Pancho Campo MW becomes the first spanish master of wine

October 19, 2008

Pancho Campo becomes the first Master of Wine from Spain together with Jeannie Cho Lee, the first Asian MW and Junior Vianna, the first Brazilian MW.

Friday, September the 5th was the date scheduled by the Institute of Masters of Wine to announce the results of the exams held in the UK, Australia and the US last May.

Pancho Campo obtained a conditional pass in 2007 after passing all his practical exams and 3 out of 4 theory papers. In 2007 he passed his dissertation but failed the only one paper he had to resit. In June 2008 Pancho had to resit all 4-theory papers. Finally the so much awaited outcome has become a reality, he has passed all 4 exams and after signing the Code of Conduct of the Institute, Pancho Campo is now officially a Master of Wine.

According to Siobhan Turner, Executive Director for the Institute of Masters of Wine, “Pancho's commitment and his passion for furthering wine education around the world are truly representative of his personal quest for excellence, matching the Institute's own drive for such excellence. His personal quest to raise awareness of climate change has inspired many in the global wine industry, both within and outside of the Institute, to look again at their own practices, and to address this important issue. I am absolutely thrilled that he has now realized this goal, and we are all delighted to welcome him to the Institute of Masters of Wine”.

Pancho´s initial steps in the world of wine education started with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), which is the most important educational institution for wine professionals and enthusiasts. It is also the organization that provides the previous courses and training to enter the MW programme. Today The Wine Academy of Spain is the representative of the WSET for Spain offering courses in Rioja, Murcia, Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Navarra and many other destinations.

“Pancho's MW qualification gives extra lustre to the Spanish wine industry and reflects the great improvements and exciting developments that have been transforming the scene in Spain,” declared Serena Sutcliffe MW and Wine Director for Sotheby´s. Serena’s words match perfectly with the commitment that The Wine Academy and Pancho have towards promoting Spanish wines and bodegas internationally through the very successful Spanish Wine Education Programme (www.altctrl2_spainwines.es). This programme was developed by Pancho and The Wine Academy in order to help Spanish wineries promote their wines amongst wine buyers, especially in the American market.

After being informed of his achievement Pancho´s first words were: “This has been a long, hard but very exciting journey. The IMW has provided me with a much more global view of the wine industry and has also helped me to approach my wine career in a much more humble way. I am convinced that this achievement will boost our international promotion of the Spanish wine industry as well as the WSET courses. It feels great to have completed the programme and to receive so many emails and sms of congratulation from friends, family and people that I truly admire and respect like Jancis Robinson, Serena Sutcliffe, Bruno Prats, Jacques Lurton, José Peñín and so many others. I would to thank all the people that believed and supported me as well as our sponsors and my mentors that helped me succeed. I also congratulate the other candidates that became MWs this year. I will do my best to carry such prestigious degree with the outmost professionalism, especially because I am the first Spanish MW and that represents a tremendous responsibility”.

"He is the first Spanish Master of Wine and yet operates on an international basis with his climate change conventions so we can hope that he too will increase the Masters of Wines' sphere of influence" according to Jancis Robinson MW in her web www.jancisrobinson.com.