V d’OR winners announced on eve of Wine Paris

By James Bayley

Published: 12 February, 2024

Wine Paris & Vinexpo 2024 kicked off proceedings last night (11 February) with the first-ever V d’OR Awards.

Organised by Vinexposium, the five awards encompass economic performance, social and environmental responsibility across the drinks industry, with entries judged by a panel of international professionals.

The first award of the night went to Tastee by Winespace for Best New Business Solution. The category is intended to highlight a new service, tool or digital offering that disrupts the market and develops the sale of wines and spirits. The judges felt that Tastee, an AI-assisted digital notebook for tasting notes, could gently guide new consumers in the world of wine.

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The East Midlands-based vineyard and distillery Mallard Point took home the award for Best Eco-Friendly Market Launch for its reusable aluminium packaging. In September 2023, the family-run business was included in the Harpers print edition as part of our Unusual Suspects feature, recognising vineyards and wineries making significant strides in some of the most unlikely places.

Meanwhile, the Best Joint Initiative award went to Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme by WWF Portugal and Wines of Alentejo

The judges were full of praise for Wines of Alentejo Sustainability: “They’re working as a group within a community and a region, they promote biodiversity and they’re working with other organisations,’’ said one of the judges.

“They are proof that collaborative work has results. They are an amazing project with proven results. Every single producer you talk to in Alentejo, who is part of the programme, will tell you wonderful things about Wines of Alentejo,’’ said another.

The award for Best Brand Experience went to South African-based vineyard Creation Wines for its memorable consumer experience offering on-site. The judges were hugely impressed with the sensory and haptic experience created by Creation Wines: “Everything about Creation Wines is about the human story and emotion. A proper wine experience is about emotion,” said one of the judges.

The last award of the night went to The Old Vine Registry by The Old Vine Conference for Best Heritage Initiative in what was described as a “hotly debated category”. Ultimately, The Old Vine Registry by The Old Vine Conference won the day as an “international, global and beautiful project’’ with “tremendous value’’, in the words of the judges. “If we go back to the roots of the wine environment, it is critical to preserve the genetic diversity and the cultural heritage promoted by The Old Vine Registry by The Old Vine Conference,’’ they said.

The judges also decided to award Coups de Coeur to VIGNO (Chile) and REDWine by Avipe (Portugal), two smaller initiatives which hugely impressed them.

“The V d’Or awards are a solid expression of our commitment to a sustainable and responsible wine industry, a symbol of excellence and of the preservation of our terroir for future generations,” said Vinexposium CEO, Rodolphe Lameyse.

“The wine world is full of strong personalities who express themselves constantly through ambitious initiatives and projects. We have designed the V d’Or awards to reward their energy and enthusiasm,” added Michel Chapoutier, chairman of the V d’Or Committee.

Winners and nominees by category:

The Best New Business Solution V d’OR

ecoSPIRITS

Grape-NFT by Spuro

Tastee by Winespace (winner)

Wine in Block

The Best Eco-Friendly Market Launch V’ d’OR

Mallard Point (winner)

Bodegas Peñascal

Le Philtre

When in Rome Sekko wine

The Best Joint Initiative V d’OR