Meet our eight Scholars for Bordeaux Mentor Week 2024

Focusing on equity, inclusion and access, Jane Anson and Chinedu Rita-Rosa announce the names of the eight Scholars who will attend the Third Bordeaux Mentor Week, 23^rd– 27^th September 2024

Since the announcement of the 3^rd edition of the Bordeaux Mentor Week in March 2024, more than 230 applications for this innovative mentor programme were received from 46 countries (the first year we had 28 countries), spanning the globe from Lagos to Singapore to Sydney to San Francisco.

Taking place in the Bordeaux region between 23rd to 27th September 2024, the programme will be hosted by Jane Anson, author of Inside Bordeaux and founder of janeanson.com and Nigerian-born Chinedu Rita Rosa, owner of Vines By Rosa consultancy specialising in importing wines across the continent of Africa.

“I know how important mentors have been in my own career,” says Anson, “not just in terms of gaining access but in gaining confidence. I also know that Bordeaux is a region that can be difficult to penetrate, and yet offers real potential for career advancement for those interested in working in the wine industry, as it plays such a crucial role in the global fine wine trade.”

“The previous two editions of Bordeaux Mentor Week have shown just how important this programme is. Our scholars return home with new knowledge, new skill sets, new contacts, and a renewed sense of excitement about the future. Equity and inclusion are key, but we also focus on empowering others and putting long-term support structures in place.” says Rita Rosa.

Due to the exceptional number and quality of entries, and thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we have raised the number of scholars to eight this year. They are:

Alit Susila is a sommelier  from Bali, and works with Indonesian wine distributor AMER. He told us, ‘Local sommeliers from Bali are often underestimated, with many of the large hotels and restaurants here preferring to hire from overseas. I push myself a lot to learn, absorb knowledge as much as I can, not only for me, but also for all business out there, to prove that local people are able to show a high level of knowledge and skill in the wine industry. I want be a role model to new generation sommelier in Bali, to push them more and more learn about wine’. Alit was runner-up in the best Indonesia Sommelier competition in 2019.

Rutuja Dhamale is a sommelier and wine communicator from Pune in India. She has done an internship with Sula Vineyards, where she worked at India’s busiest tasting room, for two years. She is about to launch a newsletter about Indian wine, and takes the place in the Mentor Week for the aspiring wine critic and journalist. This will be Rutuja’s first experience of visiting a wine region outside of India.

Lethabo Mothwa is sommelier at the Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, and has previously worked in Big Five Duty Free at OR Tambo International Airport. She began working in wine in 2018, and represented Bayede Royal Wines (BBBEE) appointed by King Goodwill Zwelithini of the Zulu Nation in 2019. This will be Lethabo’s first visit to a wine region outside of South Africa.

Janet Boniface grew up in Kano State, a strong conservative Muslim city in Nigeria, where her first job was at an aviation fuelling company as a commercial officer. She now works at Sally’s Wine and Spirits in Lagos, and is supporting her family, as the eldest daughter of five. She told us, ‘the disadvantage of lack of financial resources and gender discrimination is one of the major barriers to my learning professionally about wines… Being able to break through the ceiling of limitations placed on women working in alcohol is something I am really passionate about’. This will be her first time to visit any vineyards.

Elizabel Flores is from Oaxaca in Mexico, and began working in a restaurant in Oaxaca called Zandunga Sabor Istmeño in 2020, where she first began to learn about wine. In 2022 she moved to Pitiona Cocina de Autor restaurant, where she met sommelier named Jesus Fuentes, who became a great friend and mentor. She has now passed the intermediate level of the International Sommelier Guild, and told us, ‘I currently work in a wine bar where we offer Mexican wines, but I think I feel at a disadvantage when talking about or offering wines of the world in another place because my professional training in this regard is not complete, since I still have a lot to learn about the different wines of the world’. This will be her first time to visit vineyards outside of Mexico.

Tom Gillespie is from Belmont, Victoria, and just began working in wine last year, in 2023. He told us, ‘The world of wine found its way to me when my car broke down (and I couldn’t afford to get it fixed) so I started looking for a job closer to home. Archive Wine Bar and Wine school was within walking distance. After completing my level 1 WSET and learning how to systematically approach wine and how terroir and wine making influences the wine in such amazing and unique ways, I was hooked… but I have never touched a grape vine, which is crazy’. This will be Tom’s first trip outside of Australia.

Gaius Yerimba is originally from Nigeria, now working in Rwanda at the Anda Kigali Restaurant, Kigali since 2023. He told us, ‘In 2021 I started as a Waiter in a restaurant (The wine lab) in Lagos Nigeria, from the first day I stepped into the restaurant I immediately fell in love with the wines… Despite numerous challenges of not being able to pay for certifications, I have acquired knowledge by doing in-depth research and getting PDF files to study.  I have been looking for sponsors who can help assist so I can begin my journey to becoming a Master Sommelier’.

Valeria Puga was accepted to last year’s programme, but was unable to join us because of visa issues, so we automatically extended the invitation to 2024 (bringing the total of those joining us to eight). Valeria told us in her application, ‘The first memory I have about wine is when my dad gave me the first sip when I was 10. He didn’t know that much about it but he taught me that the beverage comes from grapes and I couldn’t imagine how but got very curious. When I turned 18 (legal age to drink in my country) I started to study Food Science at college and we had a subject called Sensory Analysis where we used to talk about wine tasters and the great nose they have to find out aromas in a glass. I didn’t know how people become ‘wine tasters’ but I knew I wanted to be one in the future. I graduated at 22 and began studying for a certification as a sommelier’.

… and that’s our amazing eight, congratulations to them all!

Accommodations will be provided by 1855 classified growth Château du Tertre in Margaux.

During Bordeaux Mentor Week, the eight Scholars will have the chance to meet with start-up companies and wine innovators, obtain insider details about the Place de Bordeaux, including how it works and how it is evolving, learn from seasoned industry professionals about wine marketing and selling strategies, and take a deep dive into both winemaking and viticulture, including a day of harvesting and cellar work at du Tertre.

First year alumni Fernando Nieves of Ambrosia Fine Wines in Puerto Rico says, ‘The Bordeaux Mentor Week will be a gateway to discover the incredible Bordeaux wine region, but it is much more than that. As one of the pioneers of the programme, I can assure you that the experiences here will enhance your career. Come prepared to work hard, and be open to learning new things. Jane and Chinedu will open doors for you – it is up to you to walk through them’.

All travel, accommodations and transport within the region will be covered for attendees.

This week is only made possible by generous sponsors including the IWSC Foundation, the Gerard Basset Foundation, the Duquesne Club and the Wine Scholar Guild. Sponsors from within Bordeaux include Château du Tertre, Vignobles Bernard Magrez, Fondation Terroirs et Paysages, Château Fleur Cardinale, Château Brane Cantenac, Château Angludet, CVBG négociants. Our first year alumni Tanmay Rathod helped us with the application process, and we would like to thank him also for all his hard work – and second year alumni Falakemi Alli-Ballogun was part of the group assessing the first round of applicants.