Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas Women’s Symposium 2024

  • Date

    March 17–20, 2024

  • Deadline

    October 2, 2023, 11:00 PM (Pacific)


  • Location

    Santa Barbara Wine Country, CA


  • Sponsors

    CMS-A, Santa Barbara Vintners, RNDC, Jackson Family Wines


The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas will invite 10 female Advanced and Master Sommelier candidates for a multi-day program that educates, inspires, and builds impactful connections between women. The focus will be not only on key elements of exam preparation, but also on discussions around career paths, business, and other topics.

The top 20 applicants will be invited to submit a video 75 seconds or less telling a story about a woman who inspired them or supported their journey in their career in wine and hospitality.

About The Court of Master Sommeliers and Santa Barbara Vintners:

The Court was established in England in 1977 and sets the global standard of excellence for beverage service within the hospitality industry with integrity, exemplary knowledge, and humility. The first Master Sommelier Diploma Exam to be held in the United States was in 1987. The Americas chapter, which serves both North and South America, was established in 1987. Since then, 182 professionals have earned the title of Master Sommelier as part of the Americas chapter. The title Master Sommelier marks the highest recognition of wine and spirits knowledge, beverage service abilities, and professionalism in the hospitality trade. Education was then, and remains today, the Court’s charter.

Santa Barbara Vintners is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization founded in 1983 to protect and promote Santa Barbara County as a world-class wine and grape region.

Eligibility Requirements:

*All travel expenses paid with the exception of transport to and from your local airport.

*Must be a Certified or Advanced Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers to be eligible. Certification will be verified.

*Must be able to arrive on March 17th and depart on March 20th.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: OCTOBER 2ND, 2023, 11 PM PST


Apply Now!

CMS-A Women's Sommelier Symposium 2024

  • If different than above
  • Current Certification Levels

    Please indicate which levels of certification you have achieved in the following programs (if any).
  • End of Certification Selection

  • (This will not affect your application)
  • SommFoundation requests voluntary demographic information for overall data recording. All information may be provided on a voluntary bases unless necessary to determine eligibility for dedicated awards. SommFoundation abides and maintains adequate security measures to protect all Applicant information.

  • Please upload a photo or headshot of yourself, preferably high resolution. *SommFoundation uses a strict blind vetting process. No photos or demographic information will be shared with our Board of Directors until after the recipients are selected.
    Max. file size: 8 MB.
  • Please enter a short biography about your background and how you started in the wine and hospitality industry. *SommFoundation uses a strict blind vetting process. No photos or demographic information will be shared with our Board of Directors until after the recipients are selected.
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