The Future 50 list has also been created to help celebrate and mark the joint 50 anniversaries of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and IWSC.
Waitrose, Boutinot and Liberty Wines were among the main winners at last night’s IWSC 2019 awards which recognised both the work done by the drinks industry’s retailers, distributors and importers and the producers that make the wines and spirits that they sell. The event was the competition’s 50th awards ceremony and was jointly hosted by IWSC chairman, Viscount Thurso, and the 2019 president, Sir George Fistonich of New Zealand’s Villa Maria.
Waitrose was once again named Supermarket of the Year for the fourth year in the row. Boutinot picked up the Wine Distributor award and Liberty Wines was the On-trade Supplier of the Year. Christine Parkinson, who for years headed up the wine division across the Hakkasan group of global premium Asian restaurants was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Sula Richardson from Phipps PR won the Julian Brind Memorial Trophy.
Last night’s IWSC Banquet brought producers and the industry together from all over the world
Other key awards went to:
- Booths: Spirits Supermarket of the Year
- Spirit Cartel: Spirits Distributor.
- Kanonkop: Outstanding Wine Producer.
- Cederberg Wine: Red Wine Producer.
- Weingut Rabl: White Wine Producer.
- Veuve Clicquot: Sparkling Producer.
- Ningxia Jade Vineyard: Wine Discovery Trophy.
- William Grant & Sons: Outstanding Spirits Producer.
- Irish Distillers: Worldwide Whiskey Producer.
- Four Pillars Gin: Gin Producer.
- Wine Folly, Madeline Puckette: Wine Communicator.
- Ryan Chetiyawardana (Dandelyan): Spirits Communicator.
The Future 50
The final panel of judges who helped choose the Future 50
It was also the opportunity for the IWSC, alongside the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, to unveil its first Future 50 list of individuals who they see helping to shape the drinks industry around the world in the years to come. The list covers 14 countries and a wide range of drinks careers and professions.
The final 50 was selected from an initial nominations list of over 600, which through a series of judging rounds, and the help of an advisory panel covering 17 countries including Debra Meiburg MW, Ian Dai, James Tidwell MS and Pedro Ballesteros, was brought to a more manageable final shortlist of 82.
It was then down to the chief judging panel to decide who made the cut. That panel includedStephanie Macleod (master blender, Dewar’s), Richard Paterson (master blender, Whyte & MacKay), Xavier Rousset MS (restaurateur), Joe Fattorini (The Wine Show), Ian Harris (WSET) and Allen Gibbons (IWSC).
To qualify for entry nominees had to be aged under 40 and to be able to prove they work in a profession that contributes directly to the drinks industry.
Christelle Giubert, the IWSC’s chief executive in fine wines and spirits, said: “Narrowing down the 600 plus nominations we received from around the world was a rigorous and lengthy process, with each candidate showing a wealth of talent and expertise. We are confident that the final 50 showcases the brightest sparks of the wine, spirits and sake industries, and look forward to seeing their careers develop over the coming years.”
Ian Harris, chief executive of the WSET, added: “We are delighted with the final Future 50 list. It offers a real showcase of the young talent that we have in the wine, spirit and sake industries globally. Each of the winners should be very proud of this acknowledgement of their contribution to the industry. We are looking forward to seeing them making their mark and shaping the future of our industry.”
You can see the full list of the Future 50 by going to its website here.
Name
Category
Country
Adrian Goh De Jun
Sake
Singapore
Agnes Herczeg
Wine
Hungary
Amelia Singer
Wine
UK
Ashtin Berry
Spirits
USA
Chris So
Spirits
Hong Kong
Christian Zhang
Wine
China
Christina (Wanyi) Lee
Wine
China
Christina Veira
Spirits
Canada
Christine Clair
Wine
USA
Dan Q. Dao
Spirits
USA
Dr Anne Brock
Spirits
UK
Emilie Steckenborn
Wine
China
Fernando Mora MW
Wine
Spain
Gus Zhu MW
Wine
China
Hannah Lanfear
Spirits
UK
Heidi Mäkinen
Wine
Finland
James Forsyth
Wine
USA
James Hook
Wine
Australia
Jason Barrett
Spirits
USA
Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre
Wine
USA
Jessica Marinzeck
Wine
Brazil
Joel Harrison
Spirits
UK
Julie Dupouy
Wine
Ireland
Julien Camus
Wine
USA
Kelsey Ramage
Spirits
Canada
Konstantin Baum MW
Wine
Germany
Leonid Fadeev
Wine
Russia
Lingzi He
Wine
China
Lora Hemy
Spirits
UK
Madison Pantlin
Wine
Canada
Michael Vachon
Spirits
UK
Micky Chan
Wine & Sake
Hong Kong
Monica Samuels
Sake
USA
Natsuki Kikuya
Sake
UK
Nick Glaetzer
Wine
Australia
Nick Korn
Spirits
USA
Oliver Hilton Johnson
Sake
UK
Paolo Brammer
Wine
Brazil
Qian Janice Wang
Wine
Denmark
Rebecca Gibb
Wine
UK
Regine Lee MW
Wine
UK
Ryan Hartshorn
Spirits
Australia
Santiago Mayorga Boaknin
Wine
Argentina
Sarah Heller MW
Wine
Hong Kong
Sovna Puri
Wine
India
Terry Xu
Wine
China
Victoria Chow
Spirits
Hong Kong
Will Lowe
Spirits
UK
Yang Lu
Wine
China
Yuchen Zhong
Spirits & Sake
China
