Gabriella Macari becomes the East End’s first Master of Wine
Many have attempted to become a Master of Wine, widely considered to be the world’s most difficult professional credential to achieve. There are only 427 active MWs across 31 countries, who can claim membership in the Institute of Masters of Wine. That elite group just increased by seven who successfully completed the grueling series of exams and papers.
And in that class of seven, announced Aug. 20, only one was from the United States, Gabriella Macari of Mattituck, who became the first MW from the North Fork.
“Fewer than 65 people in the United States hold the Master of Wine title, and now one of them was raised in a New York vineyard,” says Sam Filler, executive director of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “Gabriella’s achievement is Long Island’s to celebrate, but it belongs to the whole state.”
The 39-year-old spent nine years in pursuit of the title, the length of time, she says, “reflecting the extraordinary difficulty of the exams and the depth of knowledge required to pass them.” She preceded the master’s program with years of formal study acquiring the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma, a six-segment advanced course of study conceived by the London-based wine education institution and administered through the International Wine Center in Manhattan.
“After completing the Diploma, I realized I had only scratched the surface and that there was still much more to learn. I didn’t hesitate to apply to the MW program, which felt like a natural next step,” she says “[It] was on another level entirely. It required far greater depth, critical thinking, precision and the ability to connect theory to what was in the glass.”
“I’m deeply grateful to everyone for creating the space that allowed me to devote the time and focus needed to complete my studies and achieve this long-held goal.” — Gabriella Macari, MW
At times, her journey was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which interrupted her studies and research paper, but also taxed her to help out on the family winery as it struggled to adapt to new protocols and stay operational. But beyond those logistics, the pandemic took away a critical part of the learning: the ability to meet and taste with a study group.
