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WOMEN WINE LEADERS
Masters of Wine
Sarah Knowles

Sarah Knowles
Masters of Wine
Sarah really got into wine when she joined a blind-tasting club at Oxford University. There she made some great friends, who taught her how to identify key characteristics in wines blind. Once she started getting the classics right she was hooked, and practised hard for the annual varsity blind tasting match. One of the first wines she ever tasted blind was a gewürztraminer. She had never had anything like it and on the back of that discovery she signed up for the Wine Circle and started a hobby which became a career. She became a Master of Wine in 2015.
Sarah started by cracking on with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s exams and by helping with the harvest in Bordeaux, at Château d’Issan, and then in various wineries across Western Australia. On her return from Astralia, she started working for a wine wholesaler in sales and marketing. For six years she worked for Amathus Drinks. She developed a complete premium portfolio of wines for Amathus while also being actively involved in other areas of the business including their two specialist retail shops, e-commerce website and busy events schedule.
Since 2014, Sarah has been a buyer at The Wine Society for Italy, North America and Champagne. Sarah is also a judge for the International Wine and Spirits Competition and Decanter, as well as having judged internationally in New Zealand and the USA. Sarah is involved in multiple networking organisations that aim to encourage women at senior levels within the wine trade, as well as being a mentor both within and outside of the IMW.
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The Institute of Masters of Wine is the home of exceptional expertise in the wine world. What started 70 years ago as an exam for the UK wine trade is now a globally recognised title collectively held by a worldwide family of Masters of Wine. Today, there are over 416 MWs based in 31 countries, each making their own contribution to the world of wine. Becoming an MW means entering a unique wine community; one that brings enriching personal and professional opportunities, as well as lifelong friendships.
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