Barnes and Morris scoop André Simon Awards for best drinks books

By James Bayley

Published: 10 March, 2022

South American specialist Amanda Barnes and Burgundy expert Jasper Morris MW are among the recipients of the latest gongs at the annual André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards.

The 2021 Awards took place last night (9 March) via a virtual Zoom ceremony, with this year's winners joined by a global audience, from France to South America, with a toast courtesy of Liberty Wines.

Morris won this year’s Drink Award for Inside Burgundy: The vineyards, the wine and the people (Berry Bros. & Rudd Publishing, second edition), drawing on his experience of being based in Burgundy since the 1990s.

A wine merchant and author, Morris set the bar for books on Burgundy with the publication of the first edition of Inside Burgundy in 2010.

Barnes, an occasional contributor for Harpers, received The John Avery Award for her book The South America Wine Guide, for heralding a new era in wine travel books.

Described as a “revelatory guide”, Barnes details the wine regions, wines and producers of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru; the result of many years spent living and travelling in South America.

The winning books were whittled down from an inspiring shortlist to just four unmissable reads. The main Food Awards went to Dee Rettali for Baking with Fortitude (Bloomsbury Publishing), giving a taste of sourdough baking. A Special Commendation also went to Dan Saladino for Eating to Extinction (Jonathan Cape), highlighting the importance of food activism for the sake of the planet.

The prestigious awards have showcased the very best of contemporary food and drink writing for over four decades. This year’s independent assessors guided the judging panel: author, artist and former John Avery winner Yemisi Aribisala for food books, and Master of Wine Rose Murray Brown for drink books.

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