UK

Cong Cong Bo

Just as tastings were beginning to sell out and customers had to be turned away on Fridays and Saturdays, Cong Cong Bo (pictured at the top of this article) found herself having to close the doors to her Cambridge, UK, wine bar three years after she had first opened them. The reasons were a break-in and her landlord reclaiming the premises. However, Bo’s work had not gone unnoticed: she was listed number 22 in Harper’s Top 50 Sommeliers in 2022, number 10 in 2023 and number 9 in 2024 for her work in increasing accessibility in the wine industry.

Bo studied medicine at Cambridge before she changed her focus to wine after a blind-tasting exercise. She says that she loved the thrill of decoding a glass and the idea that study and practice could hone her perception. She sought to expand her academic knowledge through completing the WSET Diploma as well as qualifying as a Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) Certified Sommelier. She currently works as a freelance wine consultant and plans to write a book in a style which ‘brings advance science to life’. She has been enrolled in the Master of Wine programme since June 2024.