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Wine industry makes strides in diversity

The winning scholar is Arpine Manukyan (pictured), an Armenian wine professional and winemaker, based in Yerevan. 

Despite Manukyan’s impressive achievements, such as becoming the first person in Armenia to achieve the WSET Diploma and Weinakademiker qualifications, she has had to face up against “gender-based barriers” which “marginalise women and hinder their professional growth and educational opportunities”.

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Eighteen applications were received in 2023 from seven different countries, with applicants comprising 11 different nationalities and more than half of this year's applicants were women. The scholarship will fund Manukyan to undertake the MW Certification.

Meanwhile, Majestic is today celebrating a significant milestone in its drive to improve diversity and inclusion in the wine industry. The retailer has now educated more than 50 people from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and diverse backgrounds through its Diversity in Wine Scholarship. 

The initiative, which was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, offers candidates the opportunity to study for a Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 qualification free of charge, with no obligation to work for Majestic upon completion of the programme.

Since the inception of the Scholarship in September 2020, Majestic’s team of in-house WSET educators have now helped 55 people from outside the business achieve their WSET Level 2 qualifications, opening up a route into the wine industry that might not otherwise have been readily available to them. 

• Majestic
• WSET
• dom pérignon
• golden vines
• gérard basset foundation
• Arpine Manukyan