The Worshipful Company of Vintners, one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, retains close links with the wine trade.
A sommelier, or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the sommelier in fine dining today is much more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter. Sommeliers Australia states that the role is strategically on par with that of the chef de cuisine.
A postgraduate diploma is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postgraduate diplomas include but are not limited to Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Spain, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, India, Israel, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Republic of Panama the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe. Level of education and recognition differ per issuing country.
Metaxa is a line of branded Greek alcoholic drinks, each a flavored amber blend of spirits and Muscat wine, aged in oak barrels, and packaged in amphora-shaped bottles. Several Metaxa products have numbered “star” designations indicating, according to different sources, either the product’s age, the number of base spirits and wines used in making it, or simply the quality level. Metaxa's main exported products are 5 Star, 7 Star, 12 Star, and Private Reserve.
Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. The MW qualification is generally regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowledge.
Spirits competitions are contests between makers of alcoholic beverages, in which master distillers, brewmasters and vintners compete to substantiate the quality of their products. Liquor, spirits, beer, beverage and wine competitions take place around the world.
An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The consumption of alcoholic drinks, often referred to as "drinking", plays an important social role in many cultures. Alcoholic drinks are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—and typically their alcohol content is between 3% and 50%.
Jeannie Cho Lee is a Hong Kong-based, Korean-American wine critic, author, journalist, consultant, wine educator and Master of Wine, the first ethnic Asian to achieve this accreditation. She was 25th on Decanter's Power List 2013.
Debra Meiburg MW is an multi-media wine journalist, wine educator, wine judge and a first recipient of the Master of Wine title in Asia. She is also founding director, along with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, of the Cathay Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition. Now in its 14th year, it is the largest pan-Asian wine competition. Having passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams, Meiburg was formerly an accountant at Price Waterhouse Coopers Hong Kong. Meiburg’s career change into wine saw her focus on wine education and journalism, but she has worked in vineyards and wineries in Chile, Bordeaux, South Africa and New York. Born in Sonoma County, she is a long-time and permanent resident of Hong Kong.
Gilpin's Westmorland Extra Dry Gin is a London Dry Gin distilled in London in small batches using the traditional pot still method with spring water from Cartmel in the English Lake District. Botanicals include juniper, sage, borage, lime (fruit) and bitter orange. Bottled at 47% ABV.
Laura Catena is a fourth generation Argentine vintner, physician and author.
The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) is an educational organisation established in 1977 to encourage improved standards of beverage service by sommeliers, particularly in wine and food pairing. From the court's inception through 2018, a worldwide total of 274 people have earned its Master Sommelier diploma, the highest level.
Richard Mayson is a British author and expert on fortified wines and the wines of Iberia. He is series editor for the Infinite Ideas Classic Wine Library. He is the author of Lowry's Lamps, published by Unicorn Press and was Pro-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield from 2017 - 2021.
Julian Brind MW was a British Master of Wine and director of buying wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks for the Waitrose supermarket chain. Brind was a key figure in the transformation of the British wine trade from the 1970s onwards.
Italian Sommelier Association, 'AIS' is an Italian non-profit organization founded in Milan on July 7, 1965, officially recognised and legally acknowledged by the Italian government on April 6, 1973, with formal President of the Republic decree #539 in 1973. Its founding members were Prof. Gianfranco Botti, Jean Valenti, Leonardo Guerra and Italian sommelier Ernesto Rossi. Italian Sommelier Association is part and founding member of the Worldwide Sommelier Association (WSA), which is officially recognized across the world, wherever it is present with an affiliate. AIS is one of the oldest and actually the largest sommelier association in the world.
Peter Neptune is an American wine expert and educator as well as a former television and NY stage actor. He is one of only 147 Master Sommeliers in North America, as of June 2015, and is the founder of the Orange County, CA-based Neptune School of Wine. He appeared on and off Broadway in 1984 and 1985, appeared in numerous television movies and series from 1988 through 1990, and appeared as himself in the 2013 wine documentary SOMM.
Rebecca Gibb MW is a British journalist and Master of Wine based in England.
Cheers Wines is a Chinese wine import company headquartered in Beijing with partner stores throughout China. It is a WSET APP. The company's slogan is Cheers makes you smile.
Sonal Holland is the first recipient of the Master of Wine title in India. She is a certified wine educator specialising in saké and shochu. Holland is also a consultant, retailer, broadcaster, and the founder of India Wine Awards, an Indian wine competition.
