The Institute of Masters of Wine has confirmed that nine new Masters of Wine have been admitted to its membership following the results of its 2010 examination. The news brings the total number of Masters of Wine in the world to 289, who are resident in 23 different countries. One of the new MW’s is Justin Knock who presented a Penfolds tasting to the GUWS in October 2006 – see our tasting history for details. Well done Justin!
In order to become a Master of Wine a candidate must pass both the theory and practical parts of the Masters of Wine Examination and complete a 10,000-word dissertation based upon original research.
Dr. Josef Schuller MW, Chairman of the Institute, said: “The Institute is delighted to welcome these nine new Masters of Wine to its membership. They have demonstrated a unique set of skills in the art, science and business of wine. They must now honour the tradition of excellence upon which the Institute was founded and act as ambassadors for wine at large as they pursue their individual careers as members of our international community.”
The nine new Masters of Wine, their country of residence, occupation and dissertation titles are:
David Allen MW (UK), Private Customer Sales Manager at Coe Vintners, “An examination of the effectiveness of wine as an investment vehicle for UK-based individuals”
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW (Belgium), civil servant at European Commission, “The EU common market organisation for wine: identification and analysis of the driving forces in the policy-making process”
Sebastian Bredal MW (Norway), Managing Director of Symposium Wines AS, “Investigating the factors that influence consumers’ purchasing behaviour of wine in the Norwegian off-trade market”
Alex Hunt MW (UK), Purchasing Director at Berkmann Wine Cellars, “Rising must weights in California: trends, causes, and implications for winemaking”
Melanie Jones MW (UK), wine writer and webmaster, “Factors which contribute towards successful sales of premium Sherry in UK restaurants and their bars”
Justin Knock MW (UK), Wine Buying Manager at Treasury Wine Estates, “How important is regionality to the marketing and sales of Australian wine in the UK market?”
Kate McIntyre MW (Australia), Marketing Manager at Moorooduc Estate, “Australian Chardonnay in crisis – reality or industry perception?”
Jean Reilly MW (USA), wine buyer and journalist based in New York, “US Sommelier attitudes towards German Riesling”
Peter Richards MW (UK), wine writer and broadcaster, “Prospects for premium Chilean Syrah: UK wine trade perspectives”
More information can be found at http://www.mastersofwine.org/
