A new awards ceremony, Golden Vines Awards, is set to celebrate ‘star performers in the fine wine industry’ as well as raise money for diversity scholarships and inclusion-oriented wine education programmes through The Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation.
The Awards is being organised by Liquid Icons, a fine wine research and production company which was founded by the late Gerard Basset MW MS, a former Member of the Circle, and his friend Lewis Chester. The Awards will prize several fine wine producers for being the best in their region (Europe, Americas, Rest of World) as well as a World’s Best and a Rising Star, Innovation and Hall of Fame Award. They will be awarded following the Gerard Basset Global Fine Wine Report which will be produced this year by Liquid Icons.
Fundraising through the event will raise funds for The Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation, which will be offering several scholarships and wine education opportunities which includes two scholarships for aspiring black and ethnic minority students wishing to undertake the Masters of Wine (MW) and Master Sommelier (MS) programmes. The scholarships will be open to candidates from all over the world and are worth up to £55,000 for each scholar, covering the entirety of their course and examination costs, as well as loss of earnings during their work placement internships.
The Internship programme includes a set of diversified work experiences with some of the world’s top wine domaines including, but not limited to, Château Cheval Blanc, Château d’Yquem, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Colgin Cellars, Dom Pérignon, Domaine Baron Thenard, Domaine des Lambrays, Domaine Laroche, Heitz Wine Cellars, Liber Pater, Opus One, Ruinart, and Weingut Egon Müller, among others, as well as academic courses at UC Davis Department of Enology & Viticulture, the Kedge Wine School, and the OIV.
The judging panel for The Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships is comprised of Nina Basset FIH, Rajat Parr (Sandhi Wines), Carlton McCoy MS (Heitz Cellar), Clement Robert MS (The Birley Clubs / Annabel’s) and Jancis Robinson OBE MW. The judges will also provide ongoing mentorship to the Golden Vines Diversity Scholars during their academic journey. Interested applicants should apply online at liquidicons.com from 8th March.