Madeleine StenwrethMaster of Wine (Sweden)

Madeleine is a Master of Wine and an international wine consultant based in Sweden. She consults high profile wine producers on product development, inspires and challenges winemakers on blending and quality and style strategy. She also acts as an advisor and educator for their export managers, sales and marketing teams, as well as their key clients.

Madeleine is an appreciated coach, mentor, advisor and competence-booster for trade professionals such as brand managers and on-trade sales teams in leading importing companies across the Nordic market, challenging them through inspirational and educational benchmark tastings.

She is a speaker at seminars, holds master-classes for generic wine marketing bodies and trade organizations as well as lecturing at various educational institutes for sommeliers and WSET Diploma students. She is also involved in educational activities at the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW).

Madeleine is Panel Chair at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London and has been a frequent international guest judge at other highly respected wine competitions such as Argentina Wine Awards, Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Decanter World Wine Awards, Grand Jury at the Wines of Portugal Challenge, Spain´s Bacchus, Australia´s Royal Adelaide Wine Show and Riverina Wine Show and International Sweet Wine Challenge, as well as South Africa´s Top 100 and Veritas Awards.

In 2008 she became a Master of Wine, one of the two based in Sweden, and received the Quinta do Noval Award for her dissertation “The effect of altitude on Malbec in Mendoza".

Prior to setting up her consultancy she worked as Quality and Product Development Manager for one of the leading wine importers in the Nordic market (Prime Wine Group), as a wine buyer at the Swedish alcohol retailing monopoly (Systembolaget), and as marketing manager for Wines of South Africa (WOSA) setting up and running their Swedish branch.

Having been raised in the family of a restaurateur she studied to become one of the first Swedish Sommeliers in 1990. A few years later she won the Inter-Scandinavian Sommelier contest and was awarded the title “The most talented young sommelier in Scandinavia”.

Several international scholarships and hospitality- and wine studies further triggered her passion and dedication for the wines of the world. A move to South Africa in 1997 allowed her to combine wine studies at the Cape Wine Academy with managing a restaurant and sommelier department at a 5-star Relais & Châteaux property in the heart of the Cape winelands.