6 FEBRUARY 2023 | LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Liquid Icons – the fine wine research and content production company founded by the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS and his friend Lewis Chester DipWSET – today announced the opening of the application window for The 2023 Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships in Wine. Applicants can apply online at: https://
47 applicants from 18 countries applied for the 2022 scholarships, which saw Jarret Buffington (Australia), Sandeep Ghaey (USA) and Carrie Rau (Canada) scoop the prized scholarships. The application window is open until Saturday 8 April 2023.
The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarship, Internship & Mentorship Programme is for aspiring black and ethnic minority students (BAME/BIPOC) wishing to undertake the Master of Wine (MW) and Master Sommelier (MS) programmes – open to candidates from all over the world. These scholarships, worth up to £55,000 for each scholar, will cover the entirety of their course and examination costs, as well as loss of earnings during their work placement internships.
The Internship programme includes a set of diversified work experiences with some of the world’s top wine domaines and spirit distilleries: Bodega Catena Zapata, Castiglion del Bosco, Château Cheval Blanc, Château d’Yquem, Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Lapostolle Clos Apalta, Colgin Cellars, Dom Pérignon, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Domaine Baron Thénard, Domaine des Lambrays, Domaine Laroche, Klein Constantia, Lawrence Wine Estates (Heitz Cellars, Stony Hill Vineyard, Ink Grade Estate and Burgess Cellars), Liber Pater, Marchesi Antinori, Opus One, Ruinart, Symington Family Estates, Taylor’s Port, The Macallan Distillery, Vilafonté, Vina Vik, Weingut Egon Müller.
In addition, Amorim Cork, Annabel’s Private Members Club, the Kedge Wine School, Octavian Wine Vaults, the OIV, UC Davis Department of Enology & Viticulture, and the WOW Wine School (Porto) will also provide academic courses or work experience opportunities for the winning scholars.
Adrian Bridge, Managing Director of Taylor’s Port, commented: “The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Scholarships, which launched in 2021, is a remarkable programme with global reach. We are inspired by the real difference that this Scholarship Award is making to our industry and are proudly supporting it for the 3rd year. Taylor’s Port is a family run business with over 330 years of success; success that has come from working with the best talents in the wine industry around the world. Encouraging education and diversity can only lead to further strength and growth. These are values that we believe were the vision of Gérard Basset and we are honoured to be associated with his name and this very important award”
The Judging Panel for the 2023 scholarships is comprised of: Angela Scott as Head Judge, one of 2021’s Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarship winners; Nina Basset FIH; Rajat Parr (Sandhi Wines); Clement Robert MS (The Birley Clubs / Annabel’s); and Jancis Robinson OBE MW. The judges will also provide ongoing mentorship to The Golden Vines® Diversity Scholars during their journey.
Jancis Robinson OBE MW, Head Judge in 2021 and 2022, added: “Judging these awards is one of the most rewarding things I do. So many candidates come to us with truly inspiring stories… It is extremely difficult to choose the winners, but it’s definitely a job worth doing if we are to widen the range of those who work in wine. There is such talent and enthusiasm out there, in people of all hues and ethnicities.”
The winners of The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships will receive their Scholarships Awards at the Dress-To-Party Gala hosted as a part of the The 2023 Golden Vines® Awards to be held in Paris, France from Friday 13 until Sunday 15 October 2023. At the associated Awards Ceremony, The Golden Vines® Awards will be awarded to the world’s best fine wine producers as voted by leading members of the global fine wine industry in the Gérard Basset Global Fine Wine Report produced by Liquid Icons, with polling opening on 1 March 2023.
About Gérard Basset Foundation
Set up to honour the legacy and memory of Gérard Basset OBE MS MW by addressing the wine industry’s most pressing issues through education, training & mentorship, the Gérard Basset Foundation comprises a multidisciplinary team of industry-leading professionals: Nina Basset FIH, Romané Basset, Lewis Chester DipWSET, Ian Harris MBE DipWSET, Sasha Lushnikov, Jancis Robinson OBE MW: https://
About Liquid Icons
Liquid Icons is a fine wine research and content production company founded by two friends to “do stuff in wine” – the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS and Lewis Chester DipWSET. We create first-class original content and research about the world’s greatest fine wines and spirits. Our work encompasses motion picture, industry research, recognition and celebration of wine and spirits excellence, charitable and fundraising activities, as well as educational initiatives: https://
About Taylor’s Port
Taylor’s is one of the first historic Port wine lodges, having been established in 1692. A family company since its foundation, it has been dedicated exclusively to the production of high-quality Port wines, from the planting of the vine and harvesting the grapes for fermentation, ageing and bottling of the various styles of Port wine. The family’s commitment to the future of Port wine is also demonstrated in its determination to preserve and, where appropriate, improve the unique environmental, social and economic aspects of the Douro region through the promotion of sustainable viticulture. Taylor’s is mainly recognised as a benchmark for Vintage Port, its classic Vintages attracting the highest scores and auction prices. The house was the creator of the modern LBV (Late Bottled Vintage), a style pioneered by the Taylor’s and it is the most sought-after brand of LBV. Taylor’s also pioneered the first Dry White Port with the launch of Chip Dry and was the first to commercialise the Single Quinta Vintages. The House is also recognized as the most important producer of Aged Tawnies and has one of the most extensive reserves of cask aged Port wines: https://www.taylor.pt
