The Madame Bollinger Foundation awards the 2018 Bollinger Medal to Lindsay Pomeroy MW
The Madame Bollinger Foundation last night awarded the Bollinger Medal for excellence in tasting and outstanding achievement in the Institute of Masters of Wine practical examinations to Lindsay Pomeroy MW, presented by the Chairman of the Madame Bollinger Foundation, Etienne Bizot. The presentation took place at the annual Institute of Masters of Wine awards ceremony held at Vintners’ Hall in London.
This year’s presentation marks the 30th occasion that the Bollinger medal has been awarded since its inauguration in 1988. The winners of The Bollinger Medal comprise ten different nationalities of Master of Wine, sixteen men and fourteen women.
Commenting on the importance of such recognition of achievement in wine education, Etienne Bizot, great-nephew of Madame Bollinger, said; “When my father Christian Bizot launched the “Madame Bollinger Foundation” at Vintners Hall in 1988, the purpose was to foster quality, education and ethics in all matters relating to wine at an international level. In the pursuit of excellence in wine education, the Institute of Masters of Wine is without question the global reference, the leading light, in its field. I am therefore very pleased to award the Bollinger Medal to Lindsay, a superlative taster, in honour of Madame Bollinger.”
Lindsay’s passion for wine started in San Diego, California where she currently resides. Lindsay has helped foster a community of knowledge-thirsty wine drinkers in San Diego throughout her 12-year tenure as the Chief Wine Educator and founder of Wine Smarties, a wine education school that provides WSET and French Wine Scholar (FWS) courses. Leading up to the MW study programme, Lindsay successfully earned her WSET Diploma, FWS certificate and Certified Wine Educator (CWE).
For winning the medal, Lindsay will receive a year’s supply of the full range of Bollinger Champagnes, and a private tour and tasting at Champagne Bollinger in Ay.
ENDS
For further information and images please contact:
Jessica Hill-Smith, Communications Manager, Mentzendorff – jessica@mentzendorff.co.uk
Sarah Kirkpatrick, Head of Marketing, Communicaitons and Membership, Institute of Masters of Wine, SKirkpatrick@mastersofwine.org
Notes to Editors:
About the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW)
The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) is a membership organisation with an exceptional international reputation. For almost 70 years, its members – the Masters of Wine (MWs) – have been at the forefront of leadership and expertise in the world of wine. The IMW’s mission is to promote excellence, interaction and learning across all sectors of the global wine community. MWs prove their comprehensive understanding of wine by passing the MW examination, recognised worldwide for its rigour and exacting standards. In addition to passing the examination, members must sign the code of conduct before they are entitled to use the initials MW. This requires them to act with honesty and integrity, and use every opportunity to share their knowledge of wine with others. Today, there are 380 Masters of Wine working in 30 countries. The membership encompasses winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, journalists, shippers, consultants, academics, educators and more. There are 360 students in the 2018-2019 MW study programme, from 45 countries.
About the Madame Bollinger Foundation
The Madame Bollinger Foundationwas founded in honour of Madame Lily Bollinger who tirelessly headed the eponymous Champagne house from 1941, following the death of her husband, to retirement in 1973. Founded in 1987, and established as the first partner of The Institute of Masters of Wine in 1988, the purpose of The Madame Bollinger Foundation is to promote excellence in oenology and to foster quality, education, professional qualification and ethics in all matters relating to wine at an international level. The Foundation and the board of trustees have determined that the Institute of Masters of Wine is the best organisation to help reach this aim, and are proud of their long and continuous association with the Institute for over 25 years.
Previous winners:
1988 – Michael Hill Smith MW
1989 – Mark Pardoe MW
1990 – Joanna Locke MW
1991 – Alun Griffiths MW
1992 – Jonathan Pedley MW
1993 – Andrew Caillard MW
1994 – John Hoskins MW
1995 – Peter Marks MW
1996 – Matthew Stubbs MW
1997 – Anne Tupker MW
1998 – Gerard Basset MW
1999 – John Atkinson MW
2000 – Not awarded
2001 – Linda Jotham MW
2002 – Konstantinos Lazarakis MW
2003 – Toni Paterson MW
2004 – Simon Larkin MW
2005 – Susan Hulme MW
2006 – Essi Avellan MW
2007 – Ulf Sjodin MW
2008 – Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
2009 – Isabelle Legeron MW
2010 – Alex Hunt MW
2011 – Samantha Caporn MW
2012 – Andreas Wickhoff MW
2013 – Anne McHale MW
2014 – Louise Sydbeck MW
2015 – Rebecca Gibb MW
2016 – Mary Margaret McCamic MW
2017 – Jeremy Cukierman MW
2018 – Lindsay Pomeroy MW