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Director and Founder

Wine first crossed her path in 1998. The Codorniu Group was her professional home for 10 years, where she worked in the departments of Public Relations, Export, Marketing (in the UK) and Oenology. During those years she traveled all over the world, gaining a thorough understanding of the key wine growing regions and the international market for wine. It didn't take long for her to realize that there was another way of talking about wine, a way that was more practical and objective, more enjoyable and consumer oriented. It was during those years that her history with the WSET began, which opened her eyes and helped organize everything she knew about wine. In the year 2009, she launched her own consultancy and training project, which took shape for good in the year 2013 with the birth of The Wine Studio. Since then, she has collaborated with Spanish wineries of the highest level and of great variety, as well as trained hundreds of students. In addition to directing this amazing company and its consulting projects, she still enjoys every minute of training as a WSET Certified Wine Educator, and is responsible for the design of customized programs. She also manages the wine studies program at the Madrid branch of Le Cordon Bleu, and is part of the faculty of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce’s Sommelier Course, the Master in Wine Marketing program at the King Juan Carlos University, as well as the Master in Wine Business Management program of the Valladolid Chamber of Commerce. 

Coordinator, Purchasing Manager and Teacher

Nygil Murrell was born and raised in Northern California. In 2002 he moved to Barcelona to make his desire to live in Spain come true. His plans to remain abroad for only a year got disrupted when he discovered Madrid. The style of life, the culture and the affection of the people were some of the factors that encouraged him to make this his home.

His work as a tour guide in Spain fueled his passion for history, gastronomy and, in particular, the country’s exceptional wines. This experience prompted him to create his own guiding company in Madrid, with a special focus on wine tourism. Nygil continued feeding his passion for wine through the WSET program. He passed his Level 3 exams with Distinction and received an overall Merit grade for his Level 4 Diploma. He is also a WSET Certified Wine Educator.

In January 2017, Nygil joined the team at The Wine Studio as School Coordinator and full-time teacher. Nygil was born a trainer and his positive and generous nature in class is infectious.

Administration and Secretariat

Yolanda is an essential pillar of The Wine Studio. She makes everything seem much easier: She takes care of all of the administrative tasks in The Wine Studio as well as assisting students with whatever their needs might be. Her days seem to be 40 hours long. From her company, La Secretaria Externa, she provides service to several clients and we all have the feeling that she works for us 24/7. She has infinite patience and uses her law studies to keep things orderly. She is a tireless walker, real and metaphorically speaking. If something has a solution, Yolanda will offer it to you, and if not, she’ll seek an alternative!

Coordinator & Teacher

Flor es originaria de una de las zonas vinícolas más importantes del mundo: la Borgoña. Aunque es francesa, después de vivir tres años en México cuando era pequeña, ya tuvo claro que no se quedaría en su país natal.

Tras empezar su carrera en el sector del vino en Inglaterra, Flor se trasladó rápidamente a España en busca de una cultura latina cálida y aquí se convirtió en una española de corazón y de adopción. Tras una breve estancia en Córdoba y pasó ocho años en Madrid trabajando en diferentes áreas de marketing, exportación o compras en empresas punteras del sector del vino y los destilados -como en Pernod Ricard Bodegas, Diageo o Emilio Moro-.

Así, Flor decidió dedicarse a lo que más le llamaba: transmitir pasión y conocimientos sobre el vino, pudiendo así seguir viajando con los vinos del mundo y con sus alumnos. Tras conseguir los títulos del WSET Diploma, y del WSET Educator, Flor accedió a dejar el mundo comercial para dedicarse a la enseñanza en inglés y en español del sector del vino.

La encontrareis haciendo de casi todo en The Wine Studio: compras, marketing, coordinación y, por supuesto, compartiendo sus conocimientos y experiencia en nuestras aulas.

Communication & Teacher

Javier takes good humor very seriously. Even though he has been working in the wine world for many years and he is a communication and training professional, we first met him when he was on stage, showing off one of his passions: Magic. Javier embodies the spirit of The Wine Studio: learning at the highest level while having fun. In addition to having passed Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the WSET, Javier is an authorized trainer of both Cava and The Wines of Jerez and Montilla-Moriles, and has also coordinated the Sommelier course of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce for many years. He also teaches classes on wine marketing at the Business Institute and at King Juan Carlos University. On a daily basis, he directs his own communication agency, CPC Cooking Ideas, considered a reference in our sector, and also writes in mass media specialized in wine and gastronomy.

Teacher

Gloria es una gallega madrileña que viene del mundo del derecho, el comercio exterior y la logística; y consigue lo que nunca pensó que sería posible, trabajar en una de sus grandes pasiones: el vino.

Ese cambio tuvo que venir precedido de un gran viaje, y el destino elegido fue Nueva Zelanda y Australia, donde la naturaleza, sus estudios de inglés y los millones de experiencias vividas, le hicieron llenarse de energía. Y al volver a Madrid, tuvo claro el rumbo.

Lo primero, la formación; de ahí que obtuviese el título de sumiller y comenzase sus estudios en el WSET, y en todo curso y libro sobre vino que cayese en sus manos. Experta en desarrollo de negocios vitivinícolas por la UNIR, se especializó en vinos de Jerez y Oporto. Cada año colabora con la Asociación Gallega de Sumilleres, de la que es miembro, en la Guía de Vinos, Destilados y Bodegas de Galicia (Servino).

Con mucho esfuerzo y un golpe de suerte, comienza su andadura en una bodega gallega, Valmiñor, para incorporarse más tarde al Grupo LA RIOAJA ALTA, SA., donde trabaja actualmente.

Hoy en día, compagina su trabajo con la formación. Y cuando puede, se escapa cerca del mar: su lugar en el mundo.

Teacher

As a tutor, Born in Aragón, David moved to Madrid when he was 15 years old. He studied Economics at Madrid’s Complutense Univeristy, followed by a Marketing degree at the ESIC University. As a student, he participated in the Erasmus programme, studying abroad both in the FH Rheinland Pfalz in south-western Germany and at the University of Viena, where he studied Economics. After finishing his degree, he received a scholarship from the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) to return to Germany for an entire year. Upon moving back to Spain, he worked at Philips Electronics for 4 years before switching to the sector that grabbed him from the beginning, the world of wine, where he’s spent the last two-plus decades.

At The Wine Studio, he was a student in our very first WSET Level 2 group back in 2013. He quickly became hooked on the WSET method and immediately enrolled in Level 3. Following a multi-year break from studying, he returned to the WSET in 2021 to obtain his Diploma, passing ‘with Merit’.

Perhaps because he grew up in a university environment, or because his passion continues to be helping others to learn, David dedicates a large part of his week to teaching, a hobby which he enjoys immensely, as any of his former students would attest to.

In his free time, David loves being outdoors in the company of his family. He also carves out time now and then to keep up with his other hobby of running, both on mountain trails or through urban landscapes.

Teacher

As a tutor, Teresa brings extensive wine sector experience to her classes. She received her Agricultural Engineering degree from Madrid’s Polytechnic University, followed by a Wine Internationalization MBA from Madrid’s EOI Business School. After working as a Project Engineer for various wineries in Spain, she moved to the United Kingdom for 6 years, working first as a Project Manager for Wine Intelligence (a wine market research consulting firm) and later as a Brand Ambassador for the winemaking group Alejandro Bulgueroni Family Vineyards, whose large international presence includes the US, France, Italy, Australia, Argentina and Uruguay. Following her move back to Spain she became the the Masaveu Group’s Export Manager, covering the European, American and Canadian markets. Now working as a freelancer, Teresa combines her studies for the Master of Wine programme with managing exports in the European market for the Chilean wine group Valdivieso.

Teacher

Manuel es de Campillo de Aranda, un pueblo de 100 habitantes al lado de Aranda de Duero. Le preceden varias generaciones de viticultores. Es ingeniero agrícola y Master en Viticultura, Enología y Marketing del vino. Su carrera se ha centrado en la formación en viticultura y la consultoría vitícola en proyectos en el Norte de España, principalmente. Además es co-propietario de bodegas Marta Maté, cerca de la sierra de Neila, en Ribera del Duero. Desde la dirección técnica de los viñedos, Manuel del Rincón permanece vigilante ante cualquier necesidad que las plantas puedan demandar, haciendo del estudio, la observación y la experimentación su bandera. Investigador incansable y transgresor de los cánones establecidos por la fuerza de la costumbre, trata el cultivo, los suelos y el entorno como un todo y da verdadero sentido al concepto holístico de la agricultura. Es, por supuesto, especialista en viticultura orgánica y biodinámica, obsesionado con los ecosistemas equilibrados y sostenibles. Además, es experto en tracción animal y cambio climático. Como el propio Manuel afirma: "No queda más remedio". 

Teacher

If there is a teacher on our team who has strong ideas and a clear way of expressing them… it’s Tao! Tao graduated in Oenology at the University of Valladolid, receiving the Extraordinary Graduation Prize for Academic Merit. He has produced wines in regions such as Bordeaux, Ribera del Duero, New Zealand and Burgundy, and as a result of this experience, he defends a wine sector that is authentic, sustainable, and without unnecessary poetry. He is currently the oenologist of one of the most interesting wine teams in Spain: Peninsula Wines. Tao obtained his WSET Diploma and is currently a candidate in the Master of Wine program.

Teacher

Después de estudiar Dirección y Administración de Empresas, Almudena se especializó en Comercio Exterior. Tras unos años trabajando entre España y Alemania, en 2001 empieza a trabajar en la D.O. Vinos de Madrid, donde descubrió el vino y cayó en sus redes. Se encontró con un producto vivo y ligado a la tierra, que se convirtió en su vocación profesional. Desde 2007 trabaja en ICEX donde, entre otras responsabilidades, ha llevado la coordinación editorial de Spain Gourmetour, revista de prestigio internacional, escaparate de los productos agroalimentarios españoles. Una de sus grandes experiencias profesionales ha sido velar por los intereses del vino español desde el órgano de promoción “Wines from Spain”, volcada en la promoción de todos los vinos de España en mercados exteriores. “El WSET fue una revelación tras 15 años en el sector: encontré un lenguaje común con el que transmitir los vinos de España en todos los mercados de una forma clara y que despertó en mí una necesidad de ampliar y de saber más”. Almudena obtuvo el WSET Level 4 Award in Wines en el año 2018.

Almudena disfruta transmitiendo algo que le apasiona a personas igualmente apasionadas y es lo que hace en The Wine Studio cuando el tiempo se lo permite. Y... Cuando no está sumergida en el mundo del vinos, se sumerge de verdad en el mar, que es su otra gran pasión, porque además es una gran submarinista.

Teacher

Andrés trained in Hotel Management and Tourism in Cartagena, and after his studies he gained experience in the field of restaurant management in Murcia. In 2008, he moved to Alsace where he had his first important contact with wine, and since then he has been connected to it permanently. After that first experience, he trained as Sommelier and moved to La Rioja to practice his new profession at several large wineries in the region. There he pursued a postgraduate degree in technical Oenology, as well as passing the WSET Level 3 Certificate in Wines and Spirits with Distinction. He currently directs La Diligente Compañía de Vinos, a charismatic 21st century distributor that operates in Murcia and along Spain’s Mediterranean coast. With Andrés, the wine is pure Rock and Roll and the courses taught by him are always fresh and dynamic.

Teacher

José Carlos es nuestro afable y cercano “corresponsal” en Castilla La Mancha. Está a un paso de llevar las siglas DipWSET detrás de su nombre y alterna su vertiente empresarial con su lado “enológico”, que cada vez le atrapa más. El vino para él es una vía de conexión entre las personas. José Carlos fue el Mejor Sumiller de Castilla La Mancha en el 2018 y es una persona muy querida y respetada en la región (¡Y fuera de ella!). Es docente habitual en numerosos cursos de formación oficial y ha dirigido y colaborado en numerosos programas de radio regional y televisión local. Además, José Carlos es el director y propietario del espacio CHATO GRATO The Wine Centre en Valdepeñas donde de forma activa y proactiva se diseñan y llevan a cabo actividades de formación, degustación, cata y armonías tanto para profesionales como para aficionados.  

Teacher

Born in Italy, her professional career took her to Spain and Sweden, where she currently lives. After taking the WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits in London in 2015, she started to teach WSET courses at The Wine Studio in Madrid. After moving to Sweden, she became WSET Certified Educator and founded The Good Wine Habit wine school in Gothenburg, where she runs WSET courses in wine and spirits for wine lovers and professionals. She is also an online Diploma Educator for the WSET London school.

Tommasella is Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador, Valpolicella Wine Specialist endorsed by the Consorzio Tutela Vini della Valpolicella, and Spanish Wine Educator certified by ICEX. She also achieved the French and Italian Wine Scholar certifications. She regularly holds wine tastings and masterclasses with a special focus on Italian and Spanish wines in Sweden.

Teacher

Nils is a highly experienced WSET Certified Educator with Swedish and Hungarian ancestry and a worldwide perspective. Apart from being an educator, he also works as a wine judge and consultant to the wine industry in Sweden, Turkey, the UK and especially France, where he lived, worked and studied for 13 years, receiving a Masters in Wine Marketing and Management from the Bordeaux International Wine Institute/INSEEC. Other qualifications include the WSET Diploma, Certified Sherry Educator and Certified Rioja Educator. Like Tommasella, Nils is also an online Diploma Educator for the WSET London school.