The winners of the 2021 Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships were announced at the Golden Vines® Awards Ceremony & Dinner held at Annabel’s Private Members Club, London’s pre-eminent private members’ club, on 7th October 2021.
Organised by Liquid Icons, the not-for-profit Golden Vines® Awards recognises the ‘star performers of the fine wine industry’, as well as raising funds for the Gérard Basset Foundation with the aim of funding diversity and inclusion-related wine education programmes, including the headline Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships, worth £55,000 each for two BAME/BIPOC students studying for the Master of Wine or Master Sommelier programmes.
42 aspiring black and ethnic minority students from 23 countries wishing to undertake the Masters of Wine (MW) and Master Sommelier (MS) programmes applied for the two scholarships covering course and examination costs, as well as loss of earnings during their work placement internships organised by Liquid Icons with some of the world’s top wine domaines.
The 2021 Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships were awarded to Angela Elizabeth Scott from the USA and Dr Erna Blancquaert from South Africa.
Angela Elizabeth Scott, originally a human rights lawyer for a nonprofit, decided to leave the legal world behind to relocate to Napa and work in the trenches of the wine industry while studying for the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Diploma. After working as a tasting coordinator for Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, and working for Spottswoode Winery as hospitality manager, Angela was persuaded to drop the sunny Napa climate and move to the decidedly cooler environs of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, by her soon-to-be winemaker husband. The complexity of Hawke’s Bay Syrah and Chardonnay meant that there was nothing for it but to start studying for the MW, despite being closer to Chile by boat than to Europe by plane. Pandemic notwithstanding, nothing was going to thwart her plans to study, experience and travel to wine regions in pursuit of a rich, full-bodied wine career.
“Receiving The Golden Vines Diversity Scholarship, Internship and Mentorship programme means that I will be able to connect with key figures and gain experience to which I would otherwise lack access. I hope to help others do the same,” comments Angela.
Jancis Robinson MW, on behalf of the Judging Panel, commented: “The wine world is incredibly lucky to have Angela Scott. Ex human rights lawyer, ex Karen McNeil’s tasting co-ordinator, current Master of Wine student who sold her house to pay for the MW course. Highly literate. Where will she go next!”
Dr Erna Blancquaert, a lecturer and researcher in Viticulture at the Department of Viticulture & Oenology and the South African Grape & Wine Research Institute at Stellenbosch University, holds three degrees from Stellenbosch, including a PhD in Viticulture. Erna was the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) female to obtain a PhD in Viticulture on the African continent. Understanding the grapevine is what excites her. “Great wines are made in the vineyard” and “the proof is in the pudding” are two philosophies Erna lives by. She constantly pursues knowledge while at the same time seeking to share knowledge through her teaching and her interactions with students and mentees.
“I am honoured and humbled. This Golden Vines Diversity Scholarship will enable me to expand my knowledge on the entire wine value chain, implement it in my teaching, and address global Vitiviniculture problems through my research,” explains Erna.
Jancis Robinson MW stated: “As for Erna Blancquaert, she could provide inspiration for more than 50 million South Africans as the first wine academic of colour there. Her achievements are dazzling already, and that in a part of the world where it can be extremely difficult to get to grips with the rest of the wine world. She is a natural leader and a stickler for truth. I wish her every success.”
Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor’s Port, the sponsor of the scholarships commented: “Taylor’s Port is delighted to be involved with this initiative to foster diversity in the wine industry. We are excited to see two very worthy winners have been chosen by the Judges. As a company, we always worked closely with Gérard Basset and were involved in his first Hotel Du Vin in Winchester. Gérard was a great supporter of the wine industry and education, so it is an honour for us to be associated with his name and this very important award”.