The Buyer | How Vinexposium’s V d’Or awards will celebrate business expertise

You are into the second year of the V d'Or awards - how did the first year go and what lessons did you learn?

Last year’s V d’Or marked a first for Vinexposium. As you can imagine, it was a steep learning curve, but we were delighted and grateful for the industry's positive reception and for the diverse range of entries we received from both large and small operators across many different countries.

This truly highlights the strength of the Vinexposium brand. Selecting the winners was difficult and we ended up presenting a few ‘Coup de Coeur’ awards to projects that particularly impressed the judging panel—something we hadn’t planned for initially. The key takeaway, however, was to keep things simple which is why we have gone from six categories in the first year to four in the second year.

How are you looking to apply those lessons in year two in order to take them to the next stage?

The award categories have been tweaked to encourage even more entries than last year.

We’ve also streamlined the entry forms because the simpler the process is, the more applicants there will be.

We’re still keeping a strong focus on sustainable, innovative and creative projects though. That’s what we want to highlight and celebrate to inspire the whole industry. I always find it frustrating when the wine industry, more so than the spirits industry, is criticised for lacking innovation, because that’s simply not true.

What are the categories for the 2025 awards?

We have four categories this year:

Best Sustainability V d'Or will be awarded to an interprofessional organisation, a group, an individual, a company, a brand, a winery or a distillery providing one or more innovative solutions to meet the environmental challenges facing the wine and spirit sector.

Best Education & Knowledge Sharing V d'Or will be awarded to an interprofessional organisation, a group, an individual, a company, a brand, a winery or a distillery that provides a programme or a scheme committed to mentorship, education and skill transfer within the world of wine and spirits.

Best Digital Strategy V d'Or will be awarded to an interprofessional organisation, a group, an individual, a company, a brand, a winery or a distillery for the execution of a high-performance digital strategy which reaches out to new audiences or taps into new markets.

Best New Product Strategy V d'Or will be awarded to a brand, a winery or a distillery rolling out an innovative strategy aimed at a new product launch that responds to changing consumer tastes.

What are the main criteria to enter?

Projects presented must have been implemented, announced or achieved significant results after January 1 2023.

The competition is free to enter and open to wine and spirit producers, importers and retailers of all sizes, generic bodies, communication agencies and other third-party suppliers. Entrants do not have to exhibit at Wine Paris to be eligible.

The deadline is 27 October 2024 and you can apply here.

Who do you think the awards are most relevant for and who do you hope will enter?

We hope, in the same way as last year, for a wide range of entries from both large and small operators across many different countries. Our goal is to showcase exciting international initiatives and bring optimism and positivity to our industry, despite the real challenges facing the world of wine and spirits.

Who are the judges this year?

Our judging panel is in the process of being finalised. I am very pleased that Michel Chapoutier has agreed to preside over the proceedings this year. Three of last year’s judges have already agreed to join us again, Christophe Juarez, chief executive of Terroirs & Vignerons de Champagne, Judy Chan, chief executive of Grace Vineyard and Eduardo Chadwick, president of Viña Errazuriz. We will also invite a spirits specialist to join the panel.

Any highlights in terms of the winners from the first year?

The awards ceremony, on the eve of the opening of Wine Paris 2024, was a great success and a fitting way to celebrate the V d’Or winners. We realised soon after the judging had concluded that the winners came from six different countries thus reflecting Vinexposium international DNA.

I was particularly pleased to see The Old Vine Registry win the Best Heritage V d’Or. The Old Vine Registry is a project spearheaded by Jancis Robinson MW and Tamlyn Currin to preserve ancient viticultural heritage as part of the Old Vine Conference. Their database has already listed over 1,800 old vineyards worldwide.

The entry process for the V d’Or 2025 awards is now open. Click here for more details. The entry process closes on October 27.
The awards will be announced at a special ceremony to be held on February 9 the night before the opening of Wine Paris that runs from February 10-12.
The winners of the inaugural awards in 2024 were:
Best New Business Solution: Tastee by Winespace (France).
Best Eco-Friendly Market Launch: Mallard Point.
Best Joint Initiative: Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program by WWF Portugal and Wines of Alentejo (Portugal).
Best Brand Experience: Creation Wines.
Best Heritage Initiative:The Old Vine Registry by The Old Vine Conference.