What can cause the price of a wine to increase tenfold?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 07. 04. 12:02

There are fewer of them worldwide than the number of people who have been in space, their number is much more modest than that of Nobel laureates, and there is not a single Hungarian among them. It is more difficult to obtain their qualification than to obtain a degree from the most prestigious university in the world, as only 7-10 percent of applicants succeed, while 95 percent of Harvard University students obtain their diploma. With a single word, they can increase the price of a wine tenfold. Despite all this, only a few people know the Jedi Knights of wine, the holders of the so-called Master of Wine title. Who are they? How did they get into the narrowest circle of the wine expert elite? And what distinguishes them from sommeliers?

It is a cliché, yet true, that wine is one of the most important drinks of human civilization – in its drops lies the history of human culture and the fulfillment of thought, and it is also an important religious symbol. For a long time, it symbolized power and prestige, but today it is accessible to everyone and is almost an unavoidable drink from a gastronomic point of view. It is no wonder that a whole range of professionals deal with it, from viticulturists and winemakers to wine technologists, representatives of various fields of gastronomy and wine judges to sommeliers.

Sommeliers and Masters of Wine: different roles, a common passion

Many of us are already impressed by the knowledge of sommeliers, as they know what kind of drink can be associated with a particular occasion, dish or taste, they know the origin and characteristics of the chosen wine, and they are even experts in how to serve each variety correctly. Several of them act as gastronomic influencers to help consumers and those interested in wine acquire information and make the right choice of wine.

But there is a small group of scholars who have an even more intimate relationship with wine, which dates back some eight thousand years, than sommeliers. After a complex three-to-five-year learning process and a series of rigorous exams, they can earn the so-called Master of Wine title and join the professional elite of only 420 people, who are also known as the doctors of the wine world.

The world’s most prestigious wine title can be earned at a single institution, the Institute of Masters of Wine in London. Only 7-10 percent of applicants for the training are able to meet the strict requirements, as it requires exceptional knowledge, mental strength, perseverance, and of course, passion. The special nature of obtaining the title is also shown by the fact that – although there have been attempts – despite the rich traditions of Hungarian wine culture, no Hungarian has managed to meet the requirements of the Master of Wine title.

A prerequisite for participation in the MoW Academy is that students obtain a Level 4 Advanced Certificate from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, also based in London, one of the world’s most renowned wine education providers. This training and the individual degrees can take up to two to three years to complete.