Last night, Dror Nativ MW was announced as the 2024 winner of the Madame Bollinger Medal, which is awarded for excellence in tasting and outstanding achievement in the Institute of Masters of Wine practical exams. The winner’s certificate was presented by Justin Liddle, Managing Director of Mentzendorff and Secretary of the Madame Bollinger Foundation, on behalf of Etienne Bizot, the Chairman of the Madame Bollinger Foundation and also President of the Bollinger Family Group, at the annual Institute of Masters of Wine awards ceremony held at Vintners’ Hall in London.

This year marks the 36th occasion that the Madame Bollinger Medal has been presented since its inauguration in 1988.

Commenting on the importance of such recognition of achievement in wine education, Etienne Bizot, great-nephew of Madame Bollinger said; “The “Madame Bollinger Foundation” was launched by my Father, Christian Bizot, at Vintners Hall in 1988.  The aim of the Foundation is to foster quality, education and ethics in all matters relating to wine at an international level and the Institute of Masters of Wine is without question the global reference in the pursuit of wine excellence in education. I am therefore delighted to award the 2024 Madame Bollinger Medal to Dror Nativ MW for this great achievement in honour of Madame Bollinger.”

Upon being presented with the award, Dror Nativ MW said; “I’m super proud and really excited about winning the Madame Bollinger Medal. I couldn’t have done it without my family, especially my wife who has supported me throughout the whole MW journey. A lot of hard work has gone into it and it’s very emotional for me, so thank you.”

Nativ is a wine buyer at Marks & Spencer, responsible for Champagne & sparkling wine, England, Bordeaux, Burgundy and South America. His career in the world of drinks started in the hospitality industry, opening and running the first Irish pub in Tel Aviv. His love of wine developed when he worked for a fine wine importer in London, and his retail wine buying career in the UK spans SPAR, Sainsbury’s and M&S. He has a passion for the growing English wine industry. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and three children.

Nativ will be invited with his family for a private visit to be presented the medal itself by Etienne Bizot, at the House of Champagne Bollinger in Aÿ.

Previous winners:

1988 – Michael Hill Smith MW

1989 – Mark Pardoe MW

1990 – Joanna Locke MW

1991 – Alun Griffiths MW

1992 – Jonathan Pedley MW

1993 – Andrew Caillard MW

1994 – John Hoskins MW

1995 – Peter Marks MW

1996 – Matthew Stubbs MW

1997 – Anne Tupker MW

1998 – Gerard Basset MW

1999 – John Atkinson MW

2000 – Not awarded

2001 – Linda Jotham MW

2002 – Konstantinos Lazarakis MW

2003 – Toni Paterson MW

2004 – Simon Larkin MW

2005 – Susan Hulme MW

2006 – Essi Avellan MW

2007 – Ulf Sjodin MW

2008 – Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

2009 – Isabelle Legeron MW

2010 – Alex Hunt MW

2011 – Samantha Caporn MW

2012 – Andreas Wickhoff MW

2013 – Anne McHale MW

2014 – Louise Sydbeck MW

2015 – Rebecca Gibb MW

2016 – Mary Margaret McCamic MW

2017 – Jeremy Cukierman MW

2018 – Lindsay Pomeroy MW

2019 – Christine Marsiglio MW

2020 – Heidi Iren Hansen MW

2021 – Álvaro Ribalta MW

2022 – Justin Martindale MW

2023 – Wojciech Bońkowski MW

2024 – Dror Nativ MW

The Madame Bollinger Foundation was founded in honour of Madame Lily Bollinger who tirelessly headed the eponymous Champagne house from 1941, following the death of her husband, to retirement in 1973. Founded in 1987, and established as the first partner of The Institute of Masters of Wine in 1988, the purpose of The Madame Bollinger Foundation is to promote excellence in oenology and to foster quality, education, professional qualification and ethics in all matters relating to wine at an international level. The Foundation and the board of trustees have determined that the Institute of Masters of Wine is the best organisation to help reach this aim, and are proud of their long and continuous association with the Institute for over 30 years.

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) is a membership organisation with an exceptional international reputation. For almost 70 years, its members – the Masters of Wine (MWs) – have been at the forefront of leadership and expertise in the world of wine. The IMW’s mission is to foster excellence, interaction and learning across all sectors of the global wine community. MWs prove their comprehensive understanding of wine by passing the MW exam, recognised worldwide for its rigour and exacting standards. In addition to passing the exam, members must sign the code of conduct before they are entitled to use the initials MW. This requires them to uphold the highest standards of commercial conduct within the industry. Today, there are 421 Masters of Wine working in 30 countries. The membership encompasses winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, journalists, shippers, consultants, academics, educators and more. There were 367 students from 40 countries in the 2023-2024 MW study programme. The IMW works with 37 supporters and four research and industry associates, who help promote the IMW’s mission. The five principal supporters are Austrian Wine, AXA Millésimes, Constellation Brands, Champagne Bollinger/the Mme Bollinger Foundation and VSPT Wine Group.