Meet our Scholars for the 2025 Bordeaux Mentor Week
We are thrilled to announce the eight scholars who will be attending the fourth edition of the award-winning Bordeaux Mentor Week programme in September 2025 – recipient of a V d’Or for Best Knowledge Sharing and Education at Vinexposium in February 2025.
Founded by Jane Anson and Chinedu Rita-Rosa, this five day boot camp, has been described as a ‘game changer’ in the region.
It is due be held September 22 to 28, 2025, with the scholars being housed by Château Bellefont-Belcier in St Emilion.
More than 200 applications for this innovative mentor programme were received from 40 countries, with the final eight selected from a shortlist of 20.
The programme will be hosted by Jane Anson, author of Inside Bordeaux and founder of janeanson.com and Nigerian-born Chinedu Rita Rosa, entrepreneur and owner of Vines by Rosa Consultancy. All travel and accommodation to the region is covered for the scholars by generous funding from sponsors including The Gerard Basset Foundation, the Académie du Vin Foundation and Fondation Terroirs et Paysages Culturels. All scholars are also enrolled on the Wine Scholar Guild Bordeaux Masters programme.
‘With the challenges in the global wine market right now,’ says Anson, ‘this kind of programme is more important than ever. Opening doors for the next generation, and fostering meaningful exchanges, is critical. We can’t wait to welcome the group in September, and give a huge thank you to all sponsors and châteaux who welcome us so warmly every year’.
The final eight are from Malawi, Kenya, Brazil, USA, China, Rwanda, Mauritius and India.
Phuziro ‘Trent’ Jannah, Malawi
24 years old, sales and business development, Wine & Wings store in Lilongwe, Malawi. His knowledge and experience of wine so far is centred solely around South Africa, and this will be his first visit to any wine region outside of the Cape – where he has travelled to take his WSET exams, as there are no exam centres in Malawi. He has now been working in wine for four years, and found out about the Bordeaux Mentor Week via a Linkedin post.
Kevin Dias, Brazil
27 years old, drinks specialist based in Sao Paolo, Kevin has a hospitality background, and was also previously a high level footballer, who studied in Taiwan through a sports scholarship. This will be his first visit to any wine region outside of Brazil.
Raul Toscano, USA
29 years old, wine marketing executive, based in Napa, California, USA. A second generation Mexican-American, Raul has previously received a scholarship from the Roots Fund and Wine Unify for taking WSET Levels 1 and 2, and has worked with the Roots Fund with other scholarship interviews. This will be his first visit to a vineyard region outside of California.
Yang ‘Eden’ Zhang, China
25 years old, sommelier and trainer based in Beijing, China, originally from Shandong, China, where she studied hospitality management. In 2024, Eden came in 3rd Place in the China Youth Sommelier Team Competition.
Nicole Okech, Kenya
23 years old, restaurant supervisor from Nairobi, Kenya, she was recommended to the programme by her own mentor Janet Kangethe, a beverage manager in another hotel in Nairobi who represented Team Wine Kenya in the World Blind Tasting Championships. Currently Nicole is working as outlet supervisor, and studying to be a sommelier. She handles the trainings for F&B staff, and wants to learn more about the winemaking process to share the knowledge, and to be an ambassador for wine in general. Currently studying for Level Three WSET.
29 years old, wine sales, based in Rwanda, Gaius was due to join the mentor week last year in 2024, but was unable to receive his visa in time to travel. At the time he was working as a sommelier, and is now in wine sales.
Mohan Vasudevan, Mauritius
29 years old, certified sommelier and educator, based in Mauritius, originally from India. Mohan has worked in wine for the past six years, previously as sommelier at 67 Pall Mall in Singapore, now with a large hotel in Mauritius. He says he has a good understanding of theory of wine, but is missing the big picture. He heard about the programme by seeing a post on Instagram by Queena Wong, and was first turned on to working in wine by the documentary SOMM.
Roxanne D’Souza, India
23 years old, sommelier based in Mumbai, India, Roxanne has never visited a vineyard, and has only travelled outside of India once. She has worked with the Sommelier Association of India for the past two years, and was recommended to the Bordeaux Mentor Week by Amrita Singh. So far she says her learnings about wine have all been through books, self-study, and from other people – she is looking forward to learning things directly when in Bordeaux.
Follow us here, via @bordeauxmentorweek on Instgram or via the Bordeaux Mentor Week site where we will be updating you on the detailed programme for the week, all our châteaux sponsors, and more from scholars past and present.
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