Awards Ceremony in Bordeaux
posted 7th October 2022
I was particularly thrilled to receive the coveted Prix de 'l'OIV (Oenology Category) at the awards ceremony held at the iconic Cité du Vin in Bordeaux on 30th September. The award was for my book 'Wine Faults and Flaws: A Practical Guide' It was a brilliant evening - including a glass or two of great wine to lubricate the vocal chords!
The book had already won the Gourmand Award for the 'Best Wine Book in the World for Professionals'. It is available in hardback, and as an e-book. Order here NB for a 20% discount quote Promotion Code: LFS2 at checkout!
Richard Pfister, Scientific Secretary of the OIV Awards Jury and Keith Grainger
The OIV is an intergovernmental organisation whose functions include setting the standards for grape growing and winemaking in 48 member states, including all the major wine producing countries with exception of the USA, Canada and China. The UK re-joined the OIV on 1st January 2021 - the Organisation's members now produce 85% of the world's wines. The OIV states its Award is a 'distinction granted each year by an international Jury composed of eminent personalities in the vitivinicultural world who represent the OIV Member Countries.'
Wine Faults and Flaws: A Practical Guide is described as an essential guide to the faults and flaws that can affect wine. The book provides a detailed examination and explanation of the causes and impact of the faults, flaws and taints. Each fault is discussed in detail: what it is; how it can be detected by sensory and laboratory analysis; what the cause is; how it might be prevented; whether an affected wine is treatable, and if so, how; and the science applicable to the fault.
Of course, no wine awards ceremony would be complete without a glass or two of fine wine following the presentations. This gave me chance to catch up with old colleagues and friends, some of whom I hadn't seen for years, including Professor Philippe Darriet, who is cited in my book, and who received the 'textbook category' award for his work on the 2 Volume 'Handbook of Enology, 3rd (English) Edition. This is also published by Wiley.
The wines we tasted were explained with passion and deep knowledge by Katell Cosquer. Perhaps the star was the Villa Sandi Carizze Prosecco DOCG 'La Rivetta'. Catizze is the very finest land in Prosecco - a very steep 108 hectare vineyard that is divided amongst over 100 growers. This is a wine of fabulous finesse, with a delicious perfume of pear, peach and wild flowers. By pure coincidence I had been at Villa Sandi just 3 days before the awards ceremony, meeting some of their great team.
Tasting these superb wines reminded me of something that I note in the book. The consumer, especially the serious the serious wine lover, wants wine to be a natural, agricultural product that has been turned into something wonderful by an artisan, even an artist, rather than a scientist. But nature requires nurture, and nurture requires technical knowledge.
Thanks so much to the OIV, the Award Jury, and the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux.
