Gastronomy and Wine Portal

The Bordeaux Wine Week will take place for the first time in Bordeaux from 16 to 26 June. One of the event locations is the Cité du Vin. As part of this extraordinary wine festival, on June 22, there will be a wine tasting of nominees and partners of the Wine Travel Awards.

La Cité du Vin, where the Bordeaux Wine Week will be held for the first time from 16 to 26 June 2022, is a nominee for and sponsor of the Wine Travel Awards, and most recently the Bordeaux wine museum celebrated 2 million visitors since its opening in 2016.

This year, the Bordeaux Wine Week will bring together several events dedicated to French and foreign wines and spirits. The wine week will feature conferences organized by renowned international speakers, the Bordeaux Fête le Vin held by the Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Council (CIVB) and the Tourist Information Center (OTCBM), the unique Picasso exhibition, the effervescence of shapes which is open at La Cité du Vin from April 15 to August 28, a series of tastings.

A presentation and a wine tasting of WTA nominees and partners will be held at the Bordeaux Wine Week on June 22 from 10 a.m. to noon, following the First Wine Travel Awards Ceremony on June 8 at the London Wine Fair. The tasting will take place in hall №2. The Bordeaux Wine Week is designed to showcase the great diversity of wine regions, as well as the environmental initiatives used by wineries in France and other parts of the world.

The Wine Travel Awards tasting can be called a unique event in the middle of another unique event, as the geographical diversity of WTA community members is as large as the number of wine regions and events featured by the Bordeaux Wine Week.

The Bordeaux Wine Week will take place for the first time in Bordeaux from 16 to 26 June. One of the event locations is the Cité du Vin. As part of this extraordinary wine festival, on June 22, there will be a wine tasting of nominees and partners of the WTA.

The Balkan International Wine Competition will take place from 1 to 3 June on the historic island of Salamis, Greece, under the auspices of the Municipality of Salamis. The Balkan Wine Festival will be held in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, from 16 to 18 June 2022.

This year’s competition is open to wine producers from the Balkan Peninsula, Central and Eastern Europe, the Black Sea region, as well as to wine producers from any other wine region.

Salamis is an island near Athens where the famous Battle of Salamis took place 2,500 years ago. The victory at Salamis marked the beginning of change in European history and preserved civilization. Now history is being made in Ukraine, where the struggle between democracy and tyranny is taking place! Therefore, Salamina is looking forward to Ukrainian wines, creating all the conditions for our winemakers to be able to present their products at the XI Balkans International Wine Competition.

The Wine Travel Awards (WTA) team will take part in the Balkans International Wine Competition 2022. There will be a presentation of Ukrainian wines, as well as wine tasting of WTA nominees and sponsors coming all over the world. The Wine Travel Awards Guide – a special advertising edition in English that is published by Drinks+ Communication Media Group once a year in printed and digital versions – will also be featured at the competition. It includes stories about all nominees, winners of public voting and prize-winners.

Our team does our best to talk about Ukrainian wine on the largest international platforms, to acquaint ourselves with its original tastes and excellent quality, and most importantly to support talented, courageous and indomitable Ukrainians who defend their homeland and even continue taking care of their vineyards under enemy shelling and missiles. 

BWC Chairman Igor Lukovic, BIWCF Managing Director Galina Niforou, Wine MBA, Honorary Chairman of BIWC Konstantinos Lazarakis MW wish success to all Ukrainian participants in The XI Balkans International Wine Competition and Festival 2022!

Photo: travelplannersgreece.com

The Balkan International Wine Competition will take place from 1 to 3 June on the historic island of Salamis, Greece, under the auspices of the Municipality of Salamis.

On May 2, 2022, the Wine Travel Awards (WTA) nominee and the prize fund sponsor La Cité du Vin celebrated the symbolic mark of 2 million visitors since the opening in 2016 was crossed!

Each year, more than 400,000 French and international visitors discover the Cité du Vin and its cultural and leisure offer for the wine professional, wine lovers and travelers.

The result is very good at this time of the return of tourists and after 2 years marked by the COVID-19 health crisis.

“It’s a symbol that feels good! The past two years have been particularly challenging for our industry. Crossing this symbolic bar that confirms the attractiveness of our site is both a success and a consecration for all our teams! ” says Philippe Massol, Director General of the Foundation for the Culture and Civilizations of Wine which manages the Cité du Vin.

Congratulations from the Wine Travel Awards and Drinks+ team!

On May 2, 2022, the Wine Travel Awards (WTA) nominee and the prize fund sponsor La Cité du Vin celebrated the symbolic mark of 2 million visitors since the opening in 2016 was crossed!

Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin, which has been under construction for more than 10 years, is finally opening its doors to visitors.

In the heart of Burgundy, in Dijon, a museum dedicated to wine and gastronomy will soon open: the grand opening of the 1,750 m2 building is scheduled for May 6.

Organizers expect the museum, which has attracted 250 million euros in investment over 10 years, to be visited by more than a million visitors annually. The new location is designed to increase the flow of eno- and gastrotourists to the region, as it is located near the best vineyards of Burgundy and the famous tourist La Route des Grands Crus, and the museum cellar Cave de la Cité will be ready to offer more than 250 samples of wines for bottling.

Possible options include tasting sessions from the École des Vins, which will feature wines from around the world and the famous products of Burgundy winemakers. Guests can also visit culinary courses, restaurants, film screenings, four exhibition halls, including a pavilion dedicated to the secrets of French baking, which was created with the help of the world-famous confectioner Pierre Herme.

But this is not all the gastronomic locations of the museum: the culinary school Ferrandi Paris will open its doors to the public, which will hold master classes in English, and the gourmet restaurant La Table du Chef, led by French chef and owner of three Michelin stars Eric Prat will offer the best regional cuisine.

The museum will also have a specialized bookstore, which will present a wide range of publications on French winemaking and gastronomy.

The Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin can be reached by train in an hour and a half from Paris. The guests will be welcomed in its own four-star hotel with a swimming pool, spa and restaurant which are announced to be built within a year.

Photo: www.citedelagastronomie-dijon.fr

Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin, which has been under construction for more than 10 years, is finally opening its doors to visitors.

Even under the pandemic and war circumstances, the Wine Travel Awards (WTA) proved to be a successful and valuable project in the wine tourism industry. As a result, the organizers gladly announced this year’s winners.

Initially, WTA aimed to help the wine tourism industry find a response to the pandemic due to the promotion of their community members, raising awareness and building bridges between different operators of the industry. However, it also turned out to be a response to the current large-scale war in Ukraine that Russia has been cruelly waging since 24 February – in the middle of the WTA project.

Despite this, we keep meeting our commitments and today will gladly highlight names of the WTA 2021-2022 winners, among which there is even a Ukrainian nominee. Thanks to the efficiency and dedication of the jury, this year’s winners were selected 10 days earlier than it was planned. They all are featured in the WTA Guide – an exclusive PR catalog that is ready to be firstly distributed at ProWein in May, then at the London Wine Fair, the Balkans International Wine Competition and Bordeaux Wine Week in June.

So, here should be a drumroll! And the winners of Wine Travel Awards 2021-2022 are:

1.The Visiting Card of the Country

According to the evaluation of Stéphane Badet, a lecturer at ISVV – Institute of Vine and Wine Science and at EPL Bordeaux, specialist in wine economy, management, marketing and tourism, the winners of the following two categories become:

Must visit – #124 Château Mukhrani (Georgia)

Brand – the visiting card of the country – #33 Vinaria Purcari (Moldova)

Judging the next two categories, Saverio Savio, a leader of projects funded by the European Union and aimed at the development of integration processes in the region, awarded a victory to:

Progressive approach – #160 Frank John winery (Germany)

Authentic location – #143 Villa dei Misteri: the wine of Ancient Pompeii (Italy)

Einat Klein, a journalist, photographer, historian, professional traveller, guide to the Middle East and Africa, wine expert and wine producer (Israel), decided in favor of:

Objet d’Art – #164 Museo d’Impresa Mastroberardino Atripalda (Italy)

2.Education in Enotourism

Executive Editor at Pix, previously Editor-in-Chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, Felicity Carter judged the public voting winners from the second nomination and as a result awarded:

Unique program – #15 “Master Class”, the first sommelier school in Ukraine (Ukraine)

Cultural mission – #136 GuideMASTER Wine Tour Guide Program (Armenia)

3.Enogastronomic Events 

Robert Joseph, a British wine expert, consultant, producer, an editorial consultant for Meininger’s Wine Business International, a wine journalist of London Sunday Telegraph, named the next WTA winner:

Magnet of the region – #152 The Shumi Winery (Georgia)

Based on the judgment of Per Karlsson, a co-founder and wine writer of BKWine Magazine and BKWine Wine Tours, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators, among the announced winners there are:

Effective event – #170 London Wine Fair (UK)

Event of the year – #150 Yerevan Wine Days (Armenia)

4.Ambassador 

Thanks to the expertise of Olga Bussinello, a private entrepreneur, brand consultant, legal consultant for food and wine companies, the winners of the Ambassador nomination were defined:

Ambassador of the year – #133 Wine Paths (France)

Creative strategy – #97 Vinuri de Comrat (Moldova)

5.Wine & Food Influencer

The winner of the next category was announced by Fiona Morrison, MW, Managing Director of Thienpont Wine, an international wine merchant and négociant who runs three Bordeaux estates:

Author of the year – #34  Alder Yarrow (USA)

Dr. Ricardo Nunez, Head of the international group of companies Vinos de La Luz, which unites wineries in Spain, Italy, Argentina and the United States, awarded:

Research of the year – #159 Wine consumption study (Armenia)

Expert opinion – #38 Alder Yarrow (USA)

On the base of the decision of Philippe Massol, General Director of the unique and pioneering project – La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, another winner is:

The brightest journey – #83 AdVINEtures (Canada)

6.Wine Guide

The category judged by Maximilian Tafel, an enologist by profession, studied International Wine Business at Geisenheim University and the University of Giessen:

Guide of the year – #147 Vini Armenian Wine Guide (Armenia)

Gergely Szolnoki, Professor of Market Research at Geisenheim University and honorary professor of Wine and Beverage Management & Marketing at the University of West Attica, decided on the following winners:

Unique route – #45 Tanisha Townsend (France)

Educational tour of the year – #109 WineStatistics (Romania)

This year’s WTA winners are automatically accepted as nominees in the categories they won for WTA 2022-2023.

The WTA winners will be officially revealed and awarded at the Wine Travel Awards Ceremony which will take place in the “Industry Briefing Room” at the London Wine Fair on June 8th, 2022, at 12.30-14.30. In the framework of the event, the Drinks+ and Wine Travel Awards teams organize a walk-around tasting of wines produced by the WTA nominees and partners from all over the world, including Ukraine.

Also, the Wines of Ukraine stand will be featured with the support of the UK Sommelier Association and in partnership with Ukrsadvinprom and LWF.

Federica Zanghirella, Vice President, Course Director, UK Sommelier Association said: “We will be more than happy to attend the event and promote the Ukrainian producers during these difficult times for the country”.

Even under the pandemic and war circumstances, the Wine Travel Awards (WTA) proved to be a successful and valuable project in the wine tourism industry. As a result, the organizers gladly announced this year’s winners.

The United Kingdom supports Ukraine, and Drinks+ promotes Ukrainian winemakers in Britain.

With the beginning of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, we are supported by the entire civilized world: our country receives weapons, medicine and humanitarian aid from the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan. Our country is perhaps the most supported by the United Kingdom, which not only provides military assistance, but also announced new economic measures to support Ukraine.

It has recently become known that the British government intends to abolish customs duties on all goods from Ukraine in the framework of the Free Trade Agreement between the United Kingdom and Ukraine, providing us with much-needed economic support. Tariff measures are part of the UK’s broad economic support for Ukraine, including the provision of £ 1 billion in loan guarantees.

Currently, the average duty on Ukrainian imports is about 22%. Relieving tariffs on key Ukrainian exports will help Ukrainian businesses and producers when they need it most. Ukraine exports milk and dairy products, honey, poultry, egg products, snails and other goods to the Foggy Albion. We hope that this list will expand.

In its turn, the Drinks + Communication Media Group, which has always supported Ukrainian producers, is accumulating all its resources in this difficult time in order to create favorable conditions for the promotion of domestic products. We understand that with the beginning of the war, our winemakers, who had faced many problems before, now have a very difficult period: someone has lost their work and is trying to rebuild the farm, for example the Khalupenkos, some found themselves in the occupied territories, some lost their products. We are not talking about lost business connections, inability to work due to the fact that some workers were forced to evacuate or take up arms, or a long period of ban on the sale of alcohol in almost entire Ukraine.

But even in such a difficult time, business is looking for ways to survive, and we are happy to provide assistance and support to all Ukrainian producers who have export plans. Ukrainian wines have previously been favored by foreign experts and regularly received the highest awards at the most famous international wine competitions, and now, when the whole world looks at us due to heroic resistance against the rashist invasion, domestic products should be in trend around the world. And our courageous and steadfast editorial staff is ready to contribute to this as much as possible.

In the coming months, a number of events are planned at influential international events in the wine industry, where we will be proud to present Ukrainian winemakers and their products. In cooperation with Ukrsadvinprom, our media group is collecting samples of wines from Ukrainian wineries that intend to take part in the joint national stand of the country at the 40th exhibition of wine and spirits London Wine Fair, which will be held in the British capital on June 7-9, 2022, as well as in the Balkans International Wine Competition, which will take place on June 1-3, 2022, on the Greek island of Salamis.

In order to support Ukrainian producers, the organizers of these events gave our winemakers the opportunity to present their wines free of charge, and Drinks+ takes over all organizational work: we present your samples for free, invite guests to tastings, ask for feedback from wine experts, etc.

So, we encourage everyone who wants to show their products in London – a city where all the world’s wine “elite” will soon gather, and in the center of Balkan winemaking, to contact us for information: you can get all the details here.

Let’s step to victory together!

The United Kingdom supports Ukraine, and Drinks+ promotes Ukrainian winemakers in Britain.

A whisky festival will take place on April 23-24, 2022, in Limburg, Germany. Ukraine will be represented by two special releases – GunpowderUA and ResistanceUA.

Since February 24, Ukraine has been under constant enemy fire. The Russian occupier destroys our cities and takes the lives of civilians… The enemy wants to break the spirit of Ukraine and Ukrainians. But this will never happen, because in our blood – the will and strength of our ancestors, in our genes engraved “Testament” (Zapovit), and as long as we remember the lines of the Great Kobzar “And break your heavy chains, And water with the tyrants’ blood, The freedom you have gained ” – we are.

So, despite the excruciating pain, we continue to live and express ourselves to the world, and the world, in turn, supports us in every way. On April 23-24 at The Whisky Fair – one of the largest whiskey festivals in the world, Ukrainian whisky will be presented in two special releases – GunpowderUA and ResistanceUA.

“We set ourselves the goal of telling the international audience about the daily exploits of both the average Ukrainian and our unsurpassed Armed Forces, and it is to their exploits that these whisky releases are dedicated,” said Oleksii Ostrovskii, Head of the Whisky Corner. “All profits will be donated to the Armed Forces and humanitarian volunteer organizations.”

You can support the participation of Ukrainian whiskey in The Whisky Fair by reposting our news or announcement from Whisky Corner. And if someone is in Limburg on April 23-24, Oleksii Ostrovskii invites you to visit the Whisky Corner stand and bring your foreign friends there. “The more of us there will be, the more guests we will be able to convey our idea and the REAL situation in Ukraine now!”

Following this, Oleksii and the Whisky Corner team plan to visit Feis ile 2022 (Islay, Scotland, United Kingdom).

Source: https://www.facebook.com/alex.ostrovskii

Photo: facebook.com/whiskyfair

A whiskey festival will take place on April 23-24, 2022, in Limburg, Germany. Ukraine will be represented by two special releases – GunpowderUA and ResistanceUA.

At a special ceremony organized by the Bulgarian Winemaking and Export Association (BWEA) and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), a plaque for “Ambassador of Bulgarian Wine” in Ukraine was presented to Anastasiia Sydorenko.

The title “Wine Ambassador” of Bulgarian wine will be awarded annually to individuals who have proven themselves in the promotion of Bulgarian wine abroad.

Last year BWEA launched a large-scale project to promote Bulgarian wine in Ukraine with a number of activities, thanks to the consulting company of Anastasiia Sydorenko “Tempus Vino”, engaged in consulting for new wines on the Ukrainian market, training, and presentations for professionals and for end customers.

The Bulgarian Winemaking and Export Association managed to impose Bulgarian wines and awaited the first orders just before the start of the war in Ukraine.

“The project is frozen for one year, and we all hope to start again our planned activities from 2023″, said Galina Niforou, President of BWEA. “By awarding Anastasiia Sydorenko the title of “Wine Ambassador” of Bulgarian wine in Ukraine, we want to express our gratitude for the great work done by her company over the past year and show the commitment of the Bulgarian wine industry to the inhuman invasion of Ukraine. We want to convey a positive message and assure our Ukrainian partners that we all hope that the war will end soon and that the Ukrainian people will return to their normal way of life”, Niforu concluded.

“It is a great honor for me to be the voice that will spread the word and knowledge about Bulgarian wine in Ukraine. Special thanks to Galina Nifooru and the Bulgarian Winemaking and Export Association for choosing me to be part of the Europe Shares program and giving me this incredible opportunity”, said Anastasiia Sydorenko excitedly during the award ceremony.

At the cocktail party after the official part, the guests of the celebration raised a toast with the wines of Katarzyna Estate, Aya Estate, Château Copsa, Bononia estate, Zlaten Rozhen winery, Via Vinera Winery and Rupel Wine Cellar –  all members of BWEA who actively participated in the promotion of Bulgarian wine in Ukraine last year.

Galina Niforou is the Managing Director of the Balkans International Wine Competition, whose media partner is Communication Media Group Drinks+. Drinks+ invites Ukrainian winemakers to take part in the most prestigious Balkan wine competition. Participation of winemakers from Ukraine is free of charge. At the Balkans International Wine Competition, the Wine Travel Awards team will hold a tasting of our nominees’ and sponsors’ wines, as well as present Ukrainian wines. The competition will take place from 1 to 3 June in Salamis (Greece).

At a special ceremony organized by the Bulgarian Winemaking and Export Association (BWEA) and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), a plaque for “Ambassador of Bulgarian Wine” in Ukraine was presented to Anastasiia Sydorenko.

Tbilvino, one of the largest producers and exporters of Georgian wine, has made a strategic decision to suspend economic activity in Russia. It should be noted that the Russian market has so far accounted for 21% of the company’s annual sales.

“Recent events and subsequent global pressure on the Russian economic system have a major impact on business expectations, long-term prospects and, in general, will bring changes in the logistical chain. At the same time, imposed sanctions on the Russian banking and financial system and currency devaluation process would further complicate transactions. Since the beginning of the military conflict in Ukraine, we have been thoroughly examining all the risks or changes, including the reputational risks, that may affect our commercial situation in this respect.” – says Zurab Margvelashvili, Founder of Tbilvino.

Ongoing hostilities in Ukraine have made the situation stressful and unpredictable in Russia and the region in general, which, along with the reputation risk, creates an unfavorable outlook for doing business. Company’s long-term strategy has always been to produce high quality products, diversify markets and promote Georgian wine around the world.

As George Margvelashvili, Founder of Tbilvino, states, “We have always strived to let customers around the world discover and appreciate Georgian wines and we are proud to be present in 30 countries today. However, expansion and growth in the emerging and existing markets is even more important now and we plan to increase our efforts to find new partners and grow sales with the existing ones.”

Despite the crisis in the region, the company continues to work on expanding production, introducing better methods of corporate governance and quality control, and integrating modern technologies into the business process. At the moment, Tbilvino is conducting negotiations with a large international financial organization that will provide remarkable investment opportunity and will be an important step for the development of the company. In this process, minimizing unstable and risky operations becomes even more important.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Tbilvino has been in regular contact with partners in Ukraine to obtain firsthand information about the humanitarian needs and address them in an urgent manner. The company shipped humanitarian cargo to Ukrainian partners in the first week of the war.

Zurab Margvelashvili, Founder of Tbilvino: “The main thing we can do now is to support and help Ukrainian people. We send humanitarian cargo to Ukraine, donate on behalf of the company and our employees to specially created funds and strongly believe that in the near future we will be able to resume operations with our Ukrainian partners.”

To date, TBILVINO products are represented in 30 countries. The company’s wines have received prestigious awards at well-known international competitions, including the Decanter World Wine Awards, the International Wine Challenge and the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Besides, we would like to remind that TBILVINO is a nominee for the new Wine Travel Awards.

Tbilvino, one of the largest producers and exporters of Georgian wine, has made a strategic decision to suspend economic activity in Russia. It should be noted that the Russian market has so far accounted for 21% of the company’s annual sales.

In hopes of the war’s imminent ending, the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG in collaboration with the Consortium of Chianti Classico DOCG and the Consortium of Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC will join forces at VINITALY, bringing to life a charitable auction for the people of Ukraine.

Just one single, profound message from the Tuscan wine world, as the three most important Consortiums of Tuscany join in a unified mission for the Ukrainian people, victims of the ongoing war.

The Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino together with the Consortium of Chianti Classico and the Consortium of Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC will each effectively contribute to a special auction taking place at Vinitaly 2022, with proceeds going towards the support and relocation of families and refugees escaping their home country.

Over 30 impressive lots of prized bottles and vintage wines offered by the member producers of each Consortium will be auctioned off on Monday, April 11, 2022, at 4:00pm in the Auditorium Verdi of the PalaExpo at Veronafiere. The auction will be conducted thanks to the technical collaboration Sotheby’s, while funds will be collected and distributed by the Caritas Diocesana of Siena-Colle di Val D’Elsa-Montalcino, destined to a series of structures in place for families of Ukrainian refugees:

“From three brands of excellence in the Italian wine world – declares don Ronato Rotellini, General Secretary of the Arcidiocesi of Siena-Colle di Val D’Elsa-Montalcino – comes this incredible sign of great mercy and solidarity towards the Ukrainian population, deeply scarred by a war that has been ravaging the country for over a month. Three symbols of Made in Italy which, together, represent a boundless charity so much desired by Pope Francis.”

“Both the Arcidiocesi and I would like to extend our thanks – adds Don Rotellini – for choosing to support Caritas, which has been involved in the relief efforts of the Opera Don Orione in Leopoli, Kiev and Charkiv since the beginning.”

The auction is organized in collaboration with Sotheby’s Italia, and it will be possible to participate live in person or online through the platform Bidinside (viniperlapace.bidinside.com), technical partner in the auction. The realization of the auction is also made possible thanks to the support of FieraMente, specialized in the promotion and logistics of Italian wine on an international scale, with headquarters in Montevarchi (AR). A special thanks goes to Veronafiere for the precious support to this unique event.

In hopes of the war’s imminent ending, the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG in collaboration with the Consortium of Chianti Classico DOCG and the Consortium of Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC will join forces at VINITALY, bringing to life a charitable auction for the people of Ukraine.