Where do consumers get the best wine education? In Brazil!

Among 110 submissions from 28 countries and territories, Eno Cultura was the only course provider highly commended in all three categories of WSET’s inaugural Excellence in Education Awards 2026:

• Enterprise,

• Student Experience and

• Social Impact.

Brazil is big, strong and fast

With a population of more than 200 million, Brazil is emerging as one of the wine world’s most compelling import markets. Producers and wine associations should not overlook the importance of this market – one of the few in which wine consumption is still increasing. In 2025, the country imported 165.1 million litres of wine worth more than USD 558 million, an increase of 6.8 % in one year. The Italian Trade Agency describes Brazil as Latin America’s leading destination market for wine and one of the most relevant markets outside Europe.

Yet bottles crossing a border do not create a wine culture on their own. It takes professionals who understand regions and grape varieties, styles and food pairings. In turn, those professionals must invite and encourage consumers to try new wines and discover new labels.

Thirteen years of building wine knowledge

Thiago Mendes has spent thirteen years building knowledge, confidence and connections within Brazil’s still-young professional wine community. Founded in 2013, the independent wine school and professional network has taught more than 15,000 students and translated international standards into a distinctly Brazilian context.

From London to São Paulo

Eno Cultura began with an unexpected change of direction. Mendes moved to London to study fashion, with limited English, little money and no plans to enter the wine industry. There, wine was part of everyday life rather than a subject reserved for experts. Curiosity led him through the WSET qualifications to the Diploma and, in 2007, he became the International Wine Challenge’s first ambassador for Brazil and Mexico. In 2013, he founded Eno Cultura in São Paulo to help develop Brazil’s wine market through education.

What Mendes brought home was more than a syllabus: global knowledge would only matter if it could be translated into Brazil’s language, market and way of learning. Education, he believes, should do more than help someone pass an exam; it should open careers and strengthen the market. Eno Cultura therefore invested its own resources in developing course books and study materials, alongside hybrid courses, vineyard videos, tasting kits and producer-led classes. Direct encounters with producers helped students move beyond choosing wine by label and gain the confidence to question, taste and form their own opinions.

Building a system where little existed

When Eno Cultura opened, Brazil had no WSET Diploma centre, and advanced international wine study often meant travelling abroad. The school helped stage the country’s first Court of Master Sommeliers course in 2016, became the first WSET Diploma centre in Brazil and South America in 2019 and hosted Brazil’s first official Institute of Masters of Wine Introductory Course in 2026.

Today, the Gérard Basset Foundation describes Eno Cultura as Latin America’s largest WSET course provider. It is the region’s only provider of all four WSET wine levels, including the Diploma, and offers more than 30 internationally recognised qualifications. Eno Cultura also received the 2017 Riedel Trophy for WSET Educator of the Year and the 2019 French Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year award.

Education as market infrastructure

Independence lies at the heart of Eno Cultura’s credibility. The school represents neither brands nor importers. Wines used in the classroom are selected for what they teach, not what they sell. Beyond formal courses, its masterclasses and professional tastings bring producers, sommeliers, importers and consumers into the same conversation.

This gives Eno Cultura a rare position in the Brazilian market. It can provide international wine regions with local knowledge and credible relationships while helping Brazilian professionals and consumers understand unfamiliar origins in context.

Access is part of the same work. In 2025, Wine for Life, supported by the Gérard Basset Foundation, trained 50 hospitality professionals for whom certification costs might otherwise have been a barrier. Sommeliers do Futuro, developed with WSET and Instituto Ser+, awarded 15 full scholarships covering certification; the programme also provided twelve months of career guidance.

The WSET recognition confirms that what Thiago Mendes and his team have built is more than a school: it is part of the infrastructure of a wine market entering a new phase – one student, one tasting and one connection at a time.

About Eno Cultura

Founded São Paulo in 2013, Eno Cultura is the largest wine school in Latin America, with more than 15,000 graduates. It offers in-person, hybrid and online courses, international qualifications, masterclasses, professional tastings and events. Its headquarters include tasting facilities, a specialist library and event spaces.

In addition to the Riedel Trophy for WSET Educator of the Year in 2017, Eno Cultura was also named Provider of the Year by the French Wine Scholar Program in 2019.

About WSET and the Excellence in Education Awards

Launched in 2026, the Excellence in Education Awards recognise outstanding initiatives among WSET course providers in three categories: Enterprise, Student Experience and Social Impact. In the first edition, the winners and Highly Commended institutions represented six countries across three continents. Founded in 1969, WSET is an independent, not-for-profit organisation offering internationally recognised qualifications in wine, spirits, sake and beer. Its courses are designed for enthusiasts and industry professionals alike, and are offered by more than 800 course providers in almost 100 countries and 15 languages.