The IMW welcomes 17 new Masters of Wine to the membership

IMW AWARDS CEREMONY

Seventeen Masters of Wine were inducted to the Institute of Masters of Wine at an awards ceremony tonight (23 March 2022) in London.

The new members became Masters of Wine in 2020 and 2021. The ceremony welcomed new MWs to the IMW and recognised individual excellence in aspects of the MW exam.

Usually in November each year, the event was added to the IMW’s calendar to make up for a cancelled ceremony during the pandemic.

The six 2020 MWs inaugurated at Vintners’ Hall 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).

The 11 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 travel to the ceremony but will be celebrated at the November 2022 event.

During the ceremony, which was also live-streamed, individual awards were given to the MWs who performed exceptionally in a particular area of the MW exam.

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

For his outstanding tasting ability, Álvaro Ribalta MW received the Madame Bollinger Medal.

The Quinta do Noval award for the best research paper went to Sophie Parker-Thomson MW. Sophie was unable to attend the ceremony in person but expressed her delight at winning the award via video link. Her winning research paper, What is the relationship between the use of sulphur dioxide and biogenic amine levels in wine?, can be downloaded from the IMW website here.

Kryss Speegle MW scooped four awards on the night: the IMW chair’s award for her top performance in the business of wine paper, the Taransaud Tonnellerie award for her 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 her overall performance in all areas of the MW exam.

The Masters of Wine who celebrated their 50th year as MWs in 2021 were also honoured during the ceremony. Nick Clarke MW and Clive Coates MW passed the MW exam in 1970.

About the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW)

The IMW is a membership organisation with an exceptional international reputation. For almost 70 years, its members – the Masters of Wine (MWs) – have been at the forefront of leadership and expertise in the world of wine. The IMW’s mission is to promote excellence, interaction and learning across all sectors of the global wine community. MWs prove their comprehensive understanding of wine by passing the MW exam, recognised worldwide for its rigour and exacting standards. In addition to passing the exam, members must sign the code of conduct before they are entitled to use the initials MW. This requires them to uphold the highest standards of commercial conduct within the industry. Today, there are 420 Masters of Wine working in 30 countries. The membership encompasses winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, journalists, shippers, consultants, academics, educators and more. There are 376 students from 41 countries in the 2020-2021 MW study programme. The IMW works with 31 supporters and one academic and research associate, who help promote the IMW’s mission. The five principal supporters are Austrian Wine, AXA Millésimes, Constellation Brands, the Madame Bollinger Foundation, and Waitrose and Partners.