Major scholarship for Akld wine professional

Auckland-based wine professional Ina Yoon has been announced as one of ten winners of a major international wine scholarship.

Yoon (DipWSET) has won a 2023 Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild Scholarship – a programme open to entrants from around the world and judged by a panel of five leading wine professionals, including Jancis Robinson OBE MW.

Presented by Liquid Icons and the Gérard Basset Foundation, the Scholarships are awarded at the discretion of the Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarship Judging Panel to “outstanding applicants who the judges wish to recognise, encourage and aid on their educational path”.

The Scholars can undertake their choice of the Wine Scholar Guild’s advanced French, Spanish or Italian Wine Scholar Certification Programs, to deepen their expertise in some of the world’s most interesting wine regions as they continue their career progression.

Originally from South Korea, Ina Yoon says she became fascinated with the world of wine after reading a magazine article when she was just 12. A year later, she and her family immigrated to New Zealand.

Ina Yoon (DipWSET) has won a 2023 Golden Vines® Wine Scholar Guild Scholarship.

Yoon studied a Bachelor of International Hospitality Management and a Bachelor of Business, also studying in Bordeaux, France after winning the International Exchange Scholarship awarded by AUT University business faculty.

She then completed the WSET Level 3 certificate and WSET Level 4 diploma at the New Zealand School of Wine and Spirits under Jane Skilton MW.

Ina Yoon now runs her own wine business, New Zealand Wine Boutique – an online specialist store offering premium New Zealand wines to customers worldwide, including New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, and Europe. She also shares her passion for New Zealand wines on her site The Wine Kiwi: The Contemporary New Zealand Wine Review.

“I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can inspire other wine professionals who may look like me and help to change the perspectives of the traditional wine industry, promoting more diversity throughout our industry,” says Yoon.

Yoon has begun teaching WSET courses in Korean at the New Zealand School of Wines & Spirits and is preparing for the Master of Wine entry exam.