Daria Vereshchagina

Daria’s passion for wine as a future profession began in 2010 during her student years, while studying Business Administration in Vienna (Austria). Upon returning to Russia, her desire to develop in the wine industry grew, and in 2012, she graduated from the Enotria wine school in St Petersburg. She gained further academic experience at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, where she passed WSET Level 3.

In 2016, Daria continued her studies at the Austrian Wine Academy in Rust, participating in the WSET Diploma International programme (Rust, Vienna and Florence). During her first year of study, she discovered her vocation but realised she lacked technical knowledge regarding viticulture and winemaking processes. So, Daria learned French and undertook the master’s programme at ESA (Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture d’Angers) in France. The course took place in three countries — France, Spain and Hungary. Meanwhile, Daria also graduated from the Austrian Wine Academy with the title of Weinakademiker, having successfully defended her thesis entitled “Languedoc-Roussillon. When cooperation becomes strength: re-evaluation of IGP wines through the communication of private and institutional actors“.

In 2017 in Beijing, Daria took Ian D’Agata’s course on the indigenous grape varieties of Italy, earning the title of Italian Wine Ambassador. She then consolidated her knowledge a year later in Verona.

Her graduate studies at ESA began with her first harvest and vinification at Château Yvonne in the Loire Valley, followed by an internship at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA Narbonne) in the Languedoc and work on a project about the identity of Languedoc red wines. In 2019, Daria joined the team at Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, where she also wrote her thesis entitled ”Effectiveness of alternative treatments in controlling downy mildew in the vineyard within the framework of a biodynamic estate". After nine months, she defended her thesis with honour at ESA.

In September 2019, Daria was accepted onto the Master of Wine programme, and she began her studies in September 2020.

From 2012 to 2020, Daria has worked in the restaurant business, as a sommelier and chief sommelier (Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2016, Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2017, Best classic wine list in Russia 2017), and has also managed several restaurants. She currently lives in Moscow, where she is one of the founding partners of the UNICO wine bar.

Impressive experience of exploring wine regions, personal communication with winemakers and internships in wineries has enabled Daria to delve into the technical side of viticulture and winemaking. Moreover, working as a sommelier and compiling wine lists has given her the opportunity to acquire the tasting experience necessary to assess wine quality and continue her studies at the Institute of Masters of Wine.

Daria is fluent in English and French and is now studying Italian.