Gastronomy and Wine Portal

«Heroes never die» is a romantic patriotic slogan, which, unfortunately, has nothing to do with real life. In the real life of Ukrainians, our relatives, loved ones, friends, and colleagues become heroes. And, unfortunately, they die. Such are the terrible realia of the full-scale Russian aggression in Ukraine, which has been tearing our country apart for 1,5 years. 

Today, the Ukrainian wine community mourns and honors the memory of our colleague, sommelier Gregory Tkachenko, who died a hero’s death at the front. “Every time someone from our very narrow circle of Ukrainian sommeliers dies, a part of each of us dies,” Oleksandr Meyer, a well-known Ukrainian sommelier and wine expert, wrote on his Facebook page. — I did not know Gregory closely, but I will always remember him as a friendly and light person with a keen interest in wine, who loved life. The moment the very existence of our country was threatened, he stood up for it. And died protecting us all. Rest in peace, hero. I despise russian sommeliers who, silently or openly, support their country’s aggression against us and our home. You thought that your country interferes in our internal affairs because it knows better how we live. You thought you were better than us, but you yourself exchanged humanity for money and dubious ideas. You thought your country was invincible. But you were wrong.” 

«I knew him personally, he was an excellent sommelier, and the first time I met him, he impressed me with his knowledge of Piedmont… He was always positive, handsome, athletic, smiling. He defended our Ukraine so that we could live in safety. A true patriot and hero of Ukraine!!! My sincere condolences to the entire family, to Gregory’s son and wife. We will always remember you… RIP” — this emotional post of sommelier Anna Pototska is a reflection of what we all feel. 

The Drinks+ editorial team expresses its sincere condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Gregory Tkachenko. We very much hope that the entire civilized world will not only continue, but also strengthen support for Ukraine, bringing our Victory closer. Heroes are not supposed to die. They must live among us.

«Heroes never die» is a romantic patriotic slogan, which, unfortunately, has nothing to do with real life. In the real life of Ukrainians, our relatives, loved ones, friends, and colleagues become heroes. And, unfortunately, they die. Such are the terrible realia of the full-scale Russian aggression in Ukraine, which has been tearing our country apart […]

On 7-9 November 2023, Coimbra (Portugal) will host an international wine conference aimed at raising, discussing and finding important solutions to the key issues currently facing the wine industry. Drinks+ Communication Media Group and WTA are the media partners of WineFuture-2023.

For more than 10 years the international wine conference WineFuture has been the main platform for discussing important issues in the wine industry. The conference is a meeting of the most influential and respected names in the wine business, as well as representatives of other sectors, leaders of related fields and competing industries. This year, Drinks+ Communication Media Group and WTA become media partners of WineFuture-2023, our teams have agreed on a long-term collaboration and are confident that it will be a fruitful and successful cooperation.

WineFuture-2023 will address issues such as attracting new consumers (Millennials and Gen-Z), working in an unstable global economy, overcoming competition from ‘Alternative beverages’, better communication and promotion of wine and related activities, etc.

Robert Joseph

The speakers at WineFuture-2023 will include the most relevant and influential experts from all areas of the wine industry – from winemakers to CEOs of major organisations, viticulture experts, MWs, wine journalists, wine writers and many others whose activities are directly or indirectly related to the world of wine. Each year, the keynote speakers at WineFuture include music and sports celebrities, Nobel Prize winners and Hollywood stars who are in some way related to the industry.

WineFuture hosts various events, including the Green Wine Future, a summit on climate change and wine that was launched in 2006. Green Wine Future brings together wine experts, scientists, politicians, world leaders and celebrities to discuss sustainable development and climate change. Over 300 speakers from around the world have participated in the seven editions of this summit, including such world leaders as Irina Bokova, Director of UNESCO; Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General; 44th President of the United States Barack Obama, and others.

This year’s speakers at WineFuture and Green Wine Future include Robert Joseph, a renowned wine critic, author of more than 28 books, Sunday Telegraph wine expert, co-founder of Meininger’s Wine Business International, judge of many wine competitions, one of the members of the Grand Jury Européen, Chevaliers du Tastevin, member of the Commanderie du Bontemps du Médoc, judge of the Wine Travel Awards; WTA nominee and winner of the Author of the Year and Expert opinion categories Alder Yarrow; WTA nominee and public voting winner of the Ambassador of the Year category Sonal Holland. In the first year of the Award, the Sonal Holland Wine Academy, founded by Sonal Holland, was nominated for the Wine Travel Awards and became one of the sponsors of the WTA prize fund.

WineFuture always features informative masterclasses and tastings. This year’s Conference is no exception and will offer participants three unique tastings under the patronage of world-renowned experts: Richard Mayson, tasting of Legendary Madeira & Port; MW Dirceu Vianna Jr., tasting of Icon Wines of Portugal; Mark Squires, tasting of The Magnificent 12.

More information about the WineFuture programme is available here.

To purchase Early Bird Tickets, please follow the link.

You can communicate with the organisers of the Conference via chat on the website or by filling out the form.

On 7-9 November 2023, Coimbra (Portugal) will host an international wine conference aimed at raising, discussing and finding important solutions to the key issues currently facing the wine industry. Drinks+ Communication Media Group and WTA are the media partners of WineFuture-2023. For more than 10 years the international wine conference WineFuture has been the main […]

Today we are talking about an event similar to winning the lottery: the Wine Travel Awards editors, as part of their trip to Georgia, visited the WTA winner at three categories – Shumi Winery. And the gift was a tasting of unique wines arranged by the world-famous enotouristic location owner.

In general, it was a comprehensively extraordinary visit to the winery. Firstly, the owner personally conducted the tasting – which in itself is a fantastic event, as he is not a public person at all and do not prefer an encore to tourists. And finally, our journalists felt like fate’s favorites when it became clear that we would test wines in the company of the famous author and wine critic Robert Joseph. (By the way, according to our insider information, Mr. Joseph has launched his own wine production in Georgia, so we hope to announce more about this event in the near future). In addition, such experienced tasters as the popular Georgian blogger and wine connoisseur Sofia Nikabadze and the well-known Ukrainian sommelier and businesswoman Jenia Nikolaichuk joined the company of the WTA and Drinks+ team.

The tasting was preceded by a not-so-light aperitif of several samples and further acquaintance with the numerous Shumi’s attractions – the spectacular marani and its huge qvevri, with the wine cellar where the miraculous Zigu is aged (the name ‘Zigu’ is translated from ancient Georgian as ‘heart of the sun’). This wine is made from 320 grape varieties, includes chacha and brandy infused with high-altitude flowers; however, its strength is only 19%. Then there was the museum of artifacts “Vazioni”, a review of the ampelographic collection (more than 900 varieties of grapes), etc.

During a sumptuous traditional Georgian feast and polyphony of singing, a tasting of ten wine samples took place. Including such unique ones as the world’s first sparkling and ice wine in qvevri (102 grape varieties). The participants, at the request of our editors, shared their impressions, and Mr. Robert Joseph even provided working tasting notes with the points given (please note that this is of rare value, because the notes were made by the experts for themselves and by no means for marketing reasons).

We hope that these posts will inspire our readers, if not just get on a plane tomorrow to Tbilisi to see and experience all this in person, then at least – entice them to visit the nearest Georgian wine shop and buy one or several (don’t limit yourself!) bottles of Shumi.

Robert Joseph:

Tsinandali 2021 (Rkatsiteli /15% Kakhuri Mtsvane).

A really good example of this style. Fresh and bright, with some pear fruit and creamy texture. Very well done, although I found it somewhat lacking in complexity. 89 points.

Kisi Qvevri 2019 Akhmeta. 100% skins – 6months. 100% M<L in qvevri – 6-8 months Fr 2nd/3rd year oak.

Rich, some floral, some ginger. Nice, peary, fruit. Slightly hard finish. But good, balanced wine. 91 points.

Shobili, sparkling, 70% Chinuri\30 Kakhuri Mtsvane 2017 – 3 months in qvevri, 22 months on yeast 2017.

An interesting variety with a distinctive pepper – red fruit character. It has nice mid length with a touch of bitterness that I don’t mind. The finish is a bit dry, but it’s a good, interesting wine. 94 points.

Editor’s note: Shobili is a white dry sparkling wine created using qvevri and the unique technology of Shumi Winery. According to D+, it’s the world’s first sparkling wine in qvevri.

Shumi Iberiuli Aladasturi Qvevri Red Dry 2019, 12.5%.

I can’t review this. Both bottles are spoiled by a bad cork. Behind that, I can see some raw plum and rose petal, but I’m sure this is not a typical example.

Simonaseuli 2019 – 100%, Qvevri 4 months.

An interesting variety with a distinctive pepper –  red fruit character. It has nice mid length with a touch of bitterness that I don’t mind. The finish is a bit dry, but it’s a good, interesting wine. 89 points.

Mukhuzani 2020 – aged in barrel.

Rich red with some good juicy, dark plum and black cherry fruit and quite nice oak. There’s a little rawness that lets it down, but the length is ok. Nice, but not very complex. 89 points.

Salome 2020. 100% Saperavi, 5 ton oak ferm, battonage, on lees, 1st vintage 2005.

This is good, rich wine with dark fruit aplenty and very good texture from the batonnage. Good length. 93 points.

Editor’s note: At the London Wine Competition, the SALOME 2020 won a gold medal and was recognized as the Best Wine of Georgia.

Khvanchkara 2020  –  semi-sweet.

Traditional, semi-sweet, with plum jam character. Nice. 88 points.

Lazare 2017 – 450 varieties, red and white in qvevri.

This is rich, intense wine with interesting spicy, peppery character plus olive and strawberry. The label says 14%. I think it’s more. Slightly let down by a slightly bitter finish. 92 points.

Editor’s note: some Georgian sommeliers claim that this wine has 10,000 aromas.

Barbale, first qvevri icewine, 102 aromatic grape varieties.

This is rich, intense and sweet, with some rose petal and a bit of bitterness. I’m not sure what the 102 grapes are bringing to it… In my opinion, the sparkling in qvevri leads in preferences. 89 points.

Sofia Nikabadze:

Sparkling wine Shobili – vintage 2017 – from two grape varieties: 70% Chinuri and 30% Kakhuri Mtsvane.

Fermented in qvevri partially with pulp, secondary fermentation is carried out in the bottle by the classical method. Excellent and rich taste, aroma of tropical fruits and citrus, characterized by a long bubles.

Tsinandali 2021 – white dry – Tsinandali microzone – Rkatsiteli 85% and Kakhuri Mtsvane 15%.

Greenish-yellow color – classic – characterized by a wonderful bouquet and fruity tones. Rich and elegant taste – with a pleasant fresh taste and balanced acidity.

Kisi Qvevri – vintage 2019 – amber, traditional dry, wine from the qvevri, 6 months in contact with the lees and 4 months in French oak.

The wine is refined and rounded, with well-defined tones of dried fruit and honey. After aeration – saffron, vegetal tones, vanilla, light traces of oak. Harmonious, soft and persistent taste.

Aladasturi, red dry wine – harvest 2019 – qvevri, made from Aladasturi grapes – Guria, Ozurgeti municipality.

The vineyard is located at an altitude of 120 meters above sea level. Fermented wine, noticeable currant, with aromas of raspberries and strawberries. It has medium, soft tannins and lively acidity with a long aftertaste.

Jenia Nikolaichuk:

Sparkling wine, 3 months in qvevri.

Extremely fresh nice sparkling. You don’t feel qvevri ageing in this wine, but definitely this wine worth to try. Ripe apples and brioches in the flavour. Fresh, but not acid.

Tsinandali 2021.

Just nice every day white summer wine. Great price/quality ratio. Good choice for big noizy parties, when you plan not to stop after one or two glasses. Easy-going, full of citrus fruits flavours.

Qvevri Ice Wine.

Love the balance of sweetness and acidity. Flavour full of ripe tropical fruits. Great choice as a digestive.

Today we are talking about an event similar to winning the lottery: the Wine Travel Awards editors, as part of their trip to Georgia, visited the WTA winner at three categories – Shumi Winery. And the gift was a tasting of unique wines arranged by the world-famous enotouristic location owner. In general, it was a comprehensively […]

WTA 2022-2023 award winner/ Wine & Food Influencer/Expert Opinion/ Gergely Szolnoki donated his prize to a charity fund in support of Ukraine.

This year in June, the winners of the Wine Travel Awards 2022-2023 were announced at award ceremonies in London and Tbilisi. During the following summer months, the WTA organizing committee sent the prizes and transferred the financial rewards to the winners.

One of the WTA 2022-2023 winners is a judge of the Wine Travel Awards, Professor of Market Research at Geisenheim University and honorary professor of Wine and Beverage Management & Marketing at the University of West Attica (Athens/Greece) Gergely Szolnoki expressed a desire to transfer his valuable prize (500 euros) to a charity fund in support of Ukraine.

We would like to remind that Professor Szolnoki won the Wine & Food Influencer nomination, sponsored for the second year in a row by Dr. Ricardo F. Nunez, a well-known philanthropist and ardent defender of the interests of Ukraine, founder and owner of the international group of companies Vinos de La Luz, which unites wineries from Spain, Italy, Argentina, Ukraine and the USA. So Professor Szolnoki’s initiative turned out to be close in spirit to Ricardo Nunez. After all, Dr. Nunez not only supports talented media on an ongoing basis, but also those in Ukraine who need it the most today: the military and winemakers affected by aggression. However, as we have repeatedly observed, the owner of Vinos de La Luz performs his every charitable step in a certain progression.

Therefore, this time was no exception: the reward of Gergely Szolnoki, which he wished to give to help Ukraine, was increased to 3,200 euros and sent to the non-governmental organization Unimos Corazones in Madrid, which deals with helping Ukraine and its war-affected citizens.

With this money, the defenders received food and drinks in innovative containers – self-heating cans, to make it possible to have a hot lunch in a matter of minutes under any conditions. This is a good idea and a very convenient format for the conditions in which soldiers or refugees find themselves today.

It is nice to realize that Ukraine is not alone in the fight against the aggressor. And the example of Gergely Szolnoki and Ricardo F. Nunez is another small illustration of the great deeds that lead Ukraine to Victory.

WTA 2022-2023 award winner/ Wine & Food Influencer/Expert Opinion/ Gergely Szolnoki donated his prize to a charity fund in support of Ukraine. This year in June, the winners of the Wine Travel Awards 2022-2023 were announced at award ceremonies in London and Tbilisi. During the following summer months, the WTA organizing committee sent the prizes […]

SHUMI Winery, one of the largest wine producers in Georgia, which has been repeatedly bestowed prestigious awards and titles, is presenting a new series of video blogs.

The best producer of Georgia according to one of the world’s most prestigious competitions – MUNDUS VINI Grand International Award, a nominee and winner of the Wine Travel Awards, participant of the European Union Eco2Wine scientific project, SHUMI Winery is presenting SHUMI Wine’s Diary – a new series of unique video blogs.

Each new page of the “Diary” will become a kind of guide to the world of wine: wine tips, experts’ stories, tasting techniques, pairings and much more interesting for all wine enthusiasts and wine lovers who want to improve and expand their knowledge.

SHUMI Winery, one of the largest wine producers in Georgia, which has been repeatedly bestowed prestigious awards and titles, is presenting a new series of video blogs. The best producer of Georgia according to one of the world’s most prestigious competitions – MUNDUS VINI Grand International Award, a nominee and winner of the Wine Travel […]

For the second year in a row, an international wine competition the Winelovers Wine Awards took part in Budapest from June, 7-9 and Drinks+ were delighted to be among the wine judges of this contest that ambitiously claims that aims to become the most influential wine competition in Central and Eastern Europe as Hungary, has always functioned as a gateway between East and West.

The competition features

This year the judges and the wines from different countries expanded due to the contest’s teamwork and communications. Incidentally, it is worth adding that Agnes Nemeth, the Wine Travel Awards nominee in the “Author of the Year” category, performs as a chief professional organizer as part of the Winelovers Wine Awards competition.

It is also important, that Ukrainian wines got the special occasion to take part on a free basis. This proposition from the organizing committee was immediately announced on our media resources and spread through the Ukrainian winemakers’ community. And the excellent results for Ukrainian winemakers were not long in coming. But let’s tell orderly how the competition took place as well as who’s who in award decisions.

The wine judges very carefully selected by the leaders of the competition are enough international. Not only Hungarian professionals attended, but also representatives from Poland, Croatia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Romania, Austria, Slovakia, USA, and Belgium. Each wine commission is headed by a titled representative of the wine world, such as Wine Akademiker, Masters of Wine еtс. This year it was delightful to see such famous wine personalities as Dr. Caroline Gilby MW, Dr. Jamie Goode, Essi Avellan MW, Kristian Kielmayer DipWSET and Weinakademiker with whom I was very lucky to taste, discuss and evaluate wines in our team as a jury member of the competition during the three days. By the way, the first two days for our team were devoted exclusively to still white wines, the last – to red ones.

More than 50 renowned international experts judge and give feedback on the entered wines at Winelovers Wine Awards competition. This 2023 edition numbers: 840 wines, 256 wineries, 11 countries, 38 wine regions.

According to the statistic of the Non-Hungarian entries, the first place was Romania (32,6%) and the second place was Ukraine taking 20% of the total number, then comes Slovakia with a share of 13.8 percent.

István TÁBOR, competition director, in his address to the jury members 2023 said: “The Winelovers Wine Awards represent the latest generation of international wine competitions, with aims and activities that go beyond traditional wine competitions. The competition was created to give wines a real breakthrough, covering the marketing value of medals into commercial results to build the bridge East to West, a win-win situation for Winemakers”.

László BÁLINT, competition president, commented to Drinks+: “The Winelovers Wine Awards 2023 wine competition has made significant progress compared to the previous year: both the number of domestic and foreign entries has increased. The number of international entries has surpassed 50%, indicating that the reputation of the competition has reached more wineries, and the professional level is unquestionable and exemplary due to the selection of the jury members. Any winery achieving outstanding results in this competition can be confident that their wine will stand its ground in any international competition and market”.

We are absolutely agreeing and are proud of Ukrainian winemakers who defiantly deserve such results they got.

The Results

In total 762 medals were awarded, and 4 wines received the Grand Gold distinction. Alongside the judges gave 101 Gold, 281 Silver, and 307 Bronze medals awarded. Our Ukrainian winemakers have an excellent result – 25 wines were awarded medals. The Ukrainian Winemakers who took part in the contest were Biologist Craft Winery from Kyiv region, Bereczky “Borászat” Winery from Beregovo, Frumushika-Nova Family Winery from Odesa region, Wine Cellar of Sass family (Kidyosh, Transcarpathia), Orosz Winery (Derecen, Transcarpathia), Bolgrad Winery (Odesa Region, Bessarabia)

The highest score of 91 points was given to the Wine Cellar of the Sass family for its oak-aged white wine Hárslevelű 2021. The Gold medals were also given to Biologist Craft Winery for its Aligote 2022, Bolgrad Winery for Bolgrad Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2021 and 1821 Select Collection Bolgrad Pinot Grigio 2021.

Congratulation from all our team!

All the results can be found here.

Not only the blind tastings

Not only blind tastings awaited the jury during these 3 days of the competition. In addition, the organizers tried to present us with a wide program of exciting master classes. Essi Avellan MW in her sparkling wine masterclass showed us the difference between various sparkling wine tastes of 0.75 bottle VS Magnum. And the taste is really different because the second magnum fermentation starts on average two days later than the same wine in 75 cl bottles, and takes almost one week longer. Citation from the presentation: ”The wines produced in magnums are also intrinsically different, due to the additional processes involved in the longer fermentation”.

She also shared with us the experience from The Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships 2022. According to Essi Avellan MW, 51 pairs of comparable 0.75l and magnum bottles were entered with the same wine from the same vintage or non-vintage (regardless of base year) including all production methods. The result – 86% of the wines received the same or better medal results in magnum formats because of the specific mention above.

A brilliant masterclass conducted by Sebastian Giraldo Makovej, brand ambassador of Sauska Wines: ‘Furmint as a Sparkling: In the pursuit of the Sauska style’ where we could see the potential and different tastes and styles of the Furmint grape variety.

In its master class Gergely Ripka, Editor at TokajGuide, presented Young Aszú vintages from Tokaj.

The program of the second day was dedicated to the Winelovers X tasting & networking event. A relaxed and professional tasting of the wines by a small number of selected wineries (a list of 15 wineries was presented), and some samples entered the wine contest.

Our Drinks+ team congratulate all the winners and we are very pleased that the members of our team become participants in such prestigious wine competitions.

Cheers!

For the second year in a row, an international wine competition the Winelovers Wine Awards took part in Budapest from June, 7-9 and Drinks+ were delighted to be among the wine judges of this contest that ambitiously claims that aims to become the most influential wine competition in Central and Eastern Europe as Hungary, has […]

On August 10, InVino, the first wine club, shop and bar in Armenia, as well as the Wine Travel Awards nominee in the category The Visiting Card of the Country/Must Visit, invites you to a unique wine tasting by Tevan Poghosyan.

After 18 years of winemaking as a hobby, Tevan Poghosyan opened the MOONQ Wines winery. InVino offers wines from almost all over the world, always focusing on the best. On August 10, the organizers of the evening offer to taste wines from Voskehat, Areni, Nrneni and Khndoghni varieties, as well as a talk with their creator.

In the tasting program:

• Moonq Voskehat 2022
• Moonq Nrneni 2022
• Moonq Blend 2021
• Moonq Blend 2022
• And also Moonq Experimental Wine, a unique wine that is not on the market.

Limited number of seats. To reserve a place, you need to contact the organizer of the evening – the company InVino.

On August 10, InVino, the first wine club, shop and bar in Armenia, as well as the Wine Travel Awards nominee in the category The Visiting Card of the Country/Must Visit, invites you to a unique wine tasting by Tevan Poghosyan. After 18 years of winemaking as a hobby, Tevan Poghosyan opened the MOONQ Wines […]

In a momentous tribute to the extraordinary dedication and unyielding passion within the wine industry, Nicolas Clerc has been bestowed with the highly coveted Gérard Basset award.

As the Founder and President of the UK Sommelier Academy, Clerc’s relentless pursuit of excellence in the wine world has been recognized and celebrated during the Taittinger UK Sommelier of the Year 2023 finals, an event closely intertwined with the legacy of Gérard Basset, of whom Nina Basset is the Co-Founding Trustee and Chair of the Gérard Basset Foundation.

The Gérard Basset Award, established as a lasting homage to Gérard Basset, a trailblazing figure inspiring the industry and a driving force behind the esteemed competition, was presented to Nicolas Clerc as a testament to his outstanding achievements and contributions. Having been named the UK Sommelier of the Year in 2007, Clerc’s journey as a respected wine professional has been adorned with numerous awards in the field of sommelier expertise. 

Nicolas Clerc

Serving as a mentor to many and fervently supporting aspiring sommeliers in their pursuit of success, Clerc’s commitment to the advancement of the industry has been resolute. Clerc has played a pivotal role in shaping the UK Sommelier Academy, emerging as the driving force behind its creation. His unwavering passion for the industry has been deeply admired, making him an exemplary figure for aspiring sommeliers and wine enthusiasts alike.

Nina Basset, in presenting the award, spoke passionately of the exceptional candidates considered, yet the decision was unanimous in acknowledging Clerc’s exceptional contributions. Complimenting him as a much-respected wine professional and an inspiring mentor, Basset acknowledged Clerc’s continuous involvement in supporting sommeliers through their MS and ASI exams.

For Clerc, the recognition holds profound significance, having worked closely with Gérard Basset on various projects, including the UK Sommelier of the Year competition and the establishment of the United Kingdom Sommelier Academy. The award not only celebrates his accomplishments but also honours the collective effort of the Basset Clan and all involved within the UKSA, carrying forward Gérard Basset’s indelible legacy.

Gérard Basset

Deeply touched and honoured by the recognition, Clerc emphasized the invaluable lessons he learned from Gérard, which have instilled a selfless dedication to serving others without expecting anything in return. The award serves as a poignant reminder and motivation for him to continue his passion-fueled journey in the wine industry.

The wine world applauds Nicolas Clerc, a true visionary and passionate ambassador, for his tireless contributions to the industry, and the Gérard Basset award stands as a symbol of enduring inspiration and admiration for his remarkable achievements.

Nina Basset serves as a jury member for this year’s Wine Travel Awards. “In partnership with the Gérard Basset Foundation, we have established the prestigious Gerard Basset Prize to honour the Ambassadors of the Year, paying tribute to the late Monsieur Gérard Basset – a Master of Wine, Master Sommelier, and Wine MBA, who always shared his knowledge and experience generously with young sommeliers. This prize aims to inspire wine personalities to pursue further education and knowledge”.

This year, the Gérard Basset Prize “Ambassador of the Year” was received by Artyom Mkrtchyan – an experienced sommelier and passionate promoter of Armenia and its wine. Artyom’s “Decant wine shop & tasting room,” specializes in Armenian wines, offering a vast collection, wine literature, tastings, and wine events. He also leads tailored wine and gastro tours and founded “VINI – Armenian Wine Guide”. Vini’s mission, captured by the slogan “Every Armenian wine,” is to introduce consumers to all wines and producers in Armenia professionally, regardless of size, while embracing international expertise and the country’s cultural essence. 

We congratulate Artyom Mkrtchyan and Nicolas Clerc on receiving the well-deserved awards for their outstanding contributions to the wine industry, each in their unique and inspiring ways.

Source: thecaterer.com
Photo: thecaterer.com

In a momentous tribute to the extraordinary dedication and unyielding passion within the wine industry, Nicolas Clerc has been bestowed with the highly coveted Gérard Basset award. As the Founder and President of the UK Sommelier Academy, Clerc’s relentless pursuit of excellence in the wine world has been recognized and celebrated during the Taittinger UK […]

This dynamic digital wine atlas has been created in partnership with the University of Vienna.

Wine Travel Awards is proud to partner with Austrian Wine, a marketing board dedicated to promoting the exquisite wines of Austria. In the public voting of the Wine and Travel Awards, Austria emerged triumphant in The Visiting Card of the Country/Region of the Year category, while the Austrian Wine Academy secured the top spot in the Education in Enotourism/Unique Program category, Schloss Esterházy’s earned the title in the Education in Enotourism/Cultural Mission category, and VieVinum has become the ultimate winner in the Enogastronomic Events/Magnet of the Region category.

Back in 2021, Austrian Wine unveiled the world’s first and only digital wine atlas covering an entire wine-producing country. Austriavineyards.com, an innovative online tool, opens up a world of exploration, offering in-depth insights into the origins and flavours of Austria’s renowned wines. Despite the platform’s instant success, the efforts to improve and enhance it have never ceased. With the recent legal definition of Rieds in Steiermark (Styria), the platform now boasts almost 5,000 digitally accessible single vineyards!

For those eager to delve into the distinctive characteristics of Austrian Rieds (Austrian term for a single vineyard, or “cru”), austrianvineyards.com serves as an indispensable resource. This dynamic digital wine atlas has been created in partnership with the University of Vienna.

CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Chris Yorke, proudly describes austrianvineyards.com as the go-to destination for wine aficionados seeking every intricate detail about the origins of their favourite Austrian wines. The comprehensive platform presents comprehensive information about each Ried, including sunshine hours, average temperature, precipitation, gradient, elevation, and the types of grape varieties grown in each vineyard. Moreover, it encompasses detailed insights into every wine-growing village and region, truly making it an extraordinary and one-of-a-kind digital wine atlas.

Austrianvineyards.com stands as a testament to Austria’s pioneering spirit and innovation in the world of wine production. Yet, Austrian Wine remains dedicated to continuous improvement and development. Yorke reveals that they are actively working to include even more detailed geological information in the future, further enriching the already exceptional experience for wine enthusiasts. Cheers to the blend of tradition and innovation that continues to place Austria at the forefront of the wine industry!

Photo: facebook.com/austrianwine

This dynamic digital wine atlas has been created in partnership with the University of Vienna. Wine Travel Awards is proud to partner with Austrian Wine, a marketing board dedicated to promoting the exquisite wines of Austria. In the public voting of the Wine and Travel Awards, Austria emerged triumphant in The Visiting Card of the […]

On July 6, the Wine Travel Awards (WTA)  team gathered the award and voting winners, the jury representatives as well as the most active nominees, in a webinar led by Romané Basset, Co-Founding Trustee of the Gérard Basset Foundation, set up to honour the legacy and memory of Gérard Basset.

Mr Basset was one of the most experienced and award-winning wine experts in the world, and a holder of the titles of Master Sommelier, Master of Wine, Master Sommelier, as well as Wine MBA and the ASI World Champion. Gérard Basset was a founding partner of the hugely successful Hotel du Vin Group. He also mentored and trained a generation of young sommeliers who sought out his expertise and guidance to launch their own careers. Gérard Basset Foundation was created to address the wine, spirits and hospitality industries’ most pressing issues through education, training and mentorship.

Gérard Basset Foundation is one of WTA’s most active and valuable partners. Due to the personal consent of Monsieur Basset’s family – Mme Nina Basset, the WTA judge, and her son, Mr Romané Basset, starting from this year a special prize from Gérard Basset Foundation is awarded to the voting and jury-selected winner of the Ambassador of the year category (this year‘s winner is Artyom Mkrtchyan, a young and talented sommelier from Armenia).

The aim of the webinar was to help the WTA community members gain valuable insights into the incredible work of the Gérard Basset Foundation as well as the opportunities it offers in the wine market. It was a privilege granted to the core of the WTA community, giving them new opportunities for collaboration with one of the most significant grant organizations at the international wine stage, that were discussed directly with one of the Foundation‘s key people, Romané Basset.

In his opening speech Mr Basset told the participants about the main principles of the Foundation and its activities, focusing strongly on diversity, inclusivity and equal opportunities for those aspiring wine professionals whose physical, financial and other conditions prevent them from pursuing education and career goals in the wine industry. Gérard Basset Foundation has special education and professional training programs for such talented individuals, helping them make their dreams of doing a career in wine business come true.

The webinar for the WTA community members was held in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere which stimulated communication and exchange of ideas. Romané Basset was also open to answering questions from the audience. In order to fully convey the details and atmosphere of the meeting, we present it in a format close to the transcript.

Salome Lomsadze, Commercial project manager of Shumi Winery, Georgia (note from the editors: Shumi Winery is the 2022-2023 WTA award and voting winner in nine categories, which, in our opinion, is phenomenal!)

“I represent the management of Shumi Winery from Georgia, and my question is, what could be your advice to us regarding raising awareness of Georgian wines in the world?

I’ll tell you a little more about what we do, besides producing wine, of course. For example, we have an ampelographic collection of more than 2,000 grape varieties from around the world, including more than 400 indigenous Georgian ones. The idea of such a collection was born in the 90s, it belonged to my father, who really wanted to bring Georgia, our heritage and culture, to a new level after the period of withdrawal from the USSR. At that time, many of the local varieties of grapes had died out, they were practically impossible to find in Georgia, because they did not give enough volume to the economy. As a result of many years of efforts of my family, the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization assigned us a number – G036. I believe that this is one of the pieces of evidence that today we have a unique object that needs to be taken care of and told about. Our current situation is different from Georgia in the 90s, when people did not even have enough food, not to mention decent wine, but we are still facing many problems, maybe not as much financial ones, but some white spots remain, including education. At Shumi we have ampelographic collections, an interesting tourist complex – with an active marani cellar with qvevri, we have a wine museum with real unique artifacts, we popularize the history of Georgian culture, which is already 8000 years old. But… Today, many have learned that winemaking originates from Georgia, but not everyone even knows where it is. Sometimes when I say that I’m from Georgia, it’s not that they don’t ask me questions about how I’m related to wine – sometimes they even ask, “Where is Georgia?” Not everybody is even familiar with such a country. So how can I be useful in this? I have a hospitality background, and I would like to use my effort efficiently, to make Georgia more interesting, and to tell about our culture and our winemaking traditions”.

Romané Basset: “Thank you for your question and for explaining the context. From my point of view, Georgia deserves more attention and I am also trying to help raise the flag of Georgian wines. I confess, I am a big fan of Georgian wines, even at my university I organized a tasting of these wines, which, I must state, was a success. We presented eight wines – three red and five orange ones, so it was indeed a successful selection… And I believe that now is the moment when you can take significant steps to promote Georgian wine and Georgia as a whole. Besides, you are already on the right track. And I am pleased to be able to speak on this matter. After all, the key point here is to enlighten the world about your country. When I talk about education, I mean two aspects. First, the process requires studying special literature, teaching people about the technical aspects of Georgian wine – explaining what makes it unique, telling the story, providing academic data, which can be included, for example, in the WSET textbook. And the second thing you mentioned is the tourist aspect. I am sure it is one of the most important tools. I will give an example – in February I had to observe one experiment. Several people from the wine world were discussing sales. Among them was the Spanish sommelier Ferran Centelles, and his task was to sell a bottle of Dom Perignon to the guests. The study participants were connected to a brain scanner. And Ferran was selling the wine in two ways. The first, a very classic sales pitch – like “hello, I’m Ferran Centelles, I’ll be your sommelier today…”. He then gave another presentation that was much more personal, with details. He talked about his visits to the Perignon House and a tour of the vineyard. And it is surprising: in the vast majority of participants of the second presentation, when the sommelier accompanied the story with personal impressions from visits to the House, it caused pleasure, which affected the brain much more than in the first case. So if you invite people to Georgia and show them how you make wine, tell them about the traditions and culture, you will get more results.

I have never been to Georgia, but my father worked a lot with your winemakers. And I definitely know of one of our fellows from Georgia who just graduated and has now become a great advocate of Georgian wine. So I think that another important perspective for you is to educate people and turn them into ambassadors. I also believe that it is necessary to invite professionals from the world of wine: invite the sommeliers to visit the winery, taste the wines, see what you are doing. Then they return to their restaurants, add Georgian wines to their wine lists and share their personal impressions of the visit with their guests. And all this information accumulates, concentrates. I think then it will make Georgian wine more famous on the world stage… I don’t know if this is exactly what you are looking for, but that’s how I see it.”

Begoña Fernández Benítez, education coordinator of the wine tourism School of Catalonia in Vilafranca del Penedès, located in Barcelona, Spain:

“Some of you probably know me because this is the second year we have worked together with Wine Travel Awards. By the way, our school currently has three students from Georgia, and eight more Georgian applicants have submitted their documents for the new year. We have a formal training course that lasts two years: a theoretical one, based on wine tourism, and the second one is a contracted and paid winery training. We believe that this is the perfect educational balance. Also, in addition to the basic course, we are developing separate courses with a shorter training period. Can we create some synergy with the Foundation?”

Romané Basset: “My Godfather, Franck Massard, makes wine in Catalonia. So I’ve had the good fortune to visit him a couple of times and experience some wine tourism in Catalonia. I think you’re doing a very good job! In terms of collaboration, this is what we could do. I mentioned the grantees whereby we work with groups who are local to an area and we give them something to their projects. At the end of this month we’re going to be opening applications for funding for this year. When we do this, we ask the groups who apply to explain a bit about what they do, whether they’ve worked in any capacity with the ideas of diversity and inclusion before. And then if they have, what projects have they done, if they haven’t – what are they hoping to do. As an applicant you have to suggest an idea for a collaboration. I’ll give you an example. We do a project in France in wine school whereby we found two projects. One of them is a week’s introduction to sommelliery for people who can’t afford wine education but want to work with wine. Another course is for people with difficult economic circumstances to do a six week training, this is an intermediate level. So you see that there’s the educational component that’s essential. And there also has to be an aspect of diversity and inclusion for people who, as I said earlier have circumstances which stop them from trying. You are welcome to apply, and so are other groups who would be interested in doing a project with us. We are open to applications from the end of July, closing in September, so you have plenty of time.”

Nataliia Burlachenko, ambassador of Vinos de la Luz, CEO Big Wines:

“We are a young project in Ukraine, we’ve had our first Ukrainian release in 2023, however our premiere wine has already won a few medals from prestigious international competitions. We would be more than happy to suggest our wine as a lot for the future events held by the Foundation. For us it will be an honor to support the project. Our wine has a story behind it, and we’d be really delighted to be part of the inspiring projects of Gérard Basset Foundation.

Romané Basset: “Thank you very much for that kind offer, Natalia. And also thank you very much for thinking of wanting to help us when you’ve got everything going on in your country at the moment. The fact that you’re willing to think of helping us despite the challenges of war means a lot, so thank you very much! I can get in touch with you and explain how it works with the auction and we can look at ways on maybe incorporating your wine, because that would be very special, so thank you. I’ve recently seen that Ukrainian wine is getting more prominent in the UK. For example, I have a good friend living in the UK, actually, she’s a Ukrainian sommelier. And now she’s actually got a section of the wine list in the restaurant she works in, where she shows Ukrainian wines. And I know at the London Wine Fair this year the Ukrainian wine stand got lots of visitors, so we are becoming more aware of it here, which I think it’s very good. So we are open for collaborations, and I will get back to you about that.”

Victoria Makarova, WTA discovery editor:

“My question also relates to have  Ukrainian wines. Wines of Ukraine have been doing quite a lot at the international stage recently. We’ve been participating in ProWine fair, in London Wine fair, various other International events. And representatives of Ukraine have been doing a lot of wine tastings for experts, professionals and wine lovers in Europe, as well as in the UK. But I understand that we have a big need for recruiting more ambassadors at the international stage, and this is exactly what Wine Travel Awards are working on. Do you think Gérard Basset Foundation might in any way help us engage such people?”

Romané Basset: “We are a registered charity under UK law, and the regulations governing charities in the UK are very strict. As such, our mandate is crystal clear: to promote diversity and inclusion in the wine and hospitality industry through education and training. Consequently, we must be very specific about the projects we can financially support. Regarding the educational aspect of introducing Ukrainian wines to the world, I believe there is an optimal approach we can take. We should consider funding opportunities for ambassadors of Ukrainian wine, enabling them to gain valuable experience and knowledge. This, in turn, would allow them to effectively promote Ukrainian wines by utilizing their acquired skills. For example, we could explore the possibility of contributing to their training expenses.

I am confident that the awareness of Ukrainian wines among the people in the UK has increased significantly and will continue to grow. Ukraine presents a remarkable opportunity for promotion due to its winemakers’ proficiency in both Western winemaking techniques, akin to the French classics, and an oriental style reminiscent of Georgian wines. This unique combination can truly capture people’s interest.”

As a conclusion, Mr Basset expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the organizers of the meeting with the Wine Travel Awards community. “It has been an enlightening and inspiring experience,” he said.

In the meantime, the WTA team is immensely grateful to Romané Basset for sharing a couple of hours with our community and for inspiring us to explore the opportunities provided by Gérard Basset Foundation. To be continued!

On July 6, the Wine Travel Awards (WTA)  team gathered the award and voting winners, the jury representatives as well as the most active nominees, in a webinar led by Romané Basset, Co-Founding Trustee of the Gérard Basset Foundation, set up to honour the legacy and memory of Gérard Basset. Mr Basset was one of […]