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The Vintners’ Company launches series of awards

Free to enter, the awards are about nurturing and helping to develop the enterprising individuals and companies who bring “change, diversity and innovation" to the wine industry, said The Vintners’ Company.

With some people and companies doing some “amazing things in the wine world right now, we want to have a reason to celebrate them", said Master Vintner Chris Davey.

“The Vintners’ Company has been quietly awarding bursaries and an apprenticeship for several years and it seemed like a good move to expand what we were currently doing and create a wider series of awards that champion all that is good about the wine industry,” he said.

The awards, open to all, are a mix of bursary and recognition with some of the awards entered directly, and others that are nominated.

The new initiative comprises eight awards including ‘Geoffrey Roberts’ - an £8,000 bursary awarded every two years for an individual to implement a strong idea championing new world or emerging wine regions; ‘Davies Langton’ - a series of up to three awards totalling £3,000 aimed at furthering wine education and The Vintners’ UK Apprentice award - a 12 month placement in a UK winery.

The awards will also include an award awarded by The Benevolent – Vintners’ Benevolent Fundraiser of Year, which will go to the person or company who has either raised the most money or undertaken the biggest or most unusual challenge to raise money for The Benevolent.

Entry for all awards will formally open on Monday 18 May 2020.

In December last year, The Vintners’ Company launched a video designed to explore the “familiar, but often little understood, institution” and show its “modern face”.