Membership & Accreditation
Six tiers of membership, from Individual to Fellowship, and an Advanced Accreditation for qualified assessors.
The tiers
Contributions are expressed in the Institution’s own units. No payment is taken on this site.
Associate
For the individual who has formed opinions and wishes them witnessed.
Member
For practitioners whose work depends upon being listened to.
Senior Member
For senior leaders with responsibility for portfolios, boards or large rooms.
Corporate Member
For organisations seeking to be associated with a degree of seriousness.
Fellow
For those who have made a distinguished contribution to the vocabulary of wine.
Accredited Assessor
For assessors qualified to perform the Seven Pours at the highest standard.
Comparison
| Benefit | Individual | Professional | Executive | Institutional | Fellowship | Accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly Intelligence Digest | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Research Library | Reading room | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
| Academy enrolment | Standard | Preferential | Priority | Cohort access | Priority | Priority |
| Executive Roundtable | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Post-nominals | — | MSWG | SMSWG | — | FSWG | AA |
| Council Convocation | Standing room | Seated | Seated | Delegation | High Table | Seated |
| Assessment authority | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
Application process
From a modest expression of interest to the Member’s Oath.
The applicant submits a statement of not more than 300 words expressing interest, and not more than 40 expressing confidence.
The Membership Office reviews the statement for consistency, conviction and the absence of exclamation marks.
Two referees are consulted. Neither is told what for.
The Membership Committee considers the application in a pause of not less than forty seconds.
A short, formal conversation in which the applicant is asked to describe a wine without using the words “nice,” “good” or “interesting.”
The applicant is admitted provisionally for twelve months and observed.
Confirmation is followed by induction, a lapel pin and the Member’s Oath, which is brief.
Preliminary eligibility review
Answer four questions. The review is conducted entirely on this page and recorded nowhere.
No. The Institution is its own external body.
Yes. A Letter of Respectful Departure must be submitted and will be read in a pause.
It is a small, tasteful glass in burgundy and gold. It has been described, by those who own one, as “pinnable.”
Between six weeks and an indefinite period, depending on the committee’s mood.