Austrian Wine Academy continues strategic partnership with IMW
The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) is pleased to announce the 2017 European Master of Wine (MW) Study Programme Residential Seminar will continue to be held at the Austrian Wine Academy. Based in Rust, the Academy is the largest wine school in Europe. The Academy has hosted the MW Seminar for the past 13 years, and nearly 500 students have started their MW journey there.
Earlier this year the IMW and Austrian Wine Academy further developed their partnership when the Academy hosted an IMW Masterclass for the first time. The IMW Masterclass offers an introduction to the MW Study Programme over two days for anyone who might be interested in finding out more about the depth and breadth of the programme. The Masterclasses are always MW-led and include a mixture of tastings and theory sessions. At the end of the Masterclass, eligible attendees had the option to sit the entrance exam for the Institute’s Study Programme. At the Rust Masterclass, 12 participants successfully qualified and have now entered Stage 1 of the Study Programme.
Austrian Wine Academy has always been a fruitful source for the IMW; seven MWs have taken their WSET Diploma and their advanced ‘Weinakademiker’ qualification at Austrian Wine Academy and in 2016 more than 10% of the newly accepted MW students worldwide graduated at Austrian Wine Academy.
Josef Schuller MW, Managing Director of the Academy and past Chairman of the IMW said: “After the great success of the Masterclass in Rust we have agreed with the IMW that we will run this course annually. Our graduates come from 33 different countries and I am sure that we will see even more of our ‘Weinakademiker’ being accepted to the MW Study Programme and hopefully also pass the MW Exams in future.”
Penny Richards, Executive Director of the IMW said: “With Austrian Wine Academy we have not only an ideal venue for the annual European Residential Seminar but also a professional educational partner that generates high calibre students for the MW Study Programme.”
The next Masterclass will take place between 9 and 10 June 2017 at the Campus of Austrian Wine Academy in Rust, Austria. For more information, contact Olivier Chapman, Head of Study Programme and Development.
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Sarah Kirkpatrick
Marketing and Communications Manager
Institute of Masters of Wine
+44 (0)207 383 9131
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 354 Masters of Wine working in 28 countries. The membership encompasses winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, journalists, shippers, consultants, academics, educators and more.
About Austrian Wine Academy
The Austrian Wine Academywas founded by Dr. Josef Schuller MW in Rust, Austria in 1991 as a national non-profit wine school. Aside from seminars in Rust and other Austrian cities it is running wine courses on various levels. The Academy is organising through its international partnerships with Geisenheim University and Zurich University the WSET Diploma in several other countries in Central Europe. Following a new partnership with Istituto Grandi Marchi (IGM) the Austrian Wine Academy will offer the WSET Diploma at Palazzo Antinori in Florence from this year on. A common vision for both partners is to bring the recommended stepping stone to the MW program for international wine aficionados to Italy for the first time.
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