Three new MWs take total to 300

Three members of the wine trade have passed all parts of the notoriously difficult Masters of Wine examination, taking the total number of MWs worldwide to 300.

There are now 300 MWs worldwide

The students, who come from Austria, Singapore and the UK, will be formally welcomed into the Institute of Masters of Wine at a ceremony in the Vintners’ Hall, London on 6 November 2012.

The three new MWs are Catriona Felstead from Berry Bros & Rudd UK; Annette Scarfe, a wine consultant from Singapore, and Andreas Wickhoff, managing director of Premium Estates in Austria.

The three candidates have been admitted following their successful submission of dissertations, which is the third and final element of the MW exam after the theory and practical papers.

Their achievement brings the total number of MWs to 300, with members of the Institute now based in 24 different countries.

For more on each new member and their dissertation titles, click here.

Catriona Felstead MW

Catriona Felstead MW, 36, is direct and interactive marketing manager at Berry Bros & Rudd. Catriona, who was born in Reading, England, is a graduate of St Andrew’s University, where she studied French and Spanish.

She started her working life in a Spanish petrochemical company before her love of wine led her into the trade. Berry Bros & Rudd, a long-standing supporter of the Institute, now boasts six Masters of Wine among its staff.

Her dissertation was titled: How label information on sweetness levels might influence consumer attitudes to “dry” Alsace white wines in the UK off-trade market.

Annette Scarfe MW

Annette Scarfe MW, 51, from Singapore, is a former investment banker who pursued her interest in wine to embark on a whole new career. Annette began in the wine trade by starting her own business importing and wholesaling New Zealand and French wines.

She now works as an independent consultant, primarily in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. Her clients include Bumpkin (part of the Ignite Group), and Alan Yau and Jale Erentok’s Busaba.

Annette is a regular member of tasting panels and judges wine competitions in the UK, France, and Hong Kong.

Her dissertation was titled: How can Ribera del Duero achieve increased listings of its red wines in the English on-trade?

Andreas Wickhoff MW

Andreas Wickhoff MW, 35, from Salzburg, becomes Austria’s third Master of Wine. He is managing director of Premium Estates Austria, a group of the country’s leading wineries. Before establishing the association in 2004, he worked as a sommelier and wine buyer in Corsica and the United States, and studied in Brisbane, Australia.

Andreas’s greatest passion apart from wine is snowboarding. He and his wife, Evelyn, have a son, Fredrik, who will turn two in November.

His dissertation was titled: Districtus Austriae Controllatus: opportunities and challenges of transforming a Germanic into a Romanic appellation system.