Are you of legal drinking age in your country of residence?
Applications for Canada-based sommeliers have now closed
The ten top applicants from the west coast will be contacted in August to attend a full day New Zealand wine education session in Vancouver on 14 September 2026. Applications for East Coast sommeliers closed on Friday 8 May 2026, and the ten finalists attended their New Zealand wine education session in Toronto on 8 June. The successful applicant will be selected from the twenty attendees at these two sessions.
Applicants must be:
A working sommelier*
The required drinking age of your country of residence
Able to participate in a full day education session on New Zealand Wine – East Coast (Ontario east) was held in Toronto on Monday 8 June and West Coast (Manitoba west) will be held in Vancouver on Monday 14 September. Once the application deadline for West Coast sommeliers has passed, the top ten applicants will be contacted to attend this full day education session. The successful applicant will be selected from the twenty attendees at these two sessions.
Able to travel to New Zealand from 21 January 2027 to 5 February 2027
Able to present a New Zealand wine session (organised by New Zealand Winegrowers) upon return. Please note this is a mandatory requirement if selected.
The scholarship includes:
Attendance at the Sommit™ in Waitaki Valley (22-23 January 2027)
Attendance at Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand in Wairau Marlborough (2-4 February 2027)
Wine experiences and tastings in regions across New Zealand
International and domestic flights, accommodation, meals, transfers, event registrations and all event inclusions which will be arranged by NZW**
The Scholarship will be awarded by NZW at its sole discretion. NZW’s decision as to the recipients is final and no correspondence, review or appeal will be entered into regarding the selection process or outcome. The Scholarship is non-transferrable.
For any queries with regard to the scholarship available from Canada, please contact New Zealand Winegrowers Canada Market Manager, Melissa Stunden – melissa.stunden@nzwine.com.
*For the purpose of this scholarship and Sommit™, a working sommelier is defined as:
A person with contribution to/responsibility for/management of on-premise wine lists, either at their place of employment or on a consultant basis and/or
A person who works the floor as a sommelier
Having roles in other areas of the wine trade or media is acceptable
There is one scholarship available from Canada
Able to present a New Zealand wine session (organised by New Zealand Winegrowers) upon return. Please note this is a mandatory requirement if selected.
**New Zealand Winegrowers will cover the cost of the NZETA and IVL required to travel to New Zealand. Successful applicants will be solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining travel insurance and passport, as well as any additional visa, entry clearance, immigration or other authorisation required to attend or participate in the Programme. Any costs or expenses incurred by successful applicants in relation to such requirements shall be borne by the successful applicant and will not be reimbursed by NZW under any circumstances.
