Veronafiere and Vinitaly revealed the names of the judges who will take the role of General Chairs for the eighth edition of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, which will be held in Verona from 9th to 11th April 2024. Wineries wishing to receive an evaluation and feedback from an exceptional jury and to promote their wines on an international scale have until 1 March to apply.
VERONA, Italy, Jan. 19, 2024 — This year marks the eighth renewal of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, a three-day blind tasting event organized every year by Veronafiere. The event, that results in the selection of wines of great value and quality, aims at promoting them on an international level. The international character of the Selection lies in the jury of wine experts, a prime component for the realization of this initiative. The judges who participate come from different geographical areas of the world, have different professional backgrounds, and are used to different styles of wines. Both the diversification of the judges and the blind tasting method adopted aim at guaranteeing the objectivity of the selection process and the internationalization of wines.
Stevie Kim, Managing Partner of Vinitaly, commented: «The winners of the 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls awards are announced on the Friday evening preceding Vinitaly. This allows us to personally deliver diplomas to prize winners at their stands ahead of opening day on Sunday. The diplomas offer increased visibility and prestige and are an important engagement tool recognized by international buyers. Additionally, this year there will be a special guided tasting session led by the General Chairmen, featuring the top wines and producers.»
In the 2023 edition, more than 70 international judges participated, divided into commissions. The attribution of the scores is up to the Panel Chairs, who confirm or attribute the judgment and formulate the final tasting notes. The wines which, on the basis of this preliminary evaluation, are suitable for a score of 90 and upwards, are subject to a subsequent judgement by the General Chairs, thus receiving the final score.
The General Chairs panel of 2024, the most important in the Selection, will be represented by five renowned judges. Among them, we have the pillars of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls: Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW (Belgium), VIA Ambassador and expert at OIV for Spain; Robert Joseph (UK), wine business consultant, editorial consultant for Meininger’s Wine Business International, and wine producer; and Bernard Burtschy (France), wine columnist for Les Echos and several French magazines, and Permanent Member of the Grand Jury Européen. These judges have been present since the first edition in 2017, and today they continue to work for the promotion of wine. They strongly believe in this project because 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls is not just a selection of wines, it is a commitment to promote wine and help wineries to expand their potential market, across national borders.
Alongside the three veterans of the Selection, Daniele Cernilli (Italy) joined the Scientifc Committee in the past four editions. Known for being co-founder and Director of the online magazine Doctor Wine, in 1986 Daniele co-founded Gambero Rosso magazine which (together with Slow Food) began to publish an Italian Wine Guide annually; he oversaw this for more than 24 editions. The latest new entry in the General Chairs is Andrea Lonardi MW (Italy), one of the only two Italian Master of Wine to date. Andrea is COO of Angelini Wines & Estates, VP of the Consorzio Tutela Vini della Valpolicella, and sits on the board of Unione Italiana Vini.
In reflecting on the current role of wine selections, Robert Joseph has outlined how the Selection organized by Veronafiere stands out among similar wine events: “5StarWines & Wine Without Walls is the only wine selection that is actually submitting the whole range of wines produced in Italy to an international set of judges, and trying to find the best examples of a lot of different kinds of wines. Anybody wanting to buy an Italian wine can find their way to good examples across a range of styles in the 5StarWines – the Book official guide. I don’t think anything else does that in quite the same way.”
Wineries from all over the world can still register their wines on the official website of the event by accessing this web page: https://www.5starwines.it/registrazioni/?lang=en. Registration closes on 1 March 2024; shipping instructions will be communicated soon. For registration assistance or more information, write to 5star@justdothework.it.
About: 5StarWines – the Book is the annual wine selection organized by Veronafiere, held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world. The event is now in its eighth edition. 5StarWines – the Book is a blind tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries investing in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals will taste and score — using a 100-point scale — participating wines. In the 2023 edition, over 2,200 wines took part in the competition and 733 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWines – the Book. The Guide is a useful tool both on the promotional and commercial side. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers to new wine products of great value. It guarantees wine quality and it maintains and certifies their value at an international level.
