40

Number of Masters of Wine in the United States, 14 of whom are women. Globally, there are 354 MWs. Widely regarded as the top academic achievement in the wine industry, the Master of Wine credential was created in 1953 for the British wine trade. Wine critic Jancis Robinson was the first person outside the trade to pass the notoriously difficult set of exams—in 1984. In 1990, Tim Hanni and Joel Butler became the first Americans to pass.