20 SEPTEMBER 2022 | LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM | Liquid Icons – the fine wine research and content production company founded by the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS and his friend Lewis Chester DipWSET – are delighted to announce the recipients of The 2022 Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships.
47 applications were submitted in 2022. The applicants come from a total of 18 different countries, comprising more than 20 different nationalities and ethnicities. More than half of all applicants this year were women.
The winners were chosen by the same judging panel that is responsible for awarding the Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® MW & MS Scholarships. The Judging Panel comprised: Nina Basset FIH, Rajat Parr (Sandhi Wines), Angela Scott (recipient of one of 2021’s inaugural Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships, working towards her MW), Clément Robert MS (The Birley Clubs / Annabel’s) and, head of the judging panel, Jancis Robinson OBE MW.
Jancis Robinson OBE MW, head judge, commented: “Judging these awards is one of the most rewarding things I do. So many candidates had truly inspiring stories and the standard of applications this year was even higher than last year. It was extremely difficult to choose these scholars, but it’s definitely a job worth doing if we are to widen the range of those who work in wine, spirits and hospitality. There is such talent and enthusiasm out there, in people of all hues and ethnicities.”
The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships Recipients:
The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships are each worth £55,000, and will cover not only the costs of the Scholars’ MW and MS studies, but will also enable the Scholars to partake in the worldwide, unprecedented Internship and Mentorship Programme at some of the world’s finest wine and spirit estates. The scholarships are being funded by the Gérard Basset Foundation from monies raised at the Golden Vines® Awards Ceremony & Dinner to be held in the Palazzo Vecchio Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence on 16th October 2022.
- Jarrett Buffington
- Jarrett Buffington, an African-American, Fine Wine Merchant at Dan Murphys Double Bay, Australia (MS pathway)
- Sandeep Ghaey
- Sandeep Ghaey, an American of South Asian heritage, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Vinic Wine Co., USA (MW pathway)
- Carrie Rau
- Carrie Rau, an Indigenous lady, Wine Educator, Chef and Sommelier, Canada (MW pathway)
Adrian Bridge, the CEO of Taylor’s Port, commented: “We are once again delighted to be associated with the Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarship Awards. Following the inaugural year in 2021 it is exciting to see the number and quality of applicants has increased in 2022 and we are inspired by the real difference that this Scholarship Award is making to our industry. Taylor’s Port is a family run business with over 330 years of success; success that has come from working with the best talents in the wine industry around the world. Encouraging education and diversity can only lead to further strength and growth. These are values that we believe were the vision of Gérard Basset and we are honoured to be associated with his name and this very important award”
