Burgundy deploys instructors/ambassadors to promote Burgundy wine drinking around in the world [exclusive]

If the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne is to be believed, it is difficult to become one of its authorized trainers!  From over one hundred applications submitted this year, only 10 were selected and 9 candidates have received the diploma of "Official Burgundy Wine Instructor."  While not as prestigious as the Master of Wine title (where 6 candidates have just been

awarded the coveted status of MW), this training is also positioned to help promote wine sales. This accreditation programme, run by the “Ecole des  Vins de Bourgogne”, trains the ambassadors who organize events "targeting opinion leaders or consumers in their country", says the BIVB, which is a good way "of leveraging its international presence."  Today, there are 84 of these instructors around the world, 22 in the United States, 10 in China (plus 4 in Hong Kong), 7 in the UK, 4 in South Korea, 3 in Japan ...

Receiving diplomas this year are:

- For China: Grace Cai (Guangzhou), Dorian Tang (Beijing), Siwei Li (Guangzhou), Frankie Zhao (Beijing) and Weiran Chen (Beijing)

- For Norway: Liora Levi (Oslo)

- For Germany: Frank Kämmer (Waiblingen), Ina Finn (Hamburg) and Patricia Morozov (Cologne).

[Source: Vitisphere; Illustration: overview of the geographical distribution of Burgundy instructors around the world]If the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne is to be believed, it is difficult to become one of its authorized trainers!  From over one hundred applications submitted this year, only 10 were selected and 9 candidates have received the diploma of "Official Burgundy Wine Instructor."  While not as prestigious as the Master of Wine title (where 6 candidates have just been

awarded the coveted status of MW), this training is also positioned to help promote wine sales. This accreditation programme, run by the “Ecole des  Vins de Bourgogne”, trains the ambassadors who organize events "targeting opinion leaders or consumers in their country", says the BIVB, which is a good way "of leveraging its international presence."  Today, there are 84 of these instructors around the world, 22 in the United States, 10 in China (plus 4 in Hong Kong), 7 in the UK, 4 in South Korea, 3 in Japan ...

Receiving diplomas this year are:

- For China: Grace Cai (Guangzhou), Dorian Tang (Beijing), Siwei Li (Guangzhou), Frankie Zhao (Beijing) and Weiran Chen (Beijing)

- For Norway: Liora Levi (Oslo)

- For Germany: Frank Kämmer (Waiblingen), Ina Finn (Hamburg) and Patricia Morozov (Cologne).

[Source: Vitisphere; Illustration: overview of the geographical distribution of Burgundy instructors around the world]