Wine writers gear up for the Roederers

The 2015 Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards takes place tomorrow, with two writers from the drinks business vying with a host of prominent wine communicators for one of the prestigious awards.

The winners of the 2014 ‘Roederers’ (Photo: LRIWWA)

The db’s deputy editor, Lucy Shaw, and Rupert Millar, managing editor of the drinks business Hong Kong, have both been shortlisted for the competition’s Emerging Wine Writer of the Year award, which in 2011 was won by db editor Gabriel Stone.

The competition also features db contributors Michael Edwards, Margaret Rand and Anne Krebiehl MW in the International Feature Writer of the Year category.

For the first time this year, the competition features the Food and Wine Writer award, for the best writer of content that is “balanced between wine, including its gastronomic or culinary interaction with food, as well as food”. Nominees in the new category are Natasha Hughes, Victoria Moore
and Francis Percival.

Now in their 11th year, the ‘Roederers’ are recognised around the world as the ultimate accolade for wine communicators in written and visual media. The invitation-only awards ceremony takes place at Burlington Gardens in the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Attendees will be treated to Louis Roederer Brut premier champagne and canapés, as well as the newly released 2007 Cristal.

Judges include wine critic Charles Metcalfe, New Statesman columnist Nina Caplan, World of Fine Wine editor Neil Beckett, Jancis Robinson MW and the db‘s own Gabriel Stone, who met in June to decide on the competition shortlist.

The full shortlist is as follows:

CHAMPAGNE LOUIS ROEDERER ARTISTRY OF WINE AWARD 2015
– Andrew Barrow
– Thierry Gaudillère
– Michel Joly
– Adrian Lander
– Stephen Morris
– Mick Rock
– Jon Wyand

CHAMPAGNE LOUIS ROEDERER EMERGING WINE WRITER OF THE YEAR 2015
– Mark Andrew
– Dan Keeling
– Rupert Millar
– Emily O’Hare
– Lucy Shaw
– Hamish Smith
– Catherine Todd

RAMOS PINTO ONLINE COMMUNICATOR 2015
– Jane Anson
– Tim Atkin
– Joss Fowler
– Michael Fridjhon
– Andrea Frost
– Jamie Goode
– W. Blake Gray
– Victoria Moore
– Alder Yarrow

DOMAINE FAIVELEY INTERNATIONAL WINE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2015
– Barolo & Barbaresco – Kerin O’Keefe
– Native Grapes of Italy – Ian d’Agata
– Natural Wines – Isabelle Legeron MW
– The Essence of Wine: Celebrating the Delights of the Palate – Alder Yarrow

DOMAINES OTT INTERNATIONAL FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR 2015
– Jane Anson
– Tim Atkin MW
– Michael Edwards
– Richard Hemming
– Anne Krebiehl MW
– Margaret Rand

CHAMPAGNE LOUIS ROEDERER INTERNATIONAL WINE COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015
– Tim Atkin MW
– Michael Fridjhon
– Will Lyons
– Victoria Moore
– Anthony Rose

PIO CESARE FOOD AND WINE WRITER OF THE YEAR 2015
– Natasha Hughes
– Victoria Moore
– Francis Percival