Women of the Vine & Spirits Becomes Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Approved Program Provider Extending Opportunities Way Beyond the Classroom

Leading membership organization provides exclusive offerings and professional/personal development programs, networking and job board to those enrolled

April 14, 2021 (New York, NY) – Women of the Vine & Spirits (WOTVS), the leading membership organization, worldwide, dedicated to boldly pushing the wine, beer and spirits industry toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive era announced, today, its official status as an Approved Program Provider (APP) for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust® (WSET), offering online courses and exams for WSET Levels 1-2 Awards in Wines and Levels 1-2 Awards in Spirits.

WSET qualifications are globally recognized as the international standard in wine, spirits and sake knowledge. They are designed to inspire and empower anyone looking to develop their drinks knowledge - from beginners to experts, and from enthusiasts to professionals. WSET is planning to add beer qualifications to its portfolio in 2022.

“Women of the Vine & Spirits strongly believes that education isn’t just about gaining knowledge, it is about gaining confidence," said Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits, Deborah Brenner. “Getting certified is a key step to start, pivot or advance your career, and when you pair that with WOTVS membership benefits such as networking, and personal and business development programs, our WSET students receive vast opportunities that extend way beyond the classroom.”

All WOTVS’ WSET students gain access to exclusive live video chats and virtual tastings with industry notables and WSET educators/certified professionals, a list of recommended wine and spirits tasting samples curated by WOTVS Corporate Members, and exclusive discounts from WOTVS Corporate Members such as Coravin and Drizly. Additionally, students enrolled in WOTVS’ WSET qualifications receive WOTVS membership benefits which include access to the Job Board with positions offered by leading alcohol beverage companies, live chats and trainings on diversity, equity and inclusion, mentorship, personal/professional development, a Membership Directory of over 7,000 professionals in all sectors of wine, beer and spirits, and various private Groups such as the Pride Alliance, People of Color Alliance, Distillers, Brewers, and Vine to Wine.

Enrollment to WOTVS qualifications is open to women and men in the U.S. and WOTVS members and non-members. Courses start in June. To learn more and sign-up visit womenofthevine.com/wset-qualifications.

Women of the Vine & Spirits Corporate Members include Founding Member, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits; Diamond Members: Breakthru Beverage Group; Bronco Wine Company; Brown-Forman; E. & J. Gallo Winery; Frederick Wildman & Sons, Ltd.; Moët Hennessy USA; Republic National Distributing Company; Shaw-Ross International Importers, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; Platinum Members: Beam Suntory; Constellation Brands; J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines; Pernod Ricard USA; and William Grant & Sons. For a full list of Corporate Members including those at the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Associate level, visit the Corporate Members tab at womenofthevine.com.

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About Women of the Vine & Spirits
Women of the Vine & Spirits is the leading membership organization, worldwide, dedicated to boldly pushing the wine, beer and spirits industry toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive era that empowers all to succeed. Our members connect through our global network and collaborate across all industry sectors. We provide our members with benefits that include education, training, mentorship, and networking as well as tools, services and resources toward DE&I, and personal and business development. For more information, please visit womenofthevine.com.

Corporate Membership Contact:

Elizabeth Campbell Boyd

elizabeth@womenofthevine.com

925-980-7791

Media Contact:

Kyndal Korsgaden

kyndal@womenofthevine.com

805-779-0301

WSET Forms Strategic Alliance with Women of the Vine & Spirits

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has formed a strategic alliance with Women of the Vine & Spirits, the membership organisation that promotes the empowerment and advancement of women in the alcohol beverage industry, worldwide.

The mutual alliance aims to improve the visibility of progression paths and opportunities for women in the wine and spirits industry. This will be achieved primarily through the development of shared content for WSET alumni and Women of the Vine & Spirits members.

In recognition of the alliance, Women of the Vine & Spirits will become WSET’s 49^th Corporate Patron, while WSET will support Women of the Vine & Spirits as one of its Corporate Members.

WSET’s Corporate Patron programme helps organisations add value to their business by maximising the benefits WSET education provides, whilst providing essential support to enable WSET to continue to develop its world-class qualifications and maintain its global alumni programme. It also offers businesses facilitated engagement with WSET’s network of over 700 Approved Programme Providers worldwide that reach thousands of wine and spirits professionals and enthusiasts. Similarly, Corporate Membership of Women of the Vine & Spirits provides a portfolio of benefits for businesses, and signals to employees, and the industry at large, that the organisation supports gender diverse leadership teams and talent development.

Women of the Vine & Spirits and WSET will generate opportunities for collaboration and education to benefit their members and alumni, respectively, including co-hosted webinars, resource downloads, Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation Scholarships to contribute to WSET course fees, and more.

As a notable supporter, Ian Harris, WSET Chief Executive, will be speaking at the Women of the Vine & Spirits International Summit in London on 28 June 2018. The first-of-its-kind gathering of industry professionals is dedicated to collaborating, supporting and advancing women in the alcohol beverage industry, providing attendees with a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals taking action to promote diversity and equality, raise awareness of unconscious bias, foster mentorship for future generations, and create a world-wide, all-inclusive industry. The Summit is open to all to attend and tickets are available on the Women of the Vine & Spirits website.

Ian Harris, WSET Chief Executive, comments, “WSET is a champion for equal opportunity in the industry, emphasising the value of education for all professionals and enthusiasts, men and women. 43% of WSET Diploma graduates are women and eight out of the past 10 highest scoring Diploma students have been female. We look forward to collaborating with Women of the Vine & Spirits to develop further opportunities together for the benefit of our students, our partner’s members and the industry at large.”

Deborah Brenner, Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits, says, “Education is vital to empowering women. We value and recognise the benefit that higher knowledge gives to an individual seeking to progress their career. We are thrilled to be working with WSET as a leader in the field and are excited for the new prospects our alliance will create for a successful future.”

As an additional benefit in appreciation of WSET’s support, WSET Diploma students and alumni will be entitled to 20% off Women of the Vine & Spirits membership. In addition to membership benefits, members of Women of the Vine & Spirits are eligible to apply for scholarships through the Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation 501(c)(3). For information on membership, email info@womenofthevine.com.

Looking ahead, WSET has also confirmed participation at the fifth annual Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium in Napa Valley, CA,  11-13 March 2019.