Romané Basset of the Gérard Basset Foundation concludes this series profiling some of the most impressive applicants for this year's Taylor's Port Golden Vines Awards, a mix of funds and internships for MW and MS candidates. Those who want to become Masters of Wine dominated this year. See part 1, part 2 and part 3.
Xeniya Volosnikova, Kazakhstan
Originally from Kazakhstan, a nation of ‘diverse and mixed heritage based between east and west’, Volosnikova (pictured above) says she has a deep ‘appreciation for the different flavours, aromas and terroirs of wine’. Her wide-ranging role working with the International Sommelier Association (ASI) has seen her involved in the organisation, planning and implementation of competitions such as the 2021 Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa in Cyprus, the 2022 Best Sommelier of Asia and Pacific in Tokyo and the 2023 Best Sommelier of the World in Paris, meeting and learning with the world’s finest sommeliers.
She aspires to be the first-ever MW from Kazakhstan and hopes to enter the programme this year, to inspire others from underrepresented regions to pursue their passions in wine. Attaining the MW is not the sole way in which she wishes to encourage and support others. She is currently working on a range of projects, one of which is the development of a female sommelier club based in Kazakhstan. She will act as a mentor and tutor for the members, organise tastings and networking events, and work to foster ‘support, mentorship and opportunities for collaboration and advancement’, as well as addressing issues of equality, equal pay and harassment in a safe, welcoming environment. Volosnikova is also the host of the Introvert Wine Podcast, through which she shares her passion with others in a way that is welcoming to all.
Jounghwa Yi, Korea
Yi’s journey in wine was ignited through her work as an interpreter. In her own words, ‘Interpreters are regularly placed in a position in which they must provide services on a diverse array of topics … we often face frustration in not fully understanding the topics being discussed’. Such a frustration led her to pursue the DipWSET, and this has enabled her not just to translate wine topics with greater confidence, but to embark on a full career switch into the wine industry.
She too wants to undertake the MW, and feels that her professional background in the law, alongside her job as an interpreter, will be of great use in enabling her to communicate ‘wine knowledge succinctly and authoritatively’, as is demanded of the programme. She is passionate about wine education and spreading knowledge, and she is proud of having translated the WSET’s textbooks into Korean, so as to have ‘enabled Korean wine professionals to gain easier access to wine knowledge’. It is her aim that, through pursuing the MW, she will be able to gain new learning and go on to share this with professionals and consumers alike in Korea. She is currently a Stage 1 student on the MW programme.
Valeria Tenison, Russian emigrée
Tenison, pictured above, spent her childhood in a small, industrial town in the Ural Mountains, where ancestors of hers and been exiled to work in the mining industry during the Soviet era. Realising that in order to progress she would have to move to a big city, she relocated to St Petersburg for her higher education. While there, she took a part-time job as a waiter, and upon concluding her studies, she was offered the role of restaurant and bar manager – a role that she took, setting her firmly on the path of hospitality and, eventually, wine.
In 2009, she undertook a sommelier course, and since then she has ‘been deeply involved in wine selection and service’ wherever she has worked. Valeria has undertaken a wide range of sommelier and wine certifications, including the DipWSET, ASI Gold Diploma, Spanish Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Ambassador and the Cava, Madeira and Rioja Educator courses, as well as winning the 2018 Best Female Sommelier of Russia competition.
Leaving Russia first in 2015, and then permanently in 2018 due to a dislike of the country’s political direction, Tenison now lives in St-Émilion. There, she runs her own export and consulting agency, À la Volée, ‘focusing on Champagne and a curated selection of wines from other European countries’. She is currently a Stage 2 MW Student.