Wine whisperer or scientist? Or what does a Master of Wine know?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 07. 10. 11:27

The profession of Master of Wine (MW) is surrounded by a thousand myths – for example, they say about the Jedi Knights of wine, that their opinion can cause the market value of a wine to skyrocket, and that a select few can earn this title through hard work. Yet, the most apt statement is that being an MW is nothing more than being in the most direct relationship with wine, and through it, with life. This profession is simultaneously a philosophy, an art, and a science. An internationally recognized Master of Wine, James Davis, helps us navigate this world.

Wine, as one of humanity’s most authentic drinks, is typically associated with learning about cultural values, traveling, and building human relationships – and if someone loves all of these, they couldn’t find a more ideal profession for themselves than Master of Wine. This is how this world also sucked in Englishman James Davis, who won the most prestigious title in the global wine profession in 2013. According to him, besides his love of wine, the challenge was his strongest motivation, the fact that as a result of persistent work he could acquire a skill that is given to only a few.

Wine-related knowledge is significantly richer and more diverse than we might think at first, as it includes precise knowledge of wine-producing regions and the people living there, and even the land that nourishes the vines. But a true MW is also aware of the way wine interacts with culture, how it affects language and vice versa – the expert emphasizes.

In this sense, doctors in the wine world can rightly be considered sorcerers, wine whisperers, but the truth is that their science is based on knowledge of objective facts. In the academic training of the Institute of Master of Wine, students acquire extensive knowledge of economics, commerce, wine technology and other subjects in addition to cultural and philosophical studies. Many of them later not only support wineries and supermarket chains with their expertise, but also pass on their knowledge to students interested in winemaking or wine marketing at renowned higher education institutions.