Graduation Day | suerayuncorked

Graduation Day - Jan 18, 2016

Despite having received my final Diploma results in February 2015, as the school year ended in the Summer of 2015, I had to wait until January 2016 for my graduation.

2016 was the 9th annual Awards and Graduation Ceremony held at the magnificent Guildhall in the heart of the City of London. The Guildhall is a stunning medieval Grade I listed landmark and the perfect backdrop to celebrate the achievements of graduates and scholarship winners over the past 12 months.

The event was divided into 2 parts:

The graduation presentations took place in The Old Library, followed by a Sherry and Tapas reception in the beautiful old Crypt.

This was followed by the scholarship presentations in The Great Hall, followed by a Champagne and Wine reception in the Crypt accompanied by some fabulous finger food.

The event was hosted by Ian Harris, Chief Executive of the WSET and we received our Diplomas from the amazingly talented, yet incredibly humble Gerard Francis Claude Basset OBE, MS, MW, MBA.

The scholarships were presented by a selection of the good and the great in the world of wine, including Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW and James Simpson MW, Managing Director of Pol Roger Ltd.

It was also good to see some of our tutors again, notably Russell Dent DipWSET, the Level 4 Diploma Program Manager, Karen Douglas DipWSET, who shared her passion for Sherry and Gareth Lawrence DipWSET, who taught us all about the Global Business of wines and spirits.

I was delighted to be joined at the graduation by 2 of my former colleagues; Redvers Norrie, who had since moved back to Sydney, Australia, and Edward Wicks, who is still working with Direct Wines.

It was a fabulous and fitting tribute to all of our hard work. Thank you WSET!