2010 Louis Roederer International (aka UK) Wine Writer Awards

 

The 2010 winners were announced in London on Monday night.  Congratulations to the following:

The Artistry of Wine Award 2010
Jon Wyand –  for Finest Wines of Tuscany

International Wine Feature Writer of the year 2010
John Stimpfig – for articles from The Financial Times – How To Spend It

International Wine Columnist of the Year 2010
Andrew Jefford – columns from Waitrose Food Illustrated

Louis Roederer Award for International Wine Book 2010
Michael Edwards: The Finest Wines of Champagne

International Wine Website of the Year 2010
Jancisrobinson.com: www.jancisrobinson.com

Online Wine Writer of the Year 2010
Simon Woods: articles from www.simonwoods.com

Regional Wine Writer of the Year 2010
Tom Bruce-Gardyne: articles from The Saturday Herald

International Wine Publication of the Year 2010
The World of Fine Wine: www.finewinemag.com

The Louis Roederer Chairman’s Award 2010
Imbibe Magazine: www.imbibe.com

Emerging Wine Writer of the Year 2010
Rebecca Gibb

*

While congratulating the winners I have to question whether the Louis Roederer wine writing awards  can really be called 'International'.  All of this year's winners are UK based, with the possible exception of Andrew Jefford, who has recently moved to the south of France after a year in Australia. Similarly all the winners in 2008 were UK based, while last year there was one non-UK based winner – Natalie MacLean for her site NatDecants. Excluding the UK regional writer award, there were 31 names of the 2010 shortlist only three were from outside the UK – Joanne Gibson, Michael Fridjhon and Gabriella Opaz. Furthermore the panel of judges, led by Charles Metcalfe, are all UK based.

The evidence suggests that the Louis Roederer awards are currently really the UK Wine Writer Awards. It would be good to see a more international flavour in keeping with the awards' title both in respect to winners but also the panel of judges, who deliberations might well benefit from some non-UK based members. 

Equally there are those like Hervé Lalau who argue that if these awards are to be called 'International' then entries should be limited to those who write in English.  Certainly a moot point but this is a whole further debate.

Come on Louis let's see more breadth – only then will your awards be 'International' and truly sparkle!

2010 Louis Roederer International (ie English-speaking) Wine Writer Awards: shortlist

Shortlist announced for the Louis Roederer International
Wine Writers’ Awards 2010

After much deliberation and stacks of reading, the judges met to discuss their scores at China Tang, underneath the Dorchester, last week. Despite many late nights and early mornings the panel were alert and raring to go and by lunchtime the shortlist was agreed upon.  Therefore Champagne Louis Roederer and the Judges of the 2010 Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards are delighted to announce this year’s nominees:

International Wine Feature Writer of the Year 2010

Joanne Gibson
Articles from Wine Magazine

Jamie Goode
Articles from The World of Fine Wine

Margaret Rand
Articles from Decanter and The World of Fine Wine

John Stimpfig
Articles from The Financial Times – How to Spend it

International Wine Columnist of the Year 2010

Michael Fridjhon
Columns from Business Day

Andrew Jefford
Columns from Decanter and Waitrose Food Illustrated

Will Lyons
Columns from The Wall Street Journal

Anthony Rose
Columns from The Independent

International Wine Book of the Year 2010

Nick Belfrage
The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy

Michael Edwards
The Finest Wines of Champagne

Benjamin Lewin
What Price Bordeaux

Remington Norman and Charles Taylor MW
The Great Domaines of Burgundy
 

Regional Wine Writer of the Year 2010

Tom Bruce-Gardyne
Articles from The Saturday Herald

Rose Murray Brown MW
Articles from The Scotsman

Liz Sagues
Articles from Hampstead and Highgate Express

Helen Savage
Articles from The Journal (Newcastle)

International Wine Publication of the Year 2010

Decanter Magazine
Guy Woodward

Imbibe Magazine
Chris Losh

The World of Fine Wine
Sara Morley
 

International Wine Website of the Year 2010

Tom Cannavan
www.wine-pages.com

Jamie Goode
www.wineanorak.com
 
Gabriella Opaz
www.Catavino.net

Jancis Robinson MW
www.jancisrobinson.com  

International Wine Columnist / Blogger of the Year 2010

Andrew Jefford
Articles from www.andrewjefford.com

Anthony Rose
Articles from www.anthonyrosewine.com

Kate Thal
Articles from www.greenandbluewines.com
 
Simon Woods
Articles from www.simonwoods.com
 

Emerging Wine Writer of the Year  2010

Rebecca Gibb
Articles from various publications

Richard Hemming
Articles from www.jancisrobinson.com
 
Gabriel Savage
Articles from The Drinks Business

Lucy Shaw
Articles from Decanter

The Artistry of Wine Award  2010

Jamie Goode

Catharine Lowe

Mick Rock

Jon Wyand


The Panel of Judges

Charles Metcalfe
Wine Writer, presenter, co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge
Chairman of the Panel of Judges

Tim Atkin MW
Wine Columnist, Feature Writer,
            Lecturer and broadcaster,           
Trophy Winner at LRIWWA 2009


Christine Austin
Author, Lecturer, Wine Columnist,
Trophy Winner at LRIWWA 2009


Christine Parkinson
Group Winebuyer for Hakkasan Restaurants

Susy Atkins
Weekly Wine Columnist for the Sunday Telegraph and Wine Editor for Delicious Magazine, Author and presenter on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen

Victoria Moore
Author, Feature Writer and Wine Columnist

Tom Stevenson
Wine Writer specialising in Champagne, winner of 33 literary awards, including triple trophy winner at the LRIWWA


The winners will be announced and the awards will be presented on Monday 13th September 2010 at a prestigious ceremony (by invitation only) at The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe, London.

Ends

Note to editors:  Where there was a conflict of interest for a judge with a piece of work, the judge did not mark that entry.

For further information about the competition, or the awards presentation, please contact:

James Samson                                                 
Maisons Marques et Domaines Ltd                 
T : 020 8812 3384                                            
E : james.samson@mmdltd.co.uk                    

Carol Sturch-Hibbitt
Pike PR & Marketing Ltd
T : 020 7384 7507
E:  carol@pikepr.co.uk

Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2010

Sign at the 2009 presentation on top of the Gherkin, Central London

Details of and entry forms for the 2010 edition of the Louis Roederer International* Wine Writers Awards are now available on-line. This is a welcome first for the awards as last year entries, even for websites and blogs, had to be printed out and posted in. This year details of entries for various categories can be sent in electronically. For instance in Category Six: International Wine Website of the Year (websites, online articles and blogs) just the URLs are required. Look out for the claim that these awards, like the New Year's Day firework display at Sydney Harbour, are carbon neutral!

Winners of the 2009 Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards

I hope many bloggers will be entering as it would be good to see some of the exciting bloggers present at the European Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisbon on this year's shortlist.

Charles Metcalfe: I am your leader...

On this year's panel of judges are Susy Atkins, Tom Stevenson, Tim Atkin MW (2010 will thus be one of the few years that Tim hasn't won a Roederer/Lanson Award), Victoria Moore and Christine Parkinson (group wine buyer for Hakkassan Restaurants). The panel will be led by Charles Metcalfe.

Report on the 2009 awards here.

* Once again these International Awards are open only to entries in English. This will doubtless again, not unreasonably perhaps, enrage FIJEV (Féderation Internationale des Journalistes et Ecrivains des Vins et Spiriteux). See here.

It would be interesting to have at least a bi-lingual international wine writing competition. Assuming, for the moment at least, that we can count English as the international business language, what would be the second language? French? Spanish? Chinese? If one went for more than two languages I suspect it would be difficult to find judges competent in three languages who also had sufficent wine knowledge.

The chair of judges as Botrytis