Sonal C Holland is the first and only Indian to be conferred the ‘Master of Wine’ (MW) – most respected title in the industry representing the highest standards of professional knowledge in the world.
Through the span of her professional career, Sonal has tasted tens of thousands of wines, travelled across the globe to possibly every wine region, visited hundreds of wineries, spent time with legendary winemakers to hone her knowledge, and in turn, has mentored hundreds of aspirants and professionals to launch their wine careers in the Indian industry.
Sonal Holland Wine Academy was born out of a need for accessing world-class knowledge with a vision to setting the gold-standard for wine and beverage education in the country. Since its inception in 2009, everyone from novices to oenophiles, students to professionals have benefitted from Sonal’s unrivalled prowess and experience in this domain. Her compelling educational style combined with cheerful demeanour and easy-to-understand instructions make even the most seemingly daunting subject of wine, accessible and enjoyable.
Sonal is the finest educator there is. She also consults on wine with entrepreneurial ventures across wine retail, imports and events. Her distinguished career has earned her several accolades, including being featured in the list of Top 50 Most Powerful Women and Top 100 Most Influential People in Indian luxury. Sonal is widely celebrated as the Top Wine Personality in India by several eminent media publications and business houses.
Sonal’s TEDx talk chronicles her journey from a conventional job at a Fortune 500 company to becoming ‘one in a billion’ as India’s leading wine voice. Her story is an inspiration to many who are seeking the courage to step out, own their dreams, act upon their ideas and achieve incredible things.
Sonal Holland Wine Academy is the foremost institution in India providing classroom-based and online education on wines and beverages.
The Academy, established in 2009 by India’s first Master of Wine, Sonal Holland, sets the gold standard in the education of wines and beverages through the uncompromised delivery of global expertise and remains committed to the expansion of the burgeoning wine and beverage culture of the country. Our courses are designed for professionals in various stages of their careers, hospitality students, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts.
After a successful decade of delivering the globally sought-after WSET qualifications as their longest-serving approved program provider in India, in 2020, Sonal Holland Wine Academy launched its own online courses.
Today, Sonal Holland Wine Academy prides itself on being the country’s leading online provider for beginner- to specialist-level courses on wines, enabling our participants to advance the knowledge, enjoyment and business of wine in India and around the world.