Seven New Masters of Wine in 2026: Global MW Count Reaches 427

The Institute of Masters of Wine announced on August 20, 2026, that seven new professionals have earned the Master of Wine title. Alice Archer MW and Owain Hughes MW from the United Kingdom; Weiran Liu MW from China; Gabriella Macari MW from the USA; Tiago Macena MW from Portugal; Jake Skakun MW from Canada; and Sue Tolson MW from Hungary are among the new members.

With the four individuals announced in February, the total for the 2026 MW group has risen to 11. This is the highest annual number since 2021, when 13 new MWs were announced. According to the Institute of Masters of Wine, there are currently 427 active Masters of Wine working in 31 countries worldwide. The 2025-26 educational program includes 320 students from 46 countries.

However, reading the stories of the new names solely through numerical growth is incomplete. The areas of expertise of the 2026 group show that advanced expertise in the wine sector is no longer limited to tasting or production knowledge.

How is the MW title earned?

The Master of Wine title is earned at the end of a multi-stage professional qualification program conducted by the Institute of Masters of Wine.

At the end of the second stage of the program, candidates take both theory and practical exams. The practical section includes three separate blind tasting exams of 12 wines each. Candidates are expected to evaluate elements such as grape variety, origin, production method, quality, style, and commercial position.

The theory section consists of five closed-book exams covering viticulture, wine production, wine processing and storage, wine trade, and current industry issues.

In the final stage, candidates must prepare an original research paper. Professionals who successfully complete all stages and accept the Institute of Masters of Wine's code of conduct can use the MW title.

This structure highlights an important distinction: MW qualification is not merely a tasting exam that measures sensory skills. It is a comprehensive professional qualification that evaluates production, trade, market, viticulture, and research together.

The new group's careers come from diverse fields

The new MW group of 2026 does not follow a classic career model.

Alice Archer has a background in purchasing and sales roles at organizations such as Cambridge Wine Merchants, Moët Hennessy UK, and Harrods. In her research work, she examined how generative artificial intelligence can be used to prepare label descriptions for wine businesses.

Owain Hughes works in the finance sector today while also engaging in wine consultancy and competition judging.

Weiran Liu operates in wine education, brand representation, consultancy, and international wine fairs in China's Greater Bay Area. Liu's research focuses on the factors influencing participants' selection of wine fairs in China.

Gabriella Macari is an independent consultant and educator based in New York. She worked in strategy, production, distribution, direct-to-consumer sales, and marketing at her family's viticulture business in Long Island. Her research addressed the awareness and attitudes of American wine consumers towards the use of herbicides in viticulture.

This diversity shows that an advanced wine career is not solely dependent on being a sommelier or a winemaker.

Firsts for Portugal and Hungary

There are two significant developments on the geographical side of the new group.

The Institute of Masters of Wine states that Tiago Macena is the first Portuguese Master of Wine. A partner and winemaker at Código Wines in the Dão region, Macena also consults for producers in Alentejo and the Azores' Pico region.

Macena's research topic is directly related to local production: he examined the current production structure and future potential of Encruzado, one of Dão's important white grape varieties.

Sue Tolson has become the first Master of Wine based in Hungary. Born in England, Tolson works in wine writing, education, consultancy, translation, and competition judging, focusing particularly on Hungary and Central and Eastern European wines.

Her research addressed the identity of the Szekszárd region through Kékfrankos, Kadarka, and Bikavér.

These two examples demonstrate that the geographical diversification in international wine education is not limited to large traditional markets.

A MW from the restaurant world: Jake Skakun

For StaffMag readers, one of the most direct HORECA connections in the new group is Jake Skakun.

Based in Toronto, Skakun works as both a restaurant operator and wine director. At the beginning of his career, he started engaging with wine in the Vancouver restaurant sector, later moving to Toronto and becoming a partner in establishments such as Grey Gardens, Le Swan, Bar Vendetta, and General Public.

Skakun's research work is also directly related to restaurant operations: he prepared a case study examining how on-premise wine buyers in the Toronto area evaluate VQA wine in barrel service systems.

This topic is a good example of how professional wine education intersects with practical issues in the restaurant sector.

The packaging form in wine service can affect many operational aspects such as cost, inventory management, service speed, product preservation, and waste quantity. Therefore, it is noteworthy that advanced research does not remain limited to theoretical viticulture or tasting topics from a HORECA perspective.

Research topics reflect the changing agenda of the sector

The research topics of the 2026 group also showcase different aspects of the transformation in the wine sector.

Generative artificial intelligence and product descriptions, the commercial value of international fairs in China, the perception of herbicides by American consumers, the future of local grape varieties, and alternative wine service models in restaurants coexist within the same qualification program.

This diversity is significant. Because the expertise expected from wine professionals is no longer limited to knowing production regions and vintages.

Supply, sustainability, consumer behavior, technology, international trade, and restaurant economics are also becoming part of the commercial side of wine knowledge.

The real question for Turkey is the expertise infrastructure rather than the title

The global spread of the MW program brings the discussion of professional education to the forefront for wine and HORECA professionals in Turkey.

It is neither realistic nor necessary for every professional to pursue the Master of Wine program. However, the approach highlighted in the program's structure can be applied on a broader scale: combining tasting knowledge with business, viticulture, production, consumer behavior, and research.

The development of wine director and sommelier roles in restaurants is not solely dependent on increased product knowledge. The purchasing cost of the wine list, inventory turnover rate, service standard, staff training, glass sales performance, and guest price perception must be managed together.

From this perspective, the integration of advanced wine education with business knowledge offers a more meaningful competency model, especially for restaurants and hotels looking to establish a strong wine program.

Stafflink's View

In our opinion, the most striking development in the new Masters of Wine group for 2026 is not the awarding of seven new titles, but the expanding fields of work and research of the professionals.

Measuring the value of a wine expert solely by their ability to identify the correct region in a blind tasting is no longer sufficient. For restaurant operations, stock and profitability; for producers, viticulture and market access; for importers, portfolio and trade; and for educators, the ability to convey knowledge are all parts of the same professional ecosystem.

Jake Skakun's work on barrel wine in restaurants or Alice Archer's examination of generative artificial intelligence in wine communication makes this change in sector education visible.

The development of wine professionalism in Turkey will depend not only on obtaining more certificates but also on connecting education with business practice. A strong wine expert for restaurants and hotels is a professional who not only knows the product but also effectively manages purchasing, trains the team, oversees inventory, and understands the commercial outcome of the wine program.