Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation Selected as a 2026 Grantee of The Gérard Basset Foundation Education Fund

March 25, 2026 (New York, NY) – The Women of the Vine & Spirits (WOTVS) Foundation, Ltd. 501(c)3, the charitable arm of Women of the Vine & Spirits, which provides scholarships for the purpose of advancing women’s careers in the food, wine, spirits, beer and hospitality industries, announced today that it was selected as a 2026 grantee of The Gérard Basset Foundation Education Fund. 

The Gérard Basset Foundation was established to honor the legacy and memory of Gérard Basset OBE MS MW MBA OIV MSc ASI World Champion, addressing the wine, spirits and hospitality industries’ most pressing issues through education, training, and mentorship.

As a grantee of The Gérard Basset Foundation, the WOTVS Foundation will put the funds towards Wine & Spirit Education Trust® (WSET) Level 4 Diploma scholarships, the Foundation’s most competitive scholarship category. Scholarship applications are open from May 1– July 31, 2026. Recipients selected for these scholarships will receive a monetary award to help cover the costs of enrolling and participating in the Diploma course, furthering their wine education and industry knowledge. 

“The WSET Level 4 Diploma is one of the most rigorous and transformative programs in the wine world. Thanks to the continued support of The Gérard Basset Foundation, we are able to remove financial barriers and open the door for more women to pursue this prestigious qualification and elevate their careers in the beverage alcohol industry,” said Deborah Brenner, President, Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation.

Created to help further Women of the Vine & Spirits’ larger mission of empowering and advancing women in the alcohol beverage industry, the WOTVS Foundation provides annual scholarships and awards to deserving applicants seeking to continue and expand upon their professional development and education. Since it was launched in 2017, the WOTVS Foundation has awarded 407 scholarship recipients with $1,050,070 in funds. For more information about WOTVS Foundation scholarship opportunities as well as additional details about previous recipients visit wotvsfoundation.org

The Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation, Ltd. 501(c)(3) is looking for donations to award additional scholarships in 2026. To donate and learn more about donor levels and benefits visit wotvsfoundation.org/support-us or contact the Foundation at foundation@womenofthevine.com. 

2026 Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation Donors:Advocate ($35,000-$99,999): Suntory Global Spirits; Benefactor ($15,000-$34,999): The Gérard Basset Foundation, Wine & Spirits Education Trust; Affiliate ($5,000-$14,999): The Acierno Family Foundation, Aiping Sui, MD and Wei Xu, MD, Breakthru Beverage Group, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, The Wine Group; Supporter ($1,000-$4,999): Craft & Cluster, GrayRobinson. To learn more about Foundation Donors visit wotvsfoundation.org/our-donors.