Decanter's Tina Gellie has won the inaugural Academy of Food and Wine Service award for journalism.
Gellie, Decanter’s chief-sub editor, scooped the award for her article about competing in the UK Sommelier of the Year competition, in which she joined 15 UK semi finalists to complete a written exam, a blind-tasting of six wines and a role-play scenario.
The award, presented to ‘the journalist who has helped further the understanding of front-of-house as a career and profession,’ is the first journalism award given out by the AFWS.
The judges praised Gellie’s article for ‘revealing the pressure of competing in a national competition at this level and the skill and depth of knowledge required to succeed’.
David Galetti, head sommelier at Le Gavroche in London, won the Dalmore Award for Excellence, the Academy’s top annual honour.
Other AFWS awards winners included:
Company of the Year: Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill
College of the Year: Stratford-upon-Avon College, Warwickshire
Virgin Rising Star Award: Richard Hurley, The Langham, London
Louis Jadot & Savoy Educational Trust Sommelier Scholarship: Louise Gordon, The Westbury Mayfair, London
Savoy Educational Trust Philip Thornton Award: Katharina Praus, Isle of Eriska Hotel, Argyll
New Zealand Winegrowers Award: Romain Audrerie, Hotel du Vin, Edinburgh
Ramos Pinto Travel Award: Anja Gottwald, The Carnegie Club, Skibo Castle, Sutherland
AFWS honorary fellowships: Derek Picot, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London; Jason Goddard, The Roof Gardens, London
The Academy of Food and Wine Service is the UK’s professional body for front-of-house-service
Written by Decanter staff
