France

Lei Peng

Lei is a Chinese wine professional, currently based in France. Her introduction to all things vinous came in 2017, when Lei took up the opportunity to study abroad in France. In her own words: “As a Chinese student, I found that Chinese culture is far removed from the world of wine”. She soon became “fascinated by this new subject, and kept it a secret passion”. Following her studies, Lei began working for an online Chinese company, but found the work “made [her] suffocate”, and that “wine became [her] most anticipated weekly hobby”, leading her to read as much as she could on the subject and attend as many tastings as possible. The coming of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 served to give Lei a pause for reflection – and in her own words it caused her to “listen to [her] inner voice”. Leaving her job and pursuing her passion for wine, in 2021 she began her studies at the Burgundy School of Business, quickly learning English and French and securing an internship which enabled her to interact with customers about wine. As she progresses with her studies and work experiences (winning a prize at the School’s blind tasting competition in the meantime!), Lei is already looking with anticipation towards her next great challenge – the MW exam.