Heidi Iren Hansen MW announced winner of the 2020 Madame Bollinger medal

Heidi Hansen MW was announced as the winner of the 2020 Madame Bollinger medal at an IMW ceremony last week (2 December), awarded for excellence in tasting and outstanding achievement in the IMW practical exams.

Hansen was announced as the winner by Christine Marsiglio MW, the 2019 Madame Bollinger Medal winner, at the annual IMW awards ceremony held at Vintners’ Hall in London.

This year marks the 32^nd occasion that the Madame Bollinger Medal has been presented since its inauguration in 1988.

Although Hansen received her MW in 2020, due to the pandemic, the winner of the Madame Bollinger Medal was not announced last year. Hansen was unable to attend the ceremony in person but expressed her thanks via a live stream during the ceremony.

Commenting on the importance of such recognition of achievement in wine education, Etienne Bizot, great-nephew of Madame Bollinger, Chairman of the Madame Bollinger Foundation and President of the Bollinger Family Group (SJB) said: “The Madame Bollinger Foundation was launched by my Father, Christian Bizot, at Vintners Hall in 1988, and the purpose was to foster quality, education and ethics in all matters relating to wine at an international level.

“The Institute of Masters of Wine is without question the global reference in the pursuit of wine excellent in education and I am therefore delighted to award the Madame Bollinger Medal to Heidi, a superlative taster, in honour of Madame Bollinger.”

Upon being presented with the award, Hansen said: “I am extremely proud and happy to join the small group of MWs that has won this award before me. I could not have done it without the help from several MWs, co-students, colleagues in the wine world and the support from my very patient partner Bjørn.”

Hansen manages all wine courses and educations at the Culinary Academy of Norway and teaches both the sommelier education and all levels of WSET.

Hansen will be presented with the medal itself by Etienne Bizot at a private visit for herself and her family to the House of Champagne Bollinger in Aÿ which will take place next year.

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