June 27th – 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 – are delighted to announce the recipients of The 2022 Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® Master of Wine & Master Sommelier Scholarships, as well as the recipients of The 2022 Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild Scholarships.
47 applications were submitted in 2022. The applicants came from 18 different countries, comprising more than 20 different nationalities and ethnicities. More than half of all applicants this year were women.
The winners were chosen by the same judging panel that is responsible for awarding The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships. The Judging Panel comprised: Nina Basset FIH, Rajat Parr (Sandhi Wines), Angela Scott (recipient of one of 2021’s inaugural Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships, working towards her MW), Clement Robert MS (The Birley Clubs / Annabel’s) and, Head Judge, Jancis Robinson OBE MW.
Jancis Robinson OBE MW, the Head Judge, commented: “Judging these awards is one of the most rewarding things I do. So many candidates had truly inspiring stories and the standard of applications this year was even higher than last year. It was extremely difficult to choose these scholars, but it’s definitely a job worth doing if we are to widen the range of those who work in wine, spirits and hospitality. There is such talent and enthusiasm out there, in people of all hues and ethnicities.”
The 2022 Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® Master of Wine & Master Sommelier Scholarships Recipients:
The Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® Master of Wine & Master Sommelier Scholarships are each worth £12,500, and will cover the full costs of tuition, examination and tastings incurred by the student studying for these programmes. The scholarships are being funded by the Gérard Basset Foundation from monies raised at The Golden Vines® Awards Ceremony & Dinner to be held in the Palazzo Vecchio Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence on 16th October 2022.
- Audrey Annoh-Antwi
- Ghanian sommelier at Planque restaurant in east London, United Kingdom (MW pathway)
- Anjali Douglas
- Part-Indian educator at the headquarters of WSET in London, United Kingdom (MW pathway)
- Part-Indian educator at the headquarters of WSET in London, United Kingdom (MW pathway)
- Ana Bertha Gallegos Barcenas
- Mexican branch manager at the SAQ in Québec, Canada (MW pathway)
- Miyuki Morimoto
- Well-travelled champion sommelier at the Conrad, Tokyo, Japan (MS pathway)
- Well-travelled champion sommelier at the Conrad, Tokyo, Japan (MS pathway)
Vincent Chaperon, Chef de Cave of Dom Perignon, commenting on the inaugural Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® Master of Wine & Master Sommelier Scholarships, stated: “We are delighted that we received so many outstanding applications for our inaugural Golden Vines® Master of Wine & Master Sommelier Scholarships in partnership with Liquid Icons and the Gérard Basset Foundation. We welcome our worthy winners – Audrey, Anjali, Ana and Miyuki – into the Dom Pérignon family and wish them the best of luck with their studies to become Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers.”
The 2022 Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild Scholarships Recipients:
Thanks to the generosity of the Wine Scholar Guild, 10 applicants to The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships were awarded Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild Scholarships. Scholarship winners have the opportunity to specialise in the country of their choice, by selecting enrolment in one of the Wine Scholar Guild’s advanced French, Spanish or Italian Wine Scholar Certification Programs.
About the Gérard Basset Foundation
Set up to honour the legacy and memory of Gérard Basset OBE MW MS 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 as its Trustees: Nina Basset FIH, Romané Basset, Ian Harris MBE DipWSET, and Jancis Robinson OBE MW.
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.
About Dom Pérignon
Dom Pérignon is only available as a vintage. Only the best grapes are selected. Each vintage is unique and reinterprets the unique character of the seasons. Dom Pérignon reinvents itself with each vintage, always taking risks. Even to the point of not declaring a vintage.
About Wine Scholar Guild
Wine Scholar Guild is the leading provider of specialized certification programs on the wines of France, Italy and Spain with a school network spanning 30 countries and 5 continents. Wine Scholar Guild is a pioneer in online wine education; its distance-learning platform includes hundreds of educational webinars, interactive e-learning modules, online flashcards, pronunciation exercises, and learning games. Wine Scholar Guild’s community of wine professionals and committed students of wine learn from the most respected names in the industry and participate in some of the most exciting and intellectually stimulating wine study immersion trips on the market. Wine Scholar Guild’s entire organization is fully committed to our students and to their success. Wine Scholar Guild helps achievers achieve.
