Wine Trade

Soon after the Second World War the Company, together with the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, recognised that they needed to improve the standard of education in the British wine trade and to formally certify its most talented members.

They organised an examination process for the trade known as the Master of Wine examination which was held for the first time in 1953. In 1955, with funding and support from the Vintners’ Company, the Institute of Masters of Wine was formed by the people who had passed the inaugural exam.

The study programme and exam have always been open to both women and men. Sarah Morphew Stephen MW became the first female Master of Wine in 1970. Today, one third of the world’s MWs are female (149). 1979 was the first year that equal numbers of women and men passed. In 2001, for the first time, there were more women than men among the new MWs.

The MW exam was opened to people working outside what was then known as the ‘traditional’ wine trade in the early 80s. This meant winemakers and journalists could apply, and Jancis Robinson MW OBE became the first ‘non-trade’ Master of Wine. To apply for the study programme today, you need to have active professional involvement in wine, which spans the broad diversity of wine professions that exist in the global industry – from the production of raw materials to education, production, retail and communication.

The Institute normally hold their annual awards ceremony at Vintners' Hall. In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards were presented 'digitally'.

In 1969, the Vintners’ Company provided funding to establish the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) to provide additional support to serve the growing educational needs of the UK wine and spirits industry.

As recognition grew for WSET qualifications it was realised there was a demand beyond the UK for quality education in wines and spirits. In 1977 WSET expanded access to qualifications abroad, by launching courses in the Republic of Ireland. And in the same year WSET launched qualifications across the Atlantic, with the International Wine Education Guild (IWEG) in Ontario, Canada, becoming the first North American provider of WSET qualifications.

By the end of the 1990’s WSET qualifications were available in the UK, Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia. In 2007 international students taking WSET exams outnumbered UK students for the first time.

In 2016 the first WSET international office in Hong Kong was establshed to serve the growing Asia markets. In 2017 WSET appointed a dedicated on-territory USA team, with permanent offices opening in Hartford, Connecticut in 2019.

Today WSET qualifications are available in over 70 countries in 15 languages, through a network of 900+ course providers, and students outside the UK represent over 75% of WSET candidates each year.

Today, both the Institute of Masters of Wine and the WSET are recognised as world leaders in the provision of wine education.