The Institute Of Masters Of Wine is one of the most reputable and decorated wine qualifications an individual can get in the world of wine. This institute is the home of exceptional expertise, started more than 65 years ago as an exam for the UK wine trade, and is a globally recognized title. Currently, there are 419 MWs based in 30 countries trying to contribute to their maximum potential to the world of wine. 

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The IMW headquarters in the UK was set up in 2017 and houses different departments like communication and marketing, education, finance, and a grand tasting room, used to organize tasting sessions for the students and host speakers for special events. 

Adrian Garforth, the Executive Director at IMW, accompanied by Sarrah Harrison, sits down to chat with the CEO of Beverage Trade Network and gives insights about this well-crafted and complex wine qualification that has uplifted its reputation for the last 65 years. 

Adrian has been the Executive director for the last 2 years, and before that, he was the chairman of the institute. On the other side, Sarrah is comparatively new to the wine industry. However, she has prior work experience teaching in the UK and is now the head of Study Program and Development and helps drive the changes that the IMW puts forward. 

In the last 10 years, the gender split between males and females has been remarkable and almost equal. IMW is not just UK-based anymore, the first MW outside the UK was Michael Hill Smith from Adelaide, Australia, and since then, there have been an almost equal number of MWs outside the UK compared to the ones residing there. Adrian says,” these are really important statistics which show our commitment towards internationalization which mirrors the true global wine trade.”

Moreover, the IMW is currently working closely with Golden Vines Scholarship to have over 200,000 pounds of scholarship for students joining the MW program. 

IMW is not a non-profit organization, it has a steady flow of income, and equivalent services are provided. IMW gains revenue from the students who participate in the program, from our members who pay a subscription every year, and also from our supporters who are in the wine business and are happy to be associated. But the crucial point is to evaluate the profit and performance of this model. Adrian explains this by saying,” We work on a break-even basis, have a budget, and try to balance it while delivering our activities like events, student education webinars, and trips for the members. Thus, we host a lot of different activities.” 

The IMW organizes a council meeting every 3 months where every business aspect is thoroughly, and revenue streams are looked upon. They discuss where they face challenges and how it impacts the budget and decide the strategies to execute. 

The institute was set up in 1955, so nearly 70 years have passed, and the level of pride in the institute is coherent with the quality of graduates. Adrian explains, “We spend a lot of time with trademark lawyers to uphold our trademark worldwide.” 

IMW focuses on increasing the profile of not only the institute but also of individual MWs as they believe that the individuals are engaged in positive activities. If it resonates with the consistent values and ethos of the IMW, then the institute’s standard automatically steps up.

After an individual becomes an MW, one receives the gold key to a powerful network. With only 419 MWs, the group is filled with immense knowledge and industry experts. Apart from that, the activities and individual carries out are very influential in that sphere. Thus the tag of an MW can be used as credibility and great knowledge in the wine industry.

An MW should also have a good understanding of the business aspect of wine because individual brands are not just competing with the wine industry. There is a boom in the spirits market, coffee drinkers are increasing, and even cannabis is surging. Thus an MW has to come up with ideas while working with a brand and ask questions like “what makes this wine unique?”

The IMW has seen consistent growth in the applicants; as Adrian says, “the US would be our biggest market for students, and it is fascinating to see because it reflects the true global nature of the wine trade”  America has contributed a lot to the wine industry. Europe is no longer the enter of the global wine trade. The entire focus has been shifted to the US now. “We currently have more students in North America than anywhere else in the world right now, and it reflects where the global wine trade sits right now,” he further explains. 

Everyone suffered during the pandemic, and like everyone, The IMW went online. They organized webinars for the students with remote tastings and speakers from different parts of the world and were quite active during that time. As blind tasting is a very crucial part of the exam, they started sending out tasting samples to students all around the world. Sarrah explains,” last year we had students from 36 countries, and for that, we had sampling operations in 4 countries which sent out shipments to everybody to make sure they could still do their tastings as one of the key parts of the program is to taste 12 wines blind.”

Each student also got the opportunity to get a one-on-one call with an MW to discuss the strategies to approach the exam,” over 100 MWs signed up saying they wanted to help the students,” she further elaborates.

A bit of advice from Sarrah on keeping the motivation high - “students should be open and listen to people and accept the fact that it is going to be a long journey. Also, be realistic about individual weaknesses as the syllabus is very long; working on each weakness will definitely help. But the most important thing that all the students should do is use the massive network that IMW opens up.”

Article by Arjun Moghe, Beverage Trade Network.