Vinexposium CEO toasts inaugural V d’Or awards

Vinexposium announced the winners at its inaugural V d’Or awards on Sunday 11 February, with plans for next year’s ceremony already in the works. Growth is always top of the agenda for Vinexposium CEO Rodolphe Lameyse, but when it comes to the V d’Or awards, he’s more focused on quality over quantity. “For once I want something exclusive,” he told the drinks business during Wine Paris Vinexpo Paris yesterday (13 February). Entries for 2024 were judged by a panel of international industry professionals, and results were announced at an awards ceremony in Paris on Sunday, ahead of the official opening of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024. The invitation-only event welcomed 250 guests, and Lameyse says the length of the guest list is unlikely to change much. “It won’t reach 500 — 300 is the limit. I want to keep it very high end, very exclusive, and manageable”. Tastee by Winespace won the Best New Business Solution V d’Or. With wine consumption declining in almost every country, the judges praised the tool for making it “easier long term for consumers who don’t know about wines to make their choices”. Mallard Point was awarded the Best Eco-friendly Market Launch award. The family business won for its reuseable aluminium packaging Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme by WWF Portugal and Wines of Alentejo (Portugal) was the winner of the Best Joint Initiative category. The Best Brand Experience V d’Or went to South Africa’s Creation Wines. “Everything about Creation Wines is about the human