Sarah Heller MW
Wine educator, Writer and visual artist
At age 33, Sarah Heller is Asia’s youngest Master of Wine. A wine educator, writer and visual artist, Heller is recognised as one of the most dynamic figures in Hong Kong’s wine scene.
Having graduated from Yale University with a fine art degree, Heller cut her teeth in the wine world by working in wine trade in New York and Hong Kong, and wineries in France and Italy.
She worked as the Executive Director of Meiburg Wine Media in Hong Kong from 2011 to 2014. During this experience, she worked with Debra Meiburg, one of the first MWs in Asia, on education, market research and wine events before she received the title herself in 2017.
The young talent is also an acclaimed wine writer and visual artist. She was named wine editor for Tatler Hong Kong in 2019, taking over from American wine critic James Suckling.
Aiming to target a new generation of wine lovers in a more innovative way, she incorporated her interest in art to create a Visual Tasting Note project which has been exhibited across Asia, North America and Europe.
With her extensive knowledge on wine, particularly on Italian wines, Heller is appointed a member of the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) Faculty and has taught the revised VIA Italian Wine Ambassador certification course in Hong Kong starting from 2018.
She has also been the judge for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition, chairman of WINE100 competition in China, and the judging committee of the International wine and spirit competitions (IWSC).
Recently, she was announced as IWSC’s Wine Communicator of the Year for 2022 for her international reach and her ability to bridge the gap between the Asian and Western market.
I must commend Debra for setting up WineSpit which helped educate the wine industry in Hong Kong, she gives back to the Industry selflessly time and time again.