Masters of Wine students Emily Brighton and Lenka Davis win the 2021 Lallemand Bursary

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) and Lallemand Oenology are pleased to announce that Emily Brigthon and Lenka Davis, stage 1 and 2 Master of Wine Students respectively, are both winners of the 2021 Lallemand annual bursary for students in the MW study program.

The bursary, first established in 2010 by Lallemand, was open to all students in the Institute of Master of Wine’s study program, who were asked to write a 1,000-word essay on a contemporary topic set by Lallemand.

Originally, the prize is granted for one overall winner, but Lallemand felt that adding a second prize would be beneficial in these difficult times, particularly hitting students, and the outstanding quality of the essays received, helped the company make this decision.

The first prize was granted to Emily Brighton, technical Manager at North South Wines (UK importer and distributor). Delighted to win the prestigious and generous prize, she very much enjoyed researching and writing on a pertinent and trendy topic. She declared: “The award is a great support in my progress towards achieving the MW.” Originally a law graduate, Emily found her way into the wine trade after working at Majestic Wine. She held various technical roles within the industry, and it is worth noting that she received in 2017 the Derouet Jameson Award for her outstanding performance in the WSET Diploma.

The second prize was awarded to Lenka Davis, wine director at Barbareño restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. Formerly a public radio journalist from Slovakia, Lenka joined the wine industry after moving to California in 2014. She introduces Santa Barbara local community to the benefits of conscientiously farmed wine made in a transparent fashion. Passionate abour teaching WSET classes, Lenka hopes to directly impact climate change solutions for the wine industry in the future.

Ann Dumont, Lallemand Oenology Communications Manager explains, “We would like to congratulate Emily on her excellent essay and its content and style on a topic that is not always easy to analyze. Lenka’s essay was very well structured and argued and deserved recognition. We hope that the bursaries will encourage them to continue their studies. We thank all the students who participated, and we will continue to support them in the years to come.”