Andrew Jefford receives IMW lifetime achievement award for 2026
The Institute of Masters of Wine has named Andrew Jefford as the recipient of its 2026 lifetime achievement award in association with the drinks business. The honour was presented at Vinexposium’s V d’Or awards ceremony in Paris on 8 February 2026.
Andrew Jefford has been named the recipient of the 2026 Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) Lifetime Achievement Award in association with the drinks business.
The award was presented at Vinexposium’s V d’Or awards ceremony by Sarah Harrison, IMW executive director, and Patrick Schmitt MW, editor-in-chief of the drinks business.
The lifetime achievement award recognises a substantial contribution to the global wine community and is intended to honour vision, determination and innovation.
A career in wine writing spanning more than 30 years
Jefford is described by the IMW as an award-winning journalist, poet and internationally respected wine writer known for his exploration of terroir and wine culture.
Born and raised in Norfolk, England, he studied English at the University of Reading and the University of East Anglia, completing an MA with distinction. After beginning his career in publishing, he started writing about wine in 1988 and has since authored numerous books on wine, whisky, travel and perfume.
His journalism has appeared in The Evening Standard and The Financial Times, while he also contributes regular columns to Decanter magazine and The World of Fine Wine. He has broadcast on BBC radio and served as a senior research fellow and wine writer in residence at Adelaide University.
Since 2010, Jefford has lived with his family in the Languedoc region of southern France.
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Jefford praised for originality and expressive power
Among his accolades are eight Glenfiddich and Louis Roederer Awards. He currently serves as a co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards and is an academic advisor to the Wine Scholar Guild.
On receiving the award, Jefford said: “The Institute of Masters of Wine is a unique academic institution, independently guarding an 8,000-year cultural tradition and ensuring its relevance in increasingly chaotic and abrasive times. Membership opens to the most talented, those able to pass its stern exams. Many of those I respect most deeply in the wine world are members; as a journalist, I’ve often admired and cited the research papers written by its successful candidates. In another life, I’d have a go, and almost certainly fail. So the idea that I’d be nominated for its Lifetime Award seems surreal; winning it doubly so. I’m thrilled.”
Sarah Harrison, IMW executive director, said: “For more than 30 years, Andrew’s writings have contributed to the canon of the wine industry. It takes great skill to write about the nuances of wine and to communicate so eloquently. To this day, his writing continues to educate, inform and inspire. Andrew is a very deserving recipient of this honour.”
Patrick Schmitt MW, editor-in-chief of the drinks business, said: “The world of alcoholic drinks is fortunate to have a talent like Andrew Jefford to articulate its many qualities with such originality and expressive power. He is not a writer defined by point scores or rote tasting notes, but one who responds, in a uniquely sensitive way, to the deeper glories of fine drinks, the landscapes that shape them and the people who bring them into being. He is also the author of several outstanding books, notably The New France, a seminal guide to French wine, and the first-rate educational work Andrew Jefford’s Wine Course.”
Rod Smith MW, IMW chair, added: “Andrew Jefford’s career has set an extraordinary benchmark for wine communication. Through his rich body of work, he has deepened global understanding of wine and its cultural importance. His beautiful haikus are also a delight. It is with great pride and pleasure we recognise his outstanding and lasting contribution with this Lifetime Achievement Award.”
An award voted on by Masters of Wine
Recipients of the lifetime achievement award are nominated and voted on by Masters of Wine. Since its debut in 2005, the award has been presented to figures including Robert Mondavi in 2005, Marchese Piero Antinori in 2007, Hugh Johnson OBE in 2015 and Jancis Robinson OBE MW in 2024.
James Halliday AM was named the 2025 recipient, as reported by the drinks business, for a career in wine spanning more than 55 years.
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