Decanter has won Best International Publication at the Grandi Cru d'Italia Awards in Verona - the third award for the magazine and its editor from the prestigious organisation.
The award was presented last night at a dinner in the Palazzo della Ragione in the Cortile Mercato Vecchio in Verona attended by international journalists and members of the wine industry.
Grandi Cru d’Italia, under the chairmanship of Vittorio Frescobaldi, is an association of Italy’s 110 top wine producers, whose wines win consistently high ratings from international critics.
Decanter, along with the Chinese Edition of the Guida Vini Gambero Rosso, won Best International Publication or Guide – the second time it has won the award.
The first time Decanter won the award was in 2008, while editor Guy Woodward was named Best Foreign Journalist in 2010.
Woodward said he was delighted to see Decanter honoured for the third time. ‘It’s a great honour to be recognised again by such a prestigious association as Grandi Cru. Italy, with its wonderful variety of regions and styles, is high on the list of Decanter readers’ favourite wine regions.’
The award is particularly relevant, Woodward added, as the April issue of the magazine explored Italy in depth, with a major feature on ‘Uncharted Italy’ by Richard Baudains, Kerin O’Keefe on Brunello, and Piedmont’s Pio Cesare, and comprehensive panel tastings on Barbaresco and Amarone.
Ian D’Agata of Guida ai Migliori Vini d’Italia, Decanter writer and regional chair for Piedmont and Southern Italy at the Decanter World Wine Awards, won Best Italian Journalist.
Wine Enthusiast’s Monica Larner won Best International Journalist while Matt Skinner of Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph and Gourmet Wine Traveller was named Best International young journalist.
Websites www.winenews.it and www.jamessuckling.com were joint winners of the Best Website, and Best Italian publication or programme was won by Radio 24 for Il Gastronauta.
A special award was presented to Richard Parsons, chairman of Citigroup and owner of Montalcino’s Tenuta Il Palazzone, who was praised for his contribution to, and investment in, Italian wine.
Speakers at the dinner included Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Decanter’s contributing editor for Asia, consultant Michel Rolland, and Wine Spectator’s Bruce Sanderson and executive editor Thomas Matthews.
Written by Adam Lechmere
