Saturday 14 October, Paris – Organised by Liquid Icons, the 2023 Golden Vines® Awards which recognise the star performers of the fine wine and spirits industries were presented during a night to remember at the beautiful Opera Garnier in Central Paris.
Close to 1,000 fine wine professionals from 120 countries voted for this year’s Awards, including 27 Masters of Wines, 22 Master Sommeliers, over 180 winemakers, wine press, wine merchants and Michelin-star sommeliers with an average experience of 15 years in the industry. The results were independently verified by Deloitte LLP, in accordance with the voting rules published on Liquid Icons website.
For this year, three nominees became All-Star Winners in their category, having won the Award for the third time in 3 years: Domaine de la Romanée Conti for the 2023 Robb Report Golden Vines® World’s Best Producer Award (2021, 2022, 2023); Ridge Vineyards for The 2023 Golden Vines® Best Fine Wine Producer in the Americas Awards (2021, 2022, 2023); and Penfolds for The 2023 Golden Vines® Best Fine Wine Producer in the Rest of the World (2021, 2022, 2023).
Winners of other categories awarded were:
- Weingut Egon Müller of Germany – The 2023 Golden Vines® Best Fine Wine Producer in Europe Award
- The Sadie Family Wines of South Africa – The 2023 VistaJet Golden Vines® World’s Best Rising Star Award.
- Emidio Pepe of Italy – The 2023 Gucci Golden Vines® Sustainability Award
- University of California Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology – The 2023 Casa Ferreirinha Golden Vines® Innovation Award
- The Macallan – the newly inaugurated 2023 Golden Vines® World Best Rare Spirit Brand Award.
Finally, the 2023 Golden Vines® Hall of Fame Award was awarded to the legendary Jancis Robinson OBE MW for her services to the wine industry.
Each winner received a trophy designed by British visual artist and Golden Vines® Creative Director Shantell Martin and crafted by Amorim Cork featuring 2023 commissioned artwork by French artist Jonathan Bréchignac. The trophy was housed in a specially-created and produced trunk by Golden Vines® sponsor Gucci.
“We are absolutely delighted to recognise such an extraordinary calibre of fine wines and spirit, their producers, protagonists and industry supporters with The 2023 Golden Vines® Awards,” comments Lewis Chester DipWEST, Co-Founder and CEO of Liquid Icons, the fine wine research and content production company founded by Lewis and his friend, the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS.
During the award ceremony, guests were treated to culinary creations from three Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse and two Michelin-star Akrame Benellal paired with exceptional wines including 2009 Dom Pérignon Rosé, 2004 Dom Pérignon P2, 2015 Château d’Yquem, 2013 Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Echézeaux Grand Cru, 2007 Liber Pater, 2006 Istvan Szepsy 6-Puttonyos and an exclusive blend of old Camus Cognac. Headline entertainment was provided by Rising Star – having supported both Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran on their recent tours – and three-time BRIT nominee Cat Burns; as well as acclaimed French chanteuse Louane.
As part of this year’s world-class 3-day fine dining and wines experience from 13-15 October, Sachindri Rana from New Zealand, Eduardo Bolaños from United States and Amrita Singh from Canada were officially awarded their 2023 Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships worth £55,000 each during an evening reception on Friday 13 October held at Pavillion de Bercy. Arpine Manukyan from Armenia also received her Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® MW Scholarship including an incredible 4-week paid internship at the Maison working alongside the winemaking team and an educational grant to undertake their Master of Wine (MW) qualification. A Sotheby’s Live Auction featuring money-can’t buy luxury experience lots took place to raise funds for the Gérard Basset Foundation with the aim of financing further diversity and inclusion-related education programmes in wine, spirits & hospitality.
The waiting list to purchase tickets for The 2024 Golden Vines® in Madrid, Spain is open now – https://liquidicons.com/the-2024-golden-vines-awards-in-madrid-spain-waiting-list
About Liquid Icons:
Liquid Icons is a fine wine research and content production company founded by two friends – – the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS and Lewis Chester DipWSET – and joined by Sasha Lushnikov to “do stuff in wine” We create first-class original content and research about the world’s greatest fine wines and spirits. Our work encompasses motion picture, industry research, recognition and celebration of wine and spirits excellence, charitable and fundraising activities, as well as educational initiatives. https://liquidicons.com
About the Gérard Basset Foundation:
Set up to honour the legacy and memory of Gérard Basset OBE MW MS by addressing the wine industry’s most pressing issues through education, training & mentorship, the Gérard Basset Foundation comprises a multidisciplinary team of industry-leading professionals as its Trustees: Nina Basset FIH, Romané Basset, Lewis Chester DipWSET, Ian Harris MBE DipWSET, and Jancis Robinson OBE MW. https://Gérardbassetfoundation.org
About the 2023 Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarships
36 applications were received in 2023 from 18 different countries across 6 continents, with applicants comprising 18 different nationalities. More than half of this year’s applicants were women. These Scholarships are awarded on the basis of a Scholar’s ability, determination to succeed, financial needs and their potential contribution to promoting diversity, inclusion, excellence, interaction and learning in the global wine community. The Judging Panel for the 2023 Taylor’s Port scholarships was comprised of Angela Scott as Head Judge, one of 2021’s Taylor’s Port Golden Vines® Diversity Scholarship winners; Nina Basset FIH; Rajat Parr of Sandhi Wines; Clement Robert MS; and Jancis Robinson OBE MW.
About the 2023 Dom Perignon Golden Vines® MW Scholarship
Dom Pérignon, the renowned Champagne House known for producing only the best vintage expressions of Grand Cru sites across multiple stages of ‘Plenitude’, is proud to announce the creation of a brand new Golden Vines® Scholarship. The winner of the Dom Pérignon Golden Vines® MW Scholarship will undertake an incredible 4-week internship at Dom Pérignon, working alongside the winemaking team. The Scholarship winner will acquire an in-depth, first-hand and thus valuable understanding and knowledge of Dom Pérignon, Champagne and the fine and luxury wine sector in general. The winner will also be funded to undertake their Master of Wine (MW) qualification, widely regarded as the pinnacle of wine education.
