Organized as a mutual benefit society, the Master in Wine Society is a not-for-profit agency with a sole mission to assist its members. The organization offers education, venture capital, and consulting to its members.

All students in an Advanced Wine program are eligible to become a member. The membership application is at the bottom of this page.

History of the Society

In 1998, three young winemakers took a road trip. Driving down Route 101 to San Fransico, they took a detour to Point Reyes. One of them was a homesick New Englander. His friends thought visiting a lighthouse might put him into a better frame of mind.

The homesick young winemaker was put at ease. Not because of the lighthouse they took him to see –that was a sad rusty little gnome on a rock — but what they talked about as they hiked past sea lions. Over the course of those hours, the three walked and talked. There were some wine and bread, too.

The winemakers came from very different backgrounds, but they agreed that the wine trade was a place of great opportunity. Each of them had discovered it more out of luck than anything else. There needed to be a way for people to find their way into the wine world, they said. A way to support people as they get their footing, and maybe even bankroll wineries and other wine shops. Looking over the dark grey of the Pacific Ocean, the Master in Wine Society started to take form.

One of those young winemakers, Keith Wallace, went on to form the Wine School of Philadelphia.

Recent Projects

In recent years, the society has been working on two major projects. The first was to create an enrollment fund to support master-level wine certification. All members who have completed Advanced-level certification are now eligible for free tuition. The second was to develop and initiate a program to minimize the impact of the spotted lanternfly on local vineyards. This program has expanded to include the growing threat of invasive species on our native environment.