Gastronomy and Wine Portal

London, the drink culture capital of the world, will soon become the central location where the world’s best on-trade and off-trade professionals will gather to evaluate thousands of spirits based on quality, value and packaging. The London Spirits Competition is one of the most influential spirits competitions in the world. Drinks+ and the Wine Travel Awards are the information partners of this event.

The London Spirits Competition aims to recognize, evaluate and help promote spirits brands, each created and targeted to a specific audience. “For any alcohol brand to earn its place on a retailer’s shelf or restaurant’s liquor list, and then stay there (which is vital for any brand), it must be marketable and consumer oriented, and not just being produced in the hope that you will be able to find enough fans”, – say the organizers of the contest.

The judges of the competition are bartenders, head bartenders, mixologists, and bar managers of Soho House, Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Savoy, Harbor Hotels, The Donovan Bar, The Ritz, Stafford Hotel, The Cavoots, The Savoy, 12th Knot, and this is not a complete list of the professionals who are judges of the London Spirits Competition.

The competition will take place on March 22-24, 2023.

Every year, the London Spirits Competition becomes more and more prestigious, with a special, key focus on the judges, their names and track records.

The London Spirits Competition is currently one of the most important spirits competitions in the world, with brands from all over the world participating in it. The London Spirits Competition ranks products based on their quality, value and packaging, giving brands a powerful marketing tool.

The first London Spirits Competition took place in 2018.

You can register for participation here.

More detailed information about the competition and the judges can be found on the official website of the London Spirits Competition.

London, the drink culture capital of the world, will soon become the central location where the world’s best on-trade and off-trade professionals will gather to evaluate thousands of spirits based on quality, value and packaging. The London Spirits Competition is one of the most influential spirits competitions in the world. Drinks+ and the Wine Travel […]

It is the only competition in the world dedicated entirely to the variety of white wines, which is held under the patronage of the OIV. Registration is open until March 16, 2023.

The competition will present about 1,000 samples of the best white wines from 5 continents, and 25 countries will take part in it. The event will be held in the Strasbourg Congress Center.

Registration for wines from Ukraine is free!!!

We remind you that in 2021, the Ukrainian wine that received a silver medal at Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg was Riesling Rhine Limited ordinary white dry 2016 from Prince Trubetskoi Winery, a nominee of the Wine Travel Awards.

In the competition, white wines are divided into 12 categories:

• Chardonnay
• Chenin
• Gewürztraminer
• Muscat
• Pinot Blanc
• Pinot Gris
• Riesling
• Sauvignon
• Sylvaner
• Viognier
• Other White grape varieties
• Blended white wines

Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg will take place on April 16-17. This year to celebrate our quarter of a century, in addition to the Grand Prix du Jury awards, trophies (VINOFED & Best Dry Wine by category) and medals (Grand Gold, Gold, Silver),

We will award 3 «favorites»:

• the favourite indigenous grapevariety
• the favourite white wine with maceration
• the favourite first entry.

More detailed information can be found here.

It is the only competition in the world dedicated entirely to the variety of white wines, which is held under the patronage of the OIV. Registration is open until March 16, 2023. The competition will present about 1,000 samples of the best white wines from 5 continents, and 25 countries will take part in it. […]

London Wine Fair – Official Exhibition Partner of the Wine Travel Awards has announced the registration for the London Wine Fair 2023. It is now open and you can register here.

London Wine Fair invites over 10,000 drinks industry professionals at the UK’s biggest live and digital drinks trade event. The event will traditionally take place at Olympia, London on 15-17 May 2023. 

The organizers premise: “This progressive fair will be rich with inspirational content, feature outstanding wines to taste from around the world and will have an abundance of networking opportunities taking place in person and on the Fair’s intuitive digital platform. There will also be products from over 400 top exhibitors, plus a packed schedule of impactful industry sessions, masterclasses and tastings.”

Moreover, this year’s London Wine Fair will put sustainability front and centre, creating an event which addresses and challenges the issues and opportunities around all things green in the wine industry.

After winning the 2022 WTA Award for the Most Effective Wine Event, and with inspirational plans, a fresh new look and an exceptional digital offering, the London Wine Fair can once again hold claim to be ‘the most intelligent wine event in the world’.

It is important to add that in this upcoming season, the WTA and LWF teams continue the fruitful collaboration! In May 2023, the WTA will hold a special event as part of the London Wine Fair presenting the WTA nominees, sponsors, jury members and will do a grand wine tasting.

Date: Wednesday 17 May, from 10 am to 12 pm

Location: Industry Briefing Room at Olympia London, LWF.

The event is open to sommeliers, retailers, importers, HoReCa, media, experts, critics and influencers from all over the world to be attended. WTA offers its partners a wonderful opportunity of presenting their businesses to top-notch decision makers of the wine industry without spending a tremendous amount of money. 

Interested in joining us as nominee, partner or sponsor? Need more details on the WTA 2022-2023 activities and offers? Please feel free to contact us at partnership@winetravelawards.com

London Wine Fair – Official Exhibition Partner of the Wine Travel Awards has announced the registration for the London Wine Fair 2023. It is now open and you can register here. London Wine Fair invites over 10,000 drinks industry professionals at the UK’s biggest live and digital drinks trade event. The event will traditionally take place at Olympia, London on 15-17 May 2023.  […]

The Drinks+ and WTA team was invited to take part at the virtual ProWein Media Summit 2023. This year, our media resources traditionally became the Information Partner of ProWein while ProWein got engaged in the WTA as its Exhibition Partner. So, we would like to shed light on some issues presented by the ProWein Press team in an-hour conference moderated by Monika Kissing.

The ProWein Media Summit began with the presentation of the press conference participants – Prof. Dr. Simone Loose, Head of the Institute for Wine and Beverage Business at Geisenheim University, Executive Director of ProWein Michael Degen, new Project Director of ProWein Peter Schmitz. They gave their review and conclusions on the post Сovid-19 ProWein 2022 and their rather positive evaluation of the results.

As Mr Michael Degen mentioned in his introduction speech, the focus of this year’s ProWein is going to be on alternative packaging, sustainability, rising costs on the glass and bottle production, impact of the alternative packages on the wine taste, design, low and the non-alcohol wines – the “World of 0” was specially created at ProWein.

Following ProWein Project Director Peter’s Schmitz presentation, Dr. Simone Loose, Geisenheim University, brought the Current ProWein Business Report 2022 to the table. The industry reaction, trends and a long list of challenges caused by rising costs and disrupted supply chains were among dominant topics.

Commissioned by ProWein, Geisenheim University polled experts from throughout the world across the entire value chain of the wine industry in late 2022, for the sixth time now. Participants include wine producers from the most important wine-growing countries in the Old and New World. Those are exporters, importers, specialist wine merchants as well as representatives from the food service, hospitality and hotel industries.

The ProWein Business Report 2022 follows on from ProWein unique, regular “Marktbarometer” (Market Barometer) for the international wine industry produced since 2017 and assesses the significance of the challenges facing the industry during the current economic crisis. This year, again 2,500 international experts from 47 countries have shared their insider knowledge.

Prof. Dr. Simone Loose commented: “Interesting to note here is that industry leaders are proactively responding to the economic crisis. They tap into new markets with their products and react to traders’ and consumers’ needs with very innovative solutions. These include – according to the survey – alternative wine packaging and low-no alcohol wines.”

The most important results

The industry entered 2022 with positive expectations. Producers and traders hoped for a recovery from the negative impact of Covid-19.

Like in the previous year, rising costs and disruptions to supply chains rank top in the list of threats and challenges for the wine industry. The degree to which the industry is affected has clearly increased.

The global economic upturn after Covid-19 already led to a greater demand for energy and rising energy prices in 2021. With the war in Ukraine and sudden collapse in energy supplies in 2022, prices in many parts of Europe have therefore often more than doubled compared to 2020. Due to their higher energy consumption, producers are significantly more affected by this than wine traders.

Almost all producers were affected by transportation issues and supply chain disruptions. From the industry’s perspective, transportation and supply issues will continue to present a major challenge for their business

Further information as well as the complete ProWein Business Report 2022 can be found on the website of ProWein at www.prowein.de

Drinks+ & Wine Travel Awards continue their fruitful cooperation in the field of information partnership with the world’s leading trade fair for wine and spirits ProWein 2023, which opens its doors in Dusseldorf again to thousands of wine professionals from all over the world from 19 to 21 March 2023.

Do you fancy discovering Ukrainian wines? Join the wine tasting of 6 WTA nominees: Family Winery SHABO, Beykush Winery, 46 Parallel Wine, Stakhovsky Wines, Villa Tinta, Big Wines (Ukrainian branch of Vinos de La Luz) organized by the WTA team at ProWein on Tuesday, 03/21/2023 – 16.00 pm/hall 13 (Forum 13.2).

Big Wines (Ukrainian branch of Vinos de La Luz) – at ProWein on Tuesday, 03/21/2023 – 16.00 pm/hall 13 (Forum 13.2).

Moreover, the Wine Travel Awards Guide Special Edition (print & digital) will be distributed at ProWein exhibition hall and at the newly online trade press stand, a new digital platform of Messe Düsseldorf with extending the presence using the ProWein Portal.

The Drinks+ and WTA team was invited to take part at the virtual ProWein Media Summit 2023. This year, our media resources traditionally became the Information Partner of ProWein while ProWein got engaged in the WTA as its Exhibition Partner. So, we would like to shed light on some issues presented by the ProWein Press […]

If you’re looking for an experience that takes you to the heart of the authentic spirit of an Italian winemaking region, you simply must visit the birthplace of Asti and Moscato d’Asti.

Situated in Piedmont, in the northwest of Italy, only a few kilometers from the foothills of the Alps, the shores of the Mediterranean and the flatlands of the Po valley, made fertile by Italy’s most important river, the areas of Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti have for centuries been the home of the Moscato Bianco varietal. This is an ancient vine found in many parts of the world, but which shows a particular predilection for the climate and soil of Piedmont, yielding aromatic grapes that express rare and unique scents and flavors that lie dormant when the varietal is grown in other places.

The Moscato Bianco varietal, whose golden bunches are the only ones destined to become Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, thrives on about 10 thousand hectares of vineyards stretched atop rolling hills in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo.

The origins of the local soil are stratified sediments of a primordial ocean basin, giving this area a special geological profile and resulting in a variegated environment that man’s hand has shaped without infringing on its beauty.

A land of ancient hamlets and towns, dotted with castles and period residences, where cellars and tunnels dug into the earth are still in use, aging wines and spumante of excellent quality, appreciated worldwide. After all, it was here that, over a hundred and fifty years ago, the first Italian sparkling wine was born: an Asti Spumante, naturally.

Among the marquee attractions in the land of Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, which in 2014 was the first of Italy’s premier winemaking regions to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the 50^th Italian site, there are Canelli’s Cantine Storiche, in the province of Asti, amazing underground cathedrals of wine, winding for kilometers under the city.

Another must-see are the breathtaking panoramas of the hills, geometrically blanketed by the rows of grapevines, and the medieval towers and strongholds that are scattered throughout the countryside, as well as the natural splendors waiting to be discovered by excursionists.

Last but not by any means least, there is the famously delectable cuisine of the area, which pairs artisanal cold cuts and cheeses and Asti Spumante or Moscato d’Asti, as well as healthy, farm-fresh meat and vegetables and classic Piedmont dishes like vitello tonnato, cold slices of roast veal in a creamy tuna sauce; agnolotti with “plin”, a traditional filled pasts in the shape of a classic candy, or old-time cakes like hazelnut torte and homemade pudding, made with eggs and cocoa.

Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti are therefore the ideal ambassadors for a land that boasts so many excellences and that fully meets the demands of eco-tourism: green, sustainable, up to date and mindful.

If you’re looking for an experience that takes you to the heart of the authentic spirit of an Italian winemaking region, you simply must visit the birthplace of Asti and Moscato d’Asti.

Paris once again becomes the capital of sommellerie and welcomes candidates from 68 countries claiming the title of best sommelier in the world.

The ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale) Best Sommelier of the World 2023 will take place in France from February 7 to 12. Organized under the auspices of the Union de la Sommellerie Française (UDSF) and its president, Philippe Faure-Brac (best sommelier in the world in 1992), this international competition will bring together 68 candidates for four long days of competition. The final will take place in the performance hall of Paris La Défense Arena on Sunday February 12 and will be, for the first time in the history of the competition, open to the public.

A unique opportunity to attend a remarkable sommelier demonstration. This year, Ukraine will be represented by Maryna Revkova, Best Sommelier of Ukraine 2020, ASI certified sommelier. Her command of English at a high level and her solid knowledge of the world of wine make her an excellent candidate. The candidates for the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2023 represent a collection of people that have sacrificed immense amounts of time and energy to reach this level of competition. The full list of candidates can be found here.

Drinks+ Editor, Oleksandra Hryhorieva will be reporting on the d-day of the big final from Paris to keep our readers updated. Meanwhile, we wish Maryna an excellent performance and to bring a new victory to Ukrainian wine history.

Paris once again becomes the capital of sommellerie and welcomes candidates from 68 countries claiming the title of best sommelier in the world. The ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale) Best Sommelier of the World 2023 will take place in France from February 7 to 12. Organized under the auspices of the Union de la […]

Today, when it seems that a new wave of the pandemic is approaching, we are once again convinced of how opportune the concept of the Wine Travel Awards (WTA) was. Hybrid advertising media and flexible marketing programs do not lose their relevance today. In particular, the WTA team announces the start of preparation of a special issue of an exclusive PR catalogue – the WTA Guide.

The WTA Guide Special Edition is a unique PR catalog which will be issued in March 2023 and distributed both in the digital and paper formats at:

• ProWein Dusseldorf, Germany, March 19-21
• WST – Wine & Spirit Tourism International Trade Fair, Reims, France, March 12-14
• IWINETC, Tarragona, Spain, March, 23-24
• Vinitaly, Verona, Italy, April 2-5
• London Wine Fair, Great Britain, May 15-17
• Wine & Gourmet Taipei 2023, Taiwan, May 26-28

It will be in our traditional style, and will include information about wineries and other interesting locations of several wine-producing countries. The WTA Guide Special Edition provides you with an opportunity to be introduced to the target audiences of the most powerful world’s exhibitions where participants will get a printed copy of the Guide. Visitors to ProWein and WST will also be able to scan a QR-code from the posters which will lead to the digital WTA Guide. The digital version will be available on the WTA, Drinks+ and our partners’ websites all year long. An example of a similar WTA Guide can be found on the ProWein website.

Besides, the WTA Guide Special Edition will become part of the email marketing campaign through our own databases of international wine and tourism professionals and operators to increase global awareness and attract new partners, distributors as well as tourist flows to your business or region.

The WTA Guide Special Edition – a special opportunity to take part in six strongest wine exhibitions at the beginning of 2023!

 To become part of the Guide, please contact us via contact@winetravelawards.com

Today, when it seems that a new wave of the pandemic is approaching, we are once again convinced of how opportune the concept of the Wine Travel Awards (WTA) was. Hybrid advertising media and flexible marketing programs do not lose their relevance today. In particular, the WTA team announces the start of preparation of a […]

We are delighted to announce that WTA continues cooperating with the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) as the Information Partner in 2023.

IWINETC, organised by Wine Events Worldwide, is considered one of the most respected global events for the wine and gastronomic tourism industry. Over the years, the event was held in Portugal, Italy, Spain, France, Hungary, Georgia, and Croatia.

The 14th edition of Conference & Exhibition 2023 will be held in the Hotel Cuitat Tarragona, Spain. The conference begins at 09.00 on Thursday 23rd and ends at 13.00 on Friday 24thMarch. The program includes a guided walking tour of the UNESCO Tarragona World Heritage Site, insightful discussions and conference talks, time at the exhibition area, tasting tours, etc.

This year, the WTA team will give a conference talk “Shine Bright Like a Diamond. Add Value to your Wine Tourism Brand: What Wine Travel Awards can Offer” where we will present the project. In the competitive wine & spirit world, businesses, brands and personalities look for cutting-edge tools to differentiate themselves, to promote their services and raise awareness about their products. The Wine Travel Awards – an innovative PR and marketing project in the field of wine tourism – perfectly respond to this demand.

Let us remind you that IWINETC participated in the Prize Fund for WTA winners of the first edition. Pago de Carraovejas, the WTA public voting winner in Must Visit, Frank John winery, the WTA winner in Progressive Approach, and Miguel Leal, who became the public voting winner in the Guide of the Year and received the Judge’s Choice Award, are invited to attend the 14th edition of IWINETC free of charge.

We are delighted to announce that WTA continues cooperating with the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) as the Information Partner in 2023. IWINETC, organised by Wine Events Worldwide, is considered one of the most respected global events for the wine and gastronomic tourism industry. Over the years, the event was held in Portugal, Italy, Spain, […]

The new year brings exciting opportunities to the Wine Travel Awards project. The WTA is selected as a successful start-up for the new international program at the Bernard Magrez Start-Up Win incubator for 2023.

Our team is honored to join the unique place and prominent people that cherish valuable ideas and projects contributing to the development of the wine and wine tourism industry. Now we are part of a proactive environment which will help the WTA and its community grow and become stronger. So, congratulations to all of us – it is our common achievement! 

Bernard Magrez, CEO at Bernard Magrez Group, mastermind and founder of Bernard Magrez Start-Up Win, opens the doors of wine, vines, wine tourism and digitalization to the most promising start-ups in the sector. “Unlike many city centre incubators, the Relais du Château Pape Clément offers a serenity and proximity to nature and the vines that are essential to driving innovation in the sector. We see the progress made by early start-ups. We are going to strengthen our assistance to these entrepreneurs, in accordance with the Mission that I have given myself to Help the Other, Help Others,” says Mr. Magrez.

He also notes: “To remain a leader, it is essential to innovate… Supporting young start-ups today in order to reinvent the world of wine tomorrow is the continuity of this approach, and it is an exciting experience! Transmitting the keys to excellence to young entrepreneurs in order to help them succeed in life, teach them to hold on and never give up, it will also be a very strong moment.”

As a start-up at the Incubator, WTA gains access to its two locations – in Bordeaux and Strasbourg, benefits from the expertise of its experts and consultants, and enters the professional and innovative network. This year, we plan to participate in numerous insightful seminars, workshops, conferences and exhibitions organised and supported by Bernard Magrez. We aspire for interesting common projects and fruitful cooperation to promote the WTA and develop its community. Let’s not hide it – to be in the orbit of such a great personality as Bernard Magrez is an amazing gift of fate for our team’s own ambitions, as well as for all current and future WTA nominees!

The application process for the international program at the Incubator in Strasbourg is open. The BM Start-Up Win Strasbourg incubator will share the premises of the AIVA – Académie Internationale des Vins in Landersheim and join forces with the local incubation expert “Quest for change” to best support the new projects that will be selected.

The new year brings exciting opportunities to the Wine Travel Awards project. The WTA is selected as a successful start-up for the new international program at the Bernard Magrez Start-Up Win incubator for 2023. Our team is honored to join the unique place and prominent people that cherish valuable ideas and projects contributing to the […]

Drinks+ & Wine Travel Awards continue their fruitful cooperation in the field of information partnership with the world’s leading trade fair for wine and spirits ProWein 2023, which opens its doors in Dusseldorf again to thousands of wine professionals from all over the world from 19 to 21 March 2023. 

At the ProWein international trade press stand, the Wine Travel Awards Guide. Special Edition will tell the world about the most proactive and innovative wine & spirit businesses, brands, personalities and projects that joined the WTA second edition. In addition to the print version, the Guide will be presented at the newly online trade press stand: a new digital platform of Messe Düsseldorf with extending the presence using the ProWein Portal. Our readers can get acquainted with the WTA Guide. Special Edition two weeks before the trade fair and also three months after the end of ProWein. The catalog is going to be presented on ProWein’ website at Exhibitor, Visitor and Press pages.

The Wine Travel Awards (WTA) Guide is a special advertising edition that is published by Drinks+ Communication Media Group in English (print and digital), and read by over 150,000 members of the wine community globally. Wine enthusiasts and professionals read the WTA Guide for keeping abreast of trends, established and growing producers and regions, brands, as well as wine tourism offers around the world.

The WTA Guide will be issued twice a year: in March 2023 in the format of a Special Edition and in June 2023 as a final catalog of the WTA 2022-2023 community members.

We invite innovative companies to become part of these issues as a participant or sponsor in order to promote your business initiatives, brands, products, services and regions.

For more details, contact us via partnership@winetravelawards.com

The very first issue of the WTA Guide 2021-2022 experienced a similar path at the ProWein Dusseldorf 2022 where the public awareness was raised about many talented personalities and progressive businesses operating in the wine & spirit tourism field. In 2023, WTA is ready to share a new portion of authentic experiences in its special edition. 

The ProWein 2023 will follow on from the success story of the past 28 years and confirm its leading role as the world’s biggest and most relevant trade fair for wines and spirits once again.

Communication Media Group Drinks+ has been operating within the Eastern and Southern Europe markets since 1993, and have been successfully working as a media partner with the ProWein exhibition for 15 years. 

Drinks+ & Wine Travel Awards continue their fruitful cooperation in the field of information partnership with the world’s leading trade fair for wine and spirits ProWein 2023, which opens its doors in Dusseldorf again to thousands of wine professionals from all over the world from 19 to 21 March 2023.  At the ProWein international trade […]