Meet the Woman With the Best Job In the World
Michelle Cherutti-Kowal is one of 338 Masters of Wine in the world
Since today is International Women's Day, Next Avenue thought you might like to know about Michelle Cherutti-Kowal, who just may have the best job in the world. She drinks, judges and talks about wine for a living.
Cherutti-Kowal, one of just 338 Masters of Wine around the globe, is paid to sample up to 70 glasses of wine a day and travels to vineyards all over Europe.
Yet when she goes out to eat, it's her husband who is handed the wine list. "There is a certain culture out there that males make the decisions," Cherutti-Kowal told The Independent. "I do find that amusing."
How She Got Hired
To qualify for the job, Cherutti-Kowal had to undergo five years of training and a rigorous series of examinations. She now works as a lecturer, judge, consultant and writer on wine.
What about those 70 glasses? She always spits. "I rarely come home feeling the worse for wear," she told The Independent, "but my palate does." After work, she tends to prefer a gin and tonic or a beer.
According to her profile on The Institute of Masters of Wine website, Cherutti-Kowal — a dual Italian/Canadian citizen — left corporate life in Toronto to pursue her passion for wine in London. She is now a Chair Judge and member of the Technical Committee for the International Wine and Spirits Competition.
Cherutti-Kowal appears in this video, which promises to tell you "everything you need to know about wine" and transform you "from wine bluff to wine buff."
