06/12/06 Email Question. MW

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran and today we are answering an email question. Recently a listener wrote "I went to a wine tasting and the speaker had the initials MW after her name. What does MW stand for?" As you know, the academic side of wine is vast and covers many different fields. Within the wine world there are varying levels of authority. One of the pinnacles of wine knowledge is a degree earned from the Institute of Masters of Wine. Through education, the institute pursues the goal of excellence, in the wine industry. The Institute has developed a program for education and testing of wine knowledge. Make no mistake this is not some easy exam. The program is a minimum of two years culminating with an absolutely grueling written and tasting exam. Some people have liken it to being more difficult than taking the bar exam to become a lawyer. The first exams, given in 1953, were only available to the wine trade in the UK , which is where the Master of Wine is based. Since the 1980's the program has been open to anyone in the world who earns their living in the wine trade. Now according to the most recent figures on the website there are 246 Masters of Wine on the planet. The MW education programs are held in the UK in the USA and Australia. So if you have the opportunity to participate in a program that includes an MW or Master of Wine do appreciate all that they went through to obtain that degree. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.