To Emidio Pepe the “Sustainability Award” of the “Golden Vines Awards” 2023 by Liquid Icons

To Domaine de la Romanée Conti the “World’s Best Producer Award”, to Ridge Vineyards the “Best Fine Wine Producer in the Americas Award”, and to Penfolds the “Best Fine Wine Producer in the Rest of the World”: these are the “All-Star Winners” of the “Golden Vines Awards” 2023 by Liquid Icons, the stars of the international wine scene, honored for the third year in a row, by 1,000 industry professionals from 120 different countries, including 27 Masters of Wines, 22 Master Sommeliers, more than 180 oenologists, wine merchants and sommeliers from Michelin-starred restaurants, in the gala ceremony, created to fund the charity goals of the “Gerard Basset Foundation”, staged yesterday in the setting of Les Pavillons de Bercy, in Paris.

Other awards include the “Sustainability Award” to Abruzzo winemaker Emidio Pepe, as well as the “Best Fine Wine Producer in Europe Award” to Germany’s Weingut Egon Müller, the “World’s Best Rising Star Award” to South Africa’s The Sadie Family Wines, the “Innovation Award” to the University of California Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, the “World Best Rare Spirit Brand Award” to “The Macallan”, and the “Hall of Fame Award” given to the legendary Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine and journalist, for her services to the wine industry. Each winner received a trophy designed by British artist and “Golden Vines” creative director Shantell Martin, and made by Amorim Cork with artwork commissioned from French artist Jonathan Bréchignac.

The main purpose of the event, it is good to remember and emphasize, is always to support the solidarity projects of the Gérard Basset Foundation, which in the first two editions - while waiting for the results of “The 2023 Golden Vines Online Charity Auction” by Crurated - has raised 2.2 million pounds, which will go to fund, among many other initiatives, also the three diversity scholarships awarded just in the past few days to Sachindri Rana from New Zealand, Eduardo Bolaños from the United States and Amrita Singh from Canada, while Arpine Manukyan from Armenia received her Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW scholarship, which includes a four-week paid internship at the Maison working alongside the winemaking team and a scholarship to pursue a Master of Wine qualification.

The awards ceremony, as we anticipated, was accompanied by the creations of chefs Alain Ducasse, three Michelin stars, and Akrame Benellal, two Michelin stars, paired with exceptional wines such as Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009, Dom Pérignon P2 2004, Château d'Yquem 2015, Domaine Arnoux 2013, Lachaux Echézeaux Grand Cru, Liber Pater 2007, Istvan Szepsy 6 Puttonyos 2006, while the main entertainment was provided by Rising Star, an artist who accompanied the recent tours of Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran, three-time Brit nominee Cat Burns, and French singer Louane.