Over the past couple of months, we have been sending out membership renewal notices to those whose active memberships have lapsed. Please check your emails as we will be contacting you individually. Membership renewal ensures that you keep access to your member benefits such as access to Wine Spirit Women members only What’s App group, first access to tickets, member-only events, and much more

Membership costs just €40 per year, or €35 for students and is valid for an entire year from the date of sign-up. If you have any questions please contact Sinéad or Trish directly and we’d be happy to help. Thanks for your continued support.

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Wine Spirit Women and O’Briens Wine are joining forces to bring a taste of Spain to Dublin. On 20th May we will host a premium sherry tasting led by O’Briens Wine Assistant Buyer and Master of Wine stage 2 student Antonia Dominguez. The Jerez native will showcase four stunning sherries, new and exclusive to O’Briens, including Bodega Baron Xixarito Manzanilla and Xixarito Oloroso alongside Cayetano del Pino Amontillado VOS and Palo Cortado VOS.

Wine Spirit Women members have received first access to this ticket and a special discounted rate of €25. Please note tickets are limited to one per person and are available for Wine Spirit Women members only. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.

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The 2024 Best Irish Sommelier Competition took place on Monday 29th April 2024 at Beckett Lock, in the Point Square Village in Dublin. The winner will represent Ireland at the ASI Europe & Africa Best Sommelier Competition in Belgrade in November 2024. All the competitors are current members of the Irish Guild of Sommeliers.

There are 41 member countries within ASI from Europe and Africa. Each can send one candidate to the contest for the ASI Best Sommelier of Europe & Africa.

To represent their country, competitors must first take part in a rigorous assessment organised by their national association. The Irish Guild of Sommeliers (IGOS) under the management of President, Morgan Vanderkamer, is the organising body of the Irish arm of the competition.

The time Irish Sommeliers spend studying and practising is not unlike that of an Olympic athlete. Contestants must be proficient in the service of all beverages including wine, beer, spirits, water, coffee and tea they must also have an encyclopedic knowledge of their production methods, regulations and laws and any other subjects related to their production.

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ASI contests involve rigorous tests of a Sommelier’s skill and knowledge.  The Irish competition included a test on theoretical knowledge via a written test, service skills and a blind tasting. The final also includes a series of service skill testing tasks which take place in front of a live audience.

This year’s competitors for the 2024 Best Irish Sommelier were Mateusz Kiezmierski, Illia Paterylo, Anke Hartmann and Jacques Savary de Beauregard who were assessed by an IGOS judging panel including Austin Finn Silex Wine, Dermot Cawley TU Dublin and Liam Campbell, WSET wine educator and wine journalist with Hotel & Restaurant Times.  The competition is co-ordinated and organised by IGOS Member, Niav McNamara.

The Best Sommelier in Ireland Award for 2024 was won by Anke Hartmann for the second year in a row.  Anke will now represent Ireland in the Europe/Africa contest in Serbia in November.

Applications are now open for the Bord Bia Marketing Fellowship Programme (MSc International Marketing Practice).

Why apply?

🎓 Fully-funded 18-month Masters degree

✈ International experience

☘ 2-3 client export learning assignments for Irish food/drink companies

📈 Professional & career development

✅ Up to 23 places

💶 Scholarship bursary

🧠 Student Assistance Programme (SAP)

🌐Member of Bord Bia Talent Academy network

📜 Personal accident & travel insurance while overseas

💻 Laptop

UCD Smurfit School and Bord Bia Talent Academy are seeking applications from graduates with a minimum of 2-3 years of experience from all disciplines and roles. The programme commences on 10th March 2025. Potential learning assignment market locations for this intake are London, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Düsseldorf, Stockholm, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, Amsterdam, Australia, India and Nigeria. Note: these locations are subject to change.

Click here to apply.

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On Tuesday 23rd of April, students from around the world gathered in London to attend WSET’s annual graduation ceremony. The ceremony was held to celebrate the achievements of Level 4 Diploma graduates from the 2022/23 academic year. Wine Spirit Women are thrilled to wish our warmest congratulations to our three members who accepted their Level 4 Diplomas on the day; Siobhán McHugh, Sinéad McCarthy and Mine Bennett!

This May 22nd Hi Spirits and Hawksmoor have joined forces for a unique Wine Residency. Guests will enjoy a curated two-course dinner and three wine pairings in a private dining room in the luxurious surroundings of one of Dublin’s most beautiful restaurants.

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In wine writing Aoife Carrigy shone a light on the off-radar pleasures of Soave from the Veneto in the Independent Weekend Magazine, giving you five fabulous recommendations to try. Aoife will be taking to the stage at the International Literature Festival Dublin (17 – 26 May) where she will join Ali Dunworth and Donal Fallon to discuss the fascinating relationship between Ireland, its writers & the humble pint.

Wine experts Lynda Coogan and Antonia Dominguez return for season three with their podcast“Wine:The Long and the Short of It” this May 21st. Episodes cover a wide range of topics including, families wine families, understanding wine labels, wine-tasting etiquette, buying tips and much more. Catch up with previous seasons here.

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Wine Spirit Women were featured in the Irish Examiner when wine writer Leslie Williams spotlighted our mentorship programme. Last year Leslie hosted a fantastic event for us, focusing on the wines of Rueda. Two of our members Lynda Coogan and Blanca Valencia organised this interactive event, which featured one of our Wine Spirit Women members, Carol Cunningham, winning a prize to visit the region on a study trip. The event was expertly captured by photographer Mel Mullan, whose pictures you can view below.

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This September WineOnline.ie is taking passionate wine lovers on a trip to Penedès. The four-day trip includes cellar tours, winery visits, tastings and a winemaker dinner. For more information and a full trip itinerary click here.

They’ve also refreshed their Wine Club with a fresh new look. As well as a diverse range of wines from across the world, they import directly from small boutique vineyards that focus on quality, rather than quantity. Learn more here.

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Wines Direct will host an “Unsung Heroes” tasting across their two stores – Mullingar on Thursday, May 9th at 7.30 pm and in Athlone on Saturday, May 11th at 4 pm. Attendees will spend an hour and a half uncovering wine facts as they sample 8 of the unsung heroes.

The Wine Pair will host importer Wine Mason when they run a Rosé Wine Tasting on Saturday 11th May. The tasting starts at 3 pm and costs €30 per person.

The Corkscrew have several upcoming whiskey tastings, including a Hinch Whiskey Masterclass with Terry McCartan on 11th May.

On 14th May the Northern Ireland Wine & Spirit Institute will run an Old Vine Wine Tasting with Alex Johnston of JN Wine.

Join Mick O’Connell MW on Thursday 16th May at Neighbourhood Wine Leeson St Upper for a Masterclass on Garnacha not Guerra & Buccia not Battles. Mick will be taking you through the ins and outs of his winemaking journey in Sardinia.

Stillgarden Distillery will travel to Newbridge House for Foraging and Cocktails on the 17th of May and to Airfield Estate for a Cocktail Masterclass on the 24th of May.

On the 18th of May Mine Bennett will host a unique experience that combines the best of both worlds – a rejuvenating yoga session followed by a delightful wine tasting. More information and tickets here. On the 25th Mine will host a May Midday Masterclass will be celebrating Chardonnay, which will take place at Direct Wine Shipments, Belfast.

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Whiskey Live Dublin returns Friday 17th and Saturday 18th May. Showcasing both the long-established and new arrivals to the Irish whiskey scene, sample the latest Irish whiskey releases as well as whiskies from across the globe including Scotland, Japan and the U.S.A.

Join 64 Wines on Wednesday 22nd of May for a tasting of some of the best wines from Germany and Austria. Hosted by Ben Mason.

On 27th May The Wine Cru returns to Fallon & Byrne as three of Ireland’s importers, Solera Wine Merchants, Celtic Whiskey/Wines on the Green and MacCormaics, join together for a portfolio tasting.

Bord Bia’s Bloom Festival returns this May 30th – June 3rd 2024. Bloom is Ireland’s largest gardening, food, and family event, taking place in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. It showcases the best of Ireland’s horticulture and includes plenty of food and drink stalls featuring local produce.

On the 31st of May, A Wine Idea will host a Portuguese Wine Tasting in Bewley’s Café in Dublin. Guests will enjoy a curated wine-tasting experience featuring four exceptional wines, all accompanied by a cheese and charcuterie board.

Hi Spirits Wine Club will host Four Corners: Guided African Wine Tasting on 3rd June. Expect to be taken on a journey through the four corners of the continent, showcasing the rich history and distinct characteristics of each region’s wines. 

Embark on a wine adventure with Polish Wine Fest as The Voyage wine event returns on the 6th of July. Guests will enjoy a wine tasting aboard St.Bridget with Dublin Bay Cruises as they sip wines from around the world.

This October, 25th – 30th, JN Wines invite you to join them on a trip to Rioja. Guests will begin their trip in Bilbao and enjoy local gastronomy, winery visits and more.

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Ireland

Baggot Street Wines are hiring part-time staff to work evenings and weekends. Experience is not necessary as you will receive training – simply bring your passion! Email CVs to info@baggotstreetwines.com or visit the store in person.

JN Wines require a Digital Marketing Executive to join their award-winning team, based at their Head Office in Crossgar. 

Belfast’s Noble restaurant seeks a full-time experienced bartender to join the team.

In Dublin, Matt the Thresher seeks experienced, full-time, bar staff and servers. Email your CV to mattsdublin@gmail.com.

The Glass Curtain in Cork is hiring a mixologist/bartender to get creative with their cocktail list and join their team. Email manager@theglasscurtain.ie or call in directly.

O’Briens Wine has a number of positions available across various stores including Clontarf, Beacon, Templogue, Malahide and Glasnevin.

An Event Specialist is required at Irish Distillers in Co.Cork. The four main areas of focus are;  

1) To develop and implement systems and processes for the role of Events Specialist and ensure they are running effectively for the success of the role

2) Coordinate events/host on the day.

3) Coordinate and manage visits for our Irish Distillers’ Production Ambassador Panel (Master Distillers, Blenders, Cooper etc)

4) Be the point of contact to facilitate schedules with our in-house production teams for all internal filming on-site in the Midleton Distillery Experience

Global

Diageo is hiring two account executives, one to be based in Edinburgh and one to be based in London. A Diageo Account Executive owns and delivers Diageo performance and growth targets within a defined territory. The role is responsible for the most important element of our business; delivering sales, share and profit growth by ensuring our customer, category and brand plans shine in outlets.

An opportunity for an enthusiastic Events Executive to join the founding location of the 67 Pall Mall Members’ Club, located in the heart of London’s St. James’s. 67 Pall Mall is a Private Members’ Club, founded by wine lovers, for wine lovers, and is home to the finest wine list in the world.

Are you recruiting? Email us to be included in future newsletters