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.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!
Flor is originally from one of the most important wine regions in the world: Burgundy. Although she is French, after living in Mexico for three years as a child, she already knew she wouldn’t stay in her native country.
After starting her career in the wine industry in England, Flor soon moved to Spain in search of a warm Latin culture, where she became Spanish at heart and by adoption. After a brief stay in Córdoba, she spent eight years in Madrid working in various areas such as marketing, export, and procurement for leading companies in the wine and spirits industry such as Pernod Ricard Bodegas, Diageo, and Emilio Moro.
Flor then decided to dedicate herself to what she was most passionate about: sharing her passion and knowledge of wine, allowing her to continue traveling with wines from around the world and with her students. After obtaining the WSET Diploma and WSET Educator titles, Flor decided to leave the commercial world to focus on wine education, teaching in both English and Spanish.
You will find her doing almost everything at The Wine Studio: purchasing, marketing, coordination, and of course, sharing her knowledge and experience in our classrooms.
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.
Gloria is a Galician-Madrilenian who comes from the world of law, international trade, and logistics, yet she has achieved something she never thought possible: working in one of her great passions: the world of wine.
This transition was preceded by an incredible journey, and the chosen destinations were New Zealand and Australia, where nature, her English studies, and the countless experiences she lived filled her with energy. Upon returning to Madrid, she had a clear sense of direction.
First came education; she earned her sommelier certification and began her studies with the WSET, as well as devouring every course and book on wine she could find. An expert in wine business development from UNIR, she specialized in Sherry and Port wines. Every year, she collaborates with the Galician Association of Sommeliers, of which she is a member, contributing to the Wine, Spirits, and Wineries Guide of Galicia (Servino).
With a lot of effort and a stroke of luck, she began her journey at a Galician winery, Valmiñor, before later joining the LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. Group, where she currently works.
Today, she balances her work with continuous education. And whenever she can, she escapes to the sea: where she is most at peace in the world.
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.
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.
Manuel is from Campillo de Aranda, a village of 100 inhabitants near Aranda de Duero. He comes from a long line of winemakers, with several generations of viticulturists having come before him. He is an agricultural engineer with a Master's degree in Viticulture, Oenology, and Wine Marketing. His career has focused on education in viticulture and viticultural consulting, primarily in projects in Northern Spain. He is also co-owner of Marta Maté wineries, located near the Sierra de Neila in eastern Burgos, Ribera del Duero.
As the technical director of the vineyards, Manuel remains vigilant to any needs the plants may have, making study, observation, and experimentation his guiding principles. A tireless researcher and a challenger of norms dictated by tradition, he treats the cultivation, soil, and environment as a whole, giving true meaning to the holistic concept of agriculture. He is, of course, a specialist in organic and biodynamic viticulture, obsessed with balanced and sustainable ecosystems. In addition, he is an expert in animal traction and climate change. As Manuel himself states, "There is no other choice."
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.
After studying Business Administration and Management, Almudena specialized in Foreign Trade. After a few years working between Spain and Germany, she began working at the D.O. Vinos de Madrid in 2001, where she discovered wine and fell under its spell. She discovered in wine a living product deeply connected to the land, which became her professional calling. Since 2007, she has worked at ICEX, where, among other responsibilities, she has managed the editorial coordination of Spain Gourmetour, an internationally prestigious magazine showcasing Spanish agri-food products. One of her most significant professional experiences has been advocating for Spanish wine through the promotional body “Wines from Spain,” dedicated to promoting all Spanish wines in foreign markets.
“The WSET was a revelation after 15 years in the industry: I found a common language that allowed me to talk about Spanish wines much more clearly across all markets, and it ignited a desire in me to learn more.” Almudena earned the WSET Level 4 Award in Wines in 2018.
Almudena now balances her time at ICEX with her work as a teacher at The Wine Studio, where she enjoys sharing her passion for wine with equally passionate people. And... when she’s not immersed in the world of wine, she literally immerses herself in the sea, as scuba diving is her other great passion.
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.
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.
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.
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.