Inaugural 67 Pall Mall global communicator awards – finalists revealed
Private members’ club 67 Pall Mall has revealed the finalists for its inaugural Global Wine Communication Awards, with 24 communicators in the running for six new prizes.
Following a significant response to the opening call for entries, the international judging panel has now whittled down the entries down to a maximum of five finalists in each category.
The number of entrants totalled 223 from 23 countries. While the UK and the US comprised almost two-thirds of entries, there were sizeable contributions from Australia, France, South Africa, Singapore, Italy, New Zealand and Canada. Entries had been published on diverse platforms such as Instagram, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok and Substack, as well as dozens of publications from personal blogs to national newspapers.
Richard Hemming MW, head of wine for Asia at 67 Pall Mall who founded the awards, explained: “Earning a living from wine communication may not be getting any easier, but the standard of entries we received in our first year of the competition is testament to the quality and diversity of wine communication around the world. Hundreds of people continue to dedicate themselves to the craft; the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards is our way of celebrating everyone that keeps wine communication in the prime of life.”
The awards are free to enter, with the judging panel including top names from around the wine world. Judging chair Elaine Chukan Brown, Konstantin Baum MW and Olly Smith lead the charge alongside Isis Daniel from Washington DC, better known as The Millennial Somm on social media, Natalie Wang, the founder and publisher of Vino-Joy News in Hong Kong and Australia-based wine writer Max Allen.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on Friday 6 September.
67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards finalists:
Best Wine Communicator in Short-Form Video
o Tom Gilbey, United Kingdom
o Jono Le Feuvre, South Africa
o Henna Bakshi, United States
o Brooke Martin, United States
o Alessandra Mastrantonio, United Kingdom
Best Wine Communicator in Long-Form Video
o Agnese Gintere, Latvia
o Emma Saclier Di Gregorio, France
o Peter Richards, United Kingdom
o Vincent Anter, United States
o André Hueston Mack, United States
Best Wine Communicator in Short-Form Writing
o Matt Walls, United Kingdom
o Sophie Thorpe, United Kingdom
o Tom Hewson, United Kingdom
o Nick Ryan, Australia
o Henry Jeffreys, United Kingdom
The Gusbourne Estate Award for Long-Form Writing
o Ed Merrison, Australia
o Malu Lambert, South Africa
o Henna Bakshi, United States
o Farrah Berrou, Lebanon
o Arnica Rowan, Canada
The Berkmann Award for Best All-Round Communicator (across all three disciplines)
o Barbara Drew, United Kingdom
o Amanda Barnes, Argentina
o Samantha Cole-Johnson, United States
“The quality of submissions was so high, we struggled to determine finalists,” Brown said. “It has given me even greater enthusiasm for the future of wine communication to work through the various submissions. I am proud to be part of the effort and very proud to announce the finalists.”
Konstantin Baum MW, whose own YouTube channel has over 150,000 followers, added: “Communicating wine is challenging, but the whole industry benefits from people like the 67 Pall Mall finalists, so we should thank them. At the same time, it is comforting to see these dozens of contenders reaching audiences across cultures and generations with their beautiful creations.”
Olly Smith, one of the UK’s best-known drinks personalities, said: “The high standard across entries this year from all over the world is inspiring and makes judging all the more delightful and meticulous!”
Founded in London in 2015, 67 Pall Mall sprang from founder and wine collector Grant Ashton’s desire to share his collection with like-minded people. 67 Pall Mall’s first Club in London opened in December 2015 and has since spread to a number of regions such as Verbier and Singapore. It also has an En Primeur membership for cities without a physical club, with the first city launched in Hong Kong. Upcoming openings include Melbourne, Bordeaux and Beaune in 2025.
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