AXA Millésimes awards scholarships to five MW students

The Institute of Masters of Wine and AXA Millésimes have announced the five international winners of the AXA Millésimes scholarship for this year.

Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes among the vines at Château Pichon Baron

The 2020 chosen scholars are Nicoletta Dicova, a Bulgarian journalist/communicator, based in Italy; Cherie Xin Huang, a Napa Valley wine educator from China; Portuguese winemaker Tiago Macena; Fleur Pushack, from London’s Domaine of the Bee; and German Elena Rameder, sommelier at Restaurant Hofmeister, Austria.

The scholarship, now in its twelfth year, gives the winners a unique insight into the portfolio of AXA Millésimes properties in Bordeaux, and beyond.

As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions lift and it is safe to travel, the winning scholars will visit the Medoc, based at Château Pichon Baron in Pauillac, as well as neighbouring Château Pibran, and leading 1er Cru Château Suduiraut in Sauternes. During this three day stay in Bordeaux, they will spend time with the winemakers, tour the vineyards and develop their blending skills in the cellars. Concluding this spectacular prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to Quinta do Noval estate in the Douro valley, where the winners will stay in the Quinta house, high above Pinhão, tour the vineyards and taste Quinta do Noval ports and still wines.

The scholarship was open to all stage one and two students in the MW study programme. Entrants were asked to research and write a 1000 word essay on the following highly topical subject, set by AXA Millésimes: Do the Douro Valley’s unfortified dry white wines have the quality potential to become an important part of the future of the region, both in terms of economics and reputation?

It was a challenging competition to judge, as Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes, a principal supporter of the IMW for many years, attests. “It was a pleasure to read these essays, which were generally of a very high standard, but the shortlist of winners stood out for the quality of their research and analysis. One entry, in particular, was exceptionally insightful and well written. We now have five clear winners, despite the high quality of the competition, and we look forward to welcoming them to Chateau Pichon Baron and our other properties as soon as it is possible.”

Adrian Garforth MW, executive director of the IMW, said, “Congratulations to Nicoletta, Cherie, Tiago, Fleur and Elena. In these incredibly challenging times, it is wonderful to be able to report a good news story and to see the hard work of these five students rewarded through the AXA Millésimes scholarship. The relationship between AXA Millésimes and the IMW is both long-lasting and incredibly close, and we look forward to working with Christian and his team in the coming months as the wine trade moves beyond the coronavirus pandemic.”