The winners are determined in two stages: public voting and evaluation by the panel of judges. Once the jury finalizes the Award Winners, both the Voting Winners and Award Winners will be announced on the website. Stay tuned for updates!
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, 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.
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”.
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,
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.
Mr. Yang Shen, Estate Director of Cloudy Bay (one of New Zealand’s most outstanding wineries, part of the LVMH group – the world leader in the luxury industry). Born in China, he studied oenology at the University of Montpellier and wine marketing at the Montesquieu University Bordeaux, although his introduction to fine wine had begun long before that, in his native Chengdu. Throughout his career, Mr. Shen held top positions at Moët Hennessy, Diageo and Chandon China. “My mission at Cloudy Bay is to create wines of exceptional quality that highlight and express New Zealand’s distinctive terroir.”
Tim Hanni is an expert in wine education, industry consultation, and culinary arts. As a MW, Hanni has dedicated over 50 years to the world of food and wine, shaping and influencing the industry in many ways.
Hanni is a professionally-trained chef and also a Certified Wine Educator accredited by the Society of Wine Educators. As the President of Calyber LLC and HanniCo LLC, he carries out research into personal wine preferences, market segmentation and marketing strategies.
His influence extends beyond traditional education. He is the author of the book Why You Like the Wines You Like, a work that delves into the nuanced relationship between individual preferences and wine choices.
Florence Cathiard co-owner with her husband Daniel of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard, a President of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Oenotourisme. She is «chevalier de l’ordre du mérite» and has been granted «Légion d’Honneur» by Alain Juppé.
In 2023 launched with the Minister of Tourism a multilingual and hexagonal Gate – visitfrenchwine.com – giving access for the first time to all the wine regions of France, including also «unsung heroes».
Florence and her family have created a new wine tourism experience at the hot springs at Caudalie.
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
Trends setter and successful businessman, one of the most prominent cocktail masters in the world. He gives conferences at gastronomy forums and business schools, collaborates with media and acts as consultant to leading F&B companies. He is the founder of Barcelona’s cocktail bar Gimlet and owner of Dry Martini (Barcelona) – drytering.com – which has been nominated for seven consecutive years in the World’s 50 Best Bars list.
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
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.
