USA

Kanchan Schindlauer

Kanchan is a first-generation, Indian-born migrant to the USA, and “the importance of learning as a top priority was instilled early on” within her.  Before her career in the wine industry (which began later than is usual), she worked in academic science, holding a PhD in Physiology from the University of Michigan and serving for a decade as a research associate professor at the University of Washington. In 2014, Kanchan decided to pivot from her highly successful scientific career (holding more than 20 awards and honours for her presentations of ideas and data) to a new path in the wine industry. She worked in diverse positions, beginning with that of a tasting room employee and crush intern at WT Vintners (located in Washington State) before becoming director of operations and customer lifecycle at Wine Folly. In 2019, Kanchan took the bold step of founding her own business, “There’s a Wine for That”, which specialises in “wine gifting for any life occasion”, and which she still runs today. In 2023, she gained her DipWSET with Merit, and has wasted no time in joining the MW programme – currently at Stage 1. Before entering the sector, Kanchan “couldn’t conceive of a successful career in the wine industry”, in part due to “the lack of relatable, culturally diverse industry role models”. In pursuing her career and her MW, she is determined to play a part in changing that.