Travel Operator of the Year

Guides or travel companies that have independently developed enogastronomic tours along a unique route in their portfolio can be nominated for this category. The preference will be given to tours that attract the attention of external and domestic tourists to the region, where the "Unique Route" is laid, and promote unique people, places, varieties, and products.

Nominees

Ways Travel 257

Ways Travel

Republic of Moldova #75 View more Ways Travel Republic of Moldova Str. Alexandru cel Bun, 85 MD-2012 Chisinau, Moldova office@ways.md http://www.ways.md/en/

WTA Jury

Robert Joseph
British wine expert, consultant, producer, an editorial consultant for Meininger's Wine Business International

Robert Joseph is a British wine expert, consultant, producer, an editorial consultant for Meininger’s Wine Business International, a wine journalist of London Sunday Telegraph. Mr Joseph is аn author of 27 wine books, including the bible for the world wine travelers – Wine Travel Guide, French Wines, Bordeaux and its Wines and The Complete Encyclopedia of Wine. He also founded the International Wine Challenge and built it into the world’s biggest wine competition. Decanter magazine named him as one of the 50 people who would influence wine drinking in the 21st century.

Dr. Ricardo Nunez
Head of the international group of companies Vinos de La Luz

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. He was born in Argentina. As a grandson and son of winemakers, he grew up in the vineyards of the Andean Cordilleras and explored every corner of the Uco Valley. Dr. Nunez is an investor participating in the development of the wine-growing market of Ukraine, also thanks to his new company Wine Gallery. Mr. Nunez currently plans the production of his own products on the territory of Ukraine.

www.vinosdelaluz.com

https://www.facebook.com/vinosdelaluz

 

Felicity Carter
Executive Editor, Pix+ Special Projects

Felicity Carter, Executive Editor at Pix, was previously Editor-in-Chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, the world’s only global wine business magazine. Her work has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, and The Guardian USA, among others. Based in Europe, she is an international wine judge and speaker. Felicity has also written several non-wine books and worked as a freelance romance novel editor, where her main editorial note was “this is not physically possible”.

felicitycarter.com.au

Nina Basset
FIH Hotelier, Co-Founding Trustee and Chair of the Gerard Basset Foundation, Co-Founder and Vice President of the UK Sommelier Academy

Nina is a seasoned hotelier. She holds the accolade of being the youngest ever (at only 21), AA Hotel and Restaurant Inspector and was the winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Business before she was 40. Her love of fine wine and her passion for Sommellerie, stems from all of her holidays being spent with her late husband, renowned sommelier, Gérard Basset, OBE, in various vineyards across the world. Living with such a wine legend ensured that his passion and enthusiasm for all things vinous rubbed off on Nina. Nina is ta Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and the co founding Trustee and Chairperson of the Gerard Basset Foundation,

gerardbassetfoundation.org

Per Karlsson
Co-founder and wine writer of BKWine Magazine

Per Karlsson, a co-founder and wine writer of BKWine Magazine, one of the world’s leading wine tour operators, a co-author of eleven wine books (including “Biodynamic, Organic and Natural Winemaking: Sustainable Viticulture and Viniculture”), an internationally awarded, professional wine and travel photographer.

www.bkwine.com

per.karlsson@bkwine.com

Sarah Abbott
MW, Founder of Swirl Wine Group, marketing strategist, communications specialist, wine judge and writer

Sarah’s interest is in emerging or misunderstood wine regions, and during her work for the National Wine Agency of Georgia, UK exports have increased ten-fold. A classics graduate, she has a deep interest in the culture of wine, but as a graduate of Durham Business School she is passionate about making the wine business profitable and sustainable for producers. In addition to leading Swirl she is a head judge at the International Wine and Spirits Competition. In 2021 she co-founded The Old Vine Conference, a non-profit set up to bring the global wine community together to create a profitable category for old vine wine and ensure the preservation of heritage vineyards and grape varieties.

swirlwinegroup.com

Maria Athanasopoulou
Founder of Respond On Demand, chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the World Food Travel Association, Master Culinary Travel Professional

Maria Athanasopoulou is the founder of the tourism marketing company Respond On Demand. She serves as the chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the World Food Travel Association, and she is also a Master Culinary Travel Professional. She serves as ambassador of Green Destinations. She has given seminars for tourism professionals, as well as many speeches and presentations
on tourism issues, in events in Greece and abroad. She is also a Sustainable Tourism marketing expert.

respondondemand.com

Erik Wolf
Founder and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association

Erik is the founder of the food travel trade industry, and Founder and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association, the world’s leading authority on food and beverage tourism. He’s also the publisher of Have Fork Will Travel and author of Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest. He is a highly sought speaker on food and beverage tourism and has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweekand Forbes, and on CNN, Sky TV, the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, PeterGreenberg.com, and other leading media outlets.

worldfoodtravel.org

 

Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Gergely Szolnoki
Professor of Market Research at Geisenheim University

Gergely Szolnoki, Professor of Market Research at Geisenheim University (Germany) and honorary professor of Wine and Beverage Management & Marketing at the University of West Attica (Athens/Greece). His research fields cover consumer behaviour, communication and social media, organic wines, market analysis and wine tourism. In addition to his scientific activities, Gergely is a delegated expert in the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in the fields of wine economics and statistics.

Gergely.Szolnoki@hs-gm.de

Irina Bystritskaya
International consultant, Deputy Director of the National Vine and Wine Office of Moldova 2017-2021

International Consultant in regional and global development of wine brands and tourism, Deputy Director of the National Vine and Wine Office of Moldova 2017-2021. Personally responsible for organizing the biggest wine tourism event of Eastern Europe – The Wine Day of Moldova 2017-2020. Head of panel discussion during the 3rd UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism.

irinabystrytska@gmail.com

Stéphane Badet
Lecturer at ISVV – Institute of Vine and Wine Science at the University of Bordeaux

Stéphane Badet, a lecturer at ISVV – Institute of Vine and Wine Science at the University of Bordeaux, one of the world’s leading educational institutions, as well as a lecturer at such a prestigious university as EPL Bordeaux. He specializes in wine economy, industry management, business, marketing and tourism for many years, has extensive experience as an expert and consultant in various cooperation and sustainable development programs in the field of winemaking around the world, together with Interco NA, FAO, Ministry of Agriculture and Food of France, French and German embassies.

stephane.badet@formagri33.com

Ester Garcia Adrados
Director of School of Wine Tourism of Catalonia and Vocational Training Institute of Wine Tourism of Catalonia, Director of the Wine Business School

Director of School of Wine Tourism of Catalonia and Vocational Training Institute of Wine Tourism of Catalonia, Director of the Wine Business School. Born in Barcelona but descendant of a family closely linked to the world of wine in Ribera del ́Duero, now lives in Vilafranca del Penedès promoting projects and training spaces for the professionalization and dissemination of the
wine and wine tourism sector. Innovation, sustainability and networking are fundamental axes in the different projects it carries out.

egarcia@escolaenoturisme.cat

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