Houston-based wine professional and Master of Wine candidate selected for a scholarship combining £25,000 of financial support and an immersive learning experience at Dom Pérignon, in Champagne.
(Photo Credit: Léo Ginailhac)
September 8, 2026 — The Gérard Basset Foundation, Liquid Icons and Dom Pérignon are delighted to announce Justyna Brewczyk as the recipient of the 2026 Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW Scholarship, a scholarship established by Dom Pérignon in partnership with Liquid Icons and the Gérard Basset Foundation to support the next generation of wine professionals pursuing the Master of Wine qualification.
Brewczyk, who is based in Houston, Texas, is a wine consultant, educator and hospitality professional with experience spanning fine wine, restaurants, retail, distribution and wine education. She is currently a Stage 2 Master of Wine candidate and a certified WSET educator and has developed a career characterised by a commitment to wine education, commercial excellence and creating meaningful experiences around wine.
The Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW Scholarship provides £25,000 in funding towards the Master of Wine qualification, widely regarded as the pinnacle of wine education. As part of the award, Brewczyk will also undertake an intensive educational immersion at Dom Pérignon, in Champagne. During the immersion, Brewczyk will learn alongside the Dom Pérignon winemaking team, providing her with a unique opportunity to deepen both technical understanding and practical knowledge at one of the most prestigious Maisons in Champagne.
The scholarship reflects a shared commitment from Dom Pérignon, Liquid Icons and the Gérard Basset Foundation to supporting talent and widening access to opportunities within the global wine community. The selection process considers candidates’ ability, their likelihood of successfully completing the Master of Wine, their potential contribution to accessibility, excellence, interaction and learning within the wine community, as well as their financial circumstances and commitment to undertaking the programme and immersion.
Brewczyk brings an unusually broad professional perspective to her MW studies. She began her wine career in operations and cellar management before moving into wine education, hospitality, fine wine sales and wine buying. Her experience includes serving as Head Sommelier at Bludorn Restaurant, Wine Director at Everywine and Fine Wine Key Account Manager at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. She has been a wine educator at The Texas Wine School since 2023 and currently operates Wine Witch, providing wine education, private sommelier services, event planning and restaurant consulting. Along with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Rice University, Brewczyk is a Certified WSET Educator, a WSET Diploma Ruinart Challenge Winner, a CMS Certified Wine Scholar, and holds both the French Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar qualifications from Wine Scholar Guild.
Her selection as Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW Scholar recognises both her professional achievements to date and her potential to make a significant contribution to the wider wine community as she progresses through the Master of Wine programme. Brewczyk will also attend the Golden Vines 2026 celebrations in London from 6th – 8th November, providing her with an invaluable opportunity to connect with some of the industry’s most influential professionals, exchange knowledge and ideas, and build relationships with peers, mentors, and some of the world’s most celebrated wine collectors.
In partnership with Liquid Icons, the Gérard Basset Foundation established the Golden Vines Scholarships as part of its mission to support talented wine professionals through education and professional development, continuing Gérard Basset’s legacy of excellence, generosity and commitment to learning. The Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW Scholarship represents a particularly distinctive opportunity: financial support for one of the world’s most demanding wine qualifications combined with direct access to the people, place and process behind one of Champagne’s most celebrated Maisons. For Dom Pérignon, this scholarship represents an
opportunity to support the next generation of wine professionals by sharing the Maison’s unique expertise in the world of Champagne and contributing to their development as future fine wine leaders and entrepreneurs.
The scholarship was awarded by a judging panel comprising Vincent Chaperon, chef de cave at Dom Pérignon; Romané Basset, co-founding trustee of the Gérard Basset Foundation; Maxime Balay, international business director at Dom Pérignon; and Camille Arnaud, international events project manager at Dom Pérignon. Vincent Chaperon, chef de cave at Dom Pérignon, says: “All of us here in Champagne look forward to developing a personal connection with Justyna Brewczyk and to supporting her as she attempts to successfully complete the MW programme, one of the very most difficult qualifications in the wine world.”
Romané Basset adds: “My father always believed that talent should be nurtured wherever it is found, and that education, mentorship and community can change the course of a person’s career. We are incredibly proud to continue that legacy through our partnership with Dom Pérignon. This scholarship offers an exceptional opportunity for someone with the ambition to deepen their knowledge, broaden their experience and take the next step in their career. We are hugely grateful to Dom Pérignon for helping us make that opportunity possible.”
About Dom Pérignon
Rooted in the Abbey of Hautvillers, in Champagne, Dom Pérignon carries forward the legacy of Dom Pierre Pérignon, who, in the 17th century, pursued the ambition to make “the best wine in the world.” Dom Pérignon’s creative ambition is a perpetual quest for harmony as a source of emotion, a quest pursued with aesthetic and sensory values: precision, intensity, tactile sensation, minerality, complexity, completeness and a distinctive way of sustaining notes. Every creative process faces constraints. For Dom Pérignon, this means always a vintage wine. An unyielding commitment to bear witness to the harvest of a single year, whatever the challenges, even going as far as not declaring a vintage. Dom Pérignon is always an assemblage (blending in French). The assemblage is the foundation of the Dom Pérignon style. It is guided by timeless principles that have always taken precedence over winemaking techniques and their evolution. Time is part of the Dom Pérignon equation. The time for active maturation on the lees in the darkness of the cellars, allowing each vintage to reveal itself. https://www.domperignon.com/en-gb/
About The Golden Vines
Established in 2021 to honour, celebrate, and elevate ‘the best of the best’ in fine wine and rare spirits, The Golden Vines has become the definitive benchmark of excellence within the industry. Decided by a global voting process of thousands of industry experts, the spectacular annual three-day celebration brings together an exclusive mix of leading winemakers, top-tier collectors, and UHNWIs. Taking place across some of the world’s most beautiful cities and venues, the event offers guests an unrivalled weekend of masterclasses, exceptional culinary programming, and unique tastings. The Golden Vines acts as a platform for meaningful change by partnering with the Gérard Basset Foundation. With 100% of the weekend’s auction proceeds going directly to the Foundation, the initiative champions diversity and inclusion across the global wine and spirits industries. https://liquidicons.com/the-golden-vines
About The Gérard Basset Foundation
The Gérard Basset Foundation in the world’s leading charitable foundation dedicated to using the wine, spirits & hospitality industries as a global vehicle for change by funding education, training and mentorship programmes which focus on opening up these sectors to passionate and talented individuals, regardless of their backgrounds of circumstances. Gérard Basset (7th March 1957 – 16th January 2019) OBE MS MW MBA OIV MSc ASI World’s Best Sommelier 2010 was without question one of the greatest wine professionals of his era. During his lifetime, Gérard mentored and trained a generation of young sommeliers who sought out his expertise and guidance to launch their own successful careers. Many of those protégés are connected to the Foundation and remain instrumental in keeping Gérard’s legacy alive and flourishing. The Gérard Basset Foundation was co-founded in 2021 by Gérard’s wife Nina and their son Romané who also serve as trustees alongside Jancis Robinson OBE MW and Ian Harris. https://gerardbassetfoundation.org/
