The first tranche of 2022 Golden Vines diversity and inclusion scholarships has just been announced.
This year four brand-new awards have been added to the suite of initiatives funded by the Gérard Basset Foundation: four Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW and MS Scholarships. Each is worth £12,500, and will cover the full costs of tuition, tastings and examinations incurred by these successful applicants:
- Audrey Annoh-Antwi, Ghanian sommelier at Planque restaurant in east London (MW)
- Anjali Douglas, part-Indian educator at the London headquarters of WSET (MW)
- Ana Bertha Gallegos Barcenas, Mexican branch manager at the SAQ in Québec (MW)
- Miyuki Morimoto, well-travelled champion sommelier at the Conrad, Tokyo, who, as a woman, has experienced particular challenges in Japan (MS).
The Wine Scholar Guild has again kindly donated 10 Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild Scholarships (see last year’s announcement). The following winners may enrol in one of their Advanced French, Spanish or Italian Wine Scholar Certification Programs:
- Flex Aleo of Marvonnay wine education programme in Toronto
- Bento Amaral of the Institute of Douro and Port Wines (IVDP) and Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Portugal
- Diana Hawkins of D+F Wines in New Zealand
- Ibrahim Kemer of LVMH in Türkiye
- Mia Kodilinye of Bubble and Wine in the UK
- Luma Monteiro of Davy’s Wine Merchants in London
- Jeanne Peixian Qiao of Le Figaro in France
- Amrita Singh of KEDGE Business School Career Centre in France
- Denzel Swarts of Simonsig Wine Estate, South Africa
- Sin Hang Tse of Ginsberg + Chan Wine Merchants Asia, Hong Kong.
This year not just two (as last year) but three Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships worth £55,000 each will be awarded at a fundraising ceremony at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence on 16 October 2022, hosted by master fundraiser Lewis Chester of Liquid Icons, the fine-wine research and content-production company founded by him and the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS.
The 2022 judging panel was headed by me, very ably assisted by Gérard’s widow Nina; Rajat Parr of California; Angela Scott, one of last year’s inaugural Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarship winners currently studying for her MW; and Clément Robert of The Birley Clubs and Annabel’s.
The total number of applicants this year was 47, of 24 different nationalities (last year there were 42 of 23 nationalities). The whole process, including the extremely detailed application submissions, was very efficiently overseen by Gérard’s son Romané and Sasha Lushnikov, both identified recently by Harpers’ inaugural list of drinks-trade future leaders under 30. Last year we all found the judging process extremely moving and this year it was even more inspiring to learn of so many wine professionals all over the world of varied ethnicities who need help to make an even greater contribution to diversifying our wonderful wine community.
The Foundation has also continued to award educational grants internationally with the aim of increasing inclusion and diversity in the wine world. Most recently these initiatives include the Artémis Domaines Golden Vines Victims of Conflict Scholarships, focused on helping those displaced by war. Several wine professionals from Ukraine and other conflict zones around the world have already applied for internships at the glorious properties within this group, headed by Ch Latour.