineknowledge

17 MW’s inducted to the Institute of Masters of Wine

This week 17 new Masters of Wine were inducted to the Institute of Masters of Wine at an awards ceremony in London.

Six MWs from the 2020 vintage inaugurated were, Beans Boughton MW (UAE), Jacqueline Cole Blisson MW (Canada), Heidi Iren Hansen MW (Norway), Annette Lacey MW (Australia), Geoffrey Moss MW (Canada) and Ross Wise MW (Canada).

Elevent MWs from the 2021 vintage were Claire Blackler MW (UK), James Doidge MW (UK), Gabriele Gorelli MW (Italy), Susan Lin MW (US), Moritz Nikolaus Lüeke MW (Germany), Álvaro Ribalta MW (Spain), Tze Sam MW (UK), Melissa Saunders MW (US), Kryss Speegle MW (US), Clare Tooley MW (US) and Siobhan Turner MW (UK). Michael Henley MW and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW, both based in New Zealand, were unable to attend.

Individual Awards:

Tze Sam MW received the Villa Maria Award for outstanding knowledge and understanding of viticulture.

Álvaro Ribalta MW received the Madame Bollinger Medal for outstanding tasting ability.

Sophie Parker-Thomson MW received The Quinta do Noval award for the best research paper “What is the relationship between the use of sulphur dioxide and biogenic amine levels in wine?”

Kryss Speegle MW received four awards: the IMW chair’s award for top performance in the business of wine paper; the Taransaud Tonnellerie award for excellent knowledge in the production and handling of wine; the Robert Mondavi Winery award for the best performance across all the theory papers; and the Austrian Wine outstanding achievement award for overall performance in all areas of the MW exam.

@mastersofwine_official

#mastersofwine #winenews #wineeducation #IMW #winelover #winetasting #winestudies #MW #wineknowledge #congratulations #champagnetime