September 22, 2015 – Earlier this month, the Institute of Masters of Wine graduated 19 new Masters, a record for this organization whose first examination was held in 1953. It doesn’t sound like many but only 391 have qualified for the title over the past 62 years.
It’s a course that at any one time has students qualifying at different levels as they make their way through the program. Since most students have full time jobs, invariably in the wine industry, it can take several years to qualify.
Having worked and socialized with many MWs, one thing that might be surprising is that they are not in the least, wine snobs. The Institute requires acceptance of a code of conduct by those that pass the examination. It says “The Code of Conduct requires that Masters of Wine behave at all times in an ethical manner, and that they work to make the wine trade one in which probity and honesty are paramount.”
In February 2014 we posted an article about becoming a Master of Wine by Joel Butler, one of the first two Americans to attain the MW title in 1990. You can read it at http://www.wineandspirits.com/becoming-a-master-of-wine-mw/
There’s also detailed information on the Institute’s web site http://www.mastersofwine.org/en/news/index.cfm/id/F4CD1991-4318-4F73-AA8C0412671A5F57
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