Wine certifications

[Jason]

Yes, you are right on some points, but I think that MS and MW are on equal playing fields.
Both are British orginizations. The big difference lies in that there is a service part of the MS program and MW replaces this with a thesis.
This is based on the fact that that the MW is a big factor in Britain where retail is king. In the US, restaurants rule, and that is why we have over half of the MS in the world. (The highest concentration being in Vegas.)
In general, the MS seem to be the people
running large beverage progams and the MW are the writers and stick to the more academic areas.
I don't know anything about the judging part, buit I have heard of the certified wine educator. This seems to be a good way to self police the industry and standardize what info is being taught out there. It looks by no means easy, but my impression is that it is not as rigorous as MS or MW.
If memory serves there is only about 17 MW in the US, and about 100 MS world wide.
MW has been aroung about 50 years, MS about 25. The years, compared to the graduates, should tell you just how hard these courses truly are. There simply is no way to BS yourself through these courses, so those who make it have surely earned a higher level of knowledge, and thus industry respect.