The Road to MW: An Interview with Julia Lambeth

The Curious Vines Education Support Awards offer extensive programmes to support candidates pursuing MW, MS, WSET Diploma, and CMS Advanced qualifications. We were delighted to support the MW programme this year, and met a few of the women taking part to hear how they have managed the qualification and what they hope to achieve in the future as they attempt to become the next generation of MW’s.

In the second instalment of The Road to MW, we meet Julia Lambeth, an experienced educator and course manager at WSET School London. Every day she guides students through the complexities of wine, while carving out time to take on one of the most challenging qualifications in the world. For Julia, the MW is not only about deepening her knowledge, but also about proving to herself just how far she can go.

Julia's role at WSET offers both advantages and complications. “In one sense, being an educator is very useful. It means I have access to benchmark wines from around the world, which I am able to taste regularly,” she explains. “Although the method of tasting and thinking about wines is quite different for the MW programme, so trying to slip out of the standardised SAT approach is sometimes a challenge.” Students also keep her sharp. “I can sometimes be challenged by students to explain things in greater depth than may be required for their course, so my studies have certainly helped me answer some of those more tricky questions.”

The daily environment provides motivation too. Julia is surrounded by colleagues also studying for qualifications, some of whom have been through the MW themselves. “There’s a real camaraderie,” she says, and "there is always someone to talk to when I’m finding things challenging.” 

Julia’s path to the MW was anything but straightforward. “I said I’d never attempt it when I finished my Diploma in 2013,” she admits. “But over the years I wanted to push myself further and make sure I could teach Diploma sessions confidently.” What began as a professional decision soon turned into something deeper. “I think it is just determination and the fact that I don’t like to leave things unfinished,” she reflects. That grit has carried her through three years of study, during which she has already passed Stage 1 and the theory portion of Stage 2. Each milestone has reinforced her belief that the MW is within reach. “I believe I can do it, so I will keep trying as long as I am making progress.”

The workload has been heavier than she ever imagined. “I definitely underestimated it,” Julia admits. Preparing for eight exams over four intense days requires discipline, planning, and stamina. “After a full work week it is hard to commit to a weekend of study. But with one chance a year to pass, I want to make sure I give it my all.” Weekends are often spent at her desk, following a study plan broken into weekly targets. If she falls behind, the next week becomes even tougher. “By the end of the exam period I was so tired it took a while to recover,” she says.

That exhaustion is both mental and physical. “It’s not just about how much you know, it’s about endurance,” Julia explains. Careful preparation, from planning meals to blocking out rest time, has become just as important as the study itself.

Alongside the hard work, there have been many moments of happiness. Julia has visited wine regions such as Napa Valley and Piemonte, finding that speaking directly with producers brings her studies to life. “Going to regions and speaking with producers is always what energises me,” she says. Just as valuable are the friendships she has made with fellow students around the world, bonds built through shared challenges and long hours of study. "Each time I have passed an assessment it has been an unexpected win! So to be at the point where I have passed theory, even though I still have the tasting to go, has made me extremely proud."

The programme has also changed the way she engages with wine. “It has helped me feel more connected to the product again,” she reflects. “As a woman, it has been encouraging to encounter lots of other female students, as well as existing Masters of Wine and women winemakers. Things are not as male dominated as they once were, although there is still a way to go.”

Julia is clear-eyed about the barriers that remain. The cost of study, the constant need for wines to taste, the travel, and the pressure to attend seminars can be prohibitive, and the sheer scope of the exams sometimes feels endless. But she has learned to focus on what she can control. “One of the best pieces of advice I was given was to ‘get your life in order.’ The less you have to worry about, the more bandwidth you have for study,” she says. “And ask for help. People are always more willing than you think.”

For Julia, the MW is not about a single end point but about building resilience and self-belief along the way. “Even if I haven’t passed everything yet, I already feel successful in what I’ve achieved,” she reflects. Passing each stage has brought not just progress but a growing sense of confidence.

If she does go on to earn the MW, Julia does not expect her day-to-day role to change overnight. What it will bring, she says, is recognition and a stronger sense of legitimacy in her work as an educator. It may also open the door to specialising in areas of wine she is most passionate about, something she looks forward to exploring when the time comes.

Her journey is a reminder that persistence, community, and self-knowledge are as essential as theory and tasting notes. Like Loreto before her, she shows how determination can carry candidates through one of the most demanding qualifications in the wine world, and why initiatives such as Curious Vines, which provide mentoring, workshops, and bursaries, are so important in helping the next generation of women in wine succeed.