We didn’t win the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2012 but instead the In Vino Amicitas Grand Prix Lalau pour L’Amitié entre les Vins
Congratulations to Andrew Jefford and Michael Fridjhon and several others for winning the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2012. A great achievement to very deserving writers.
There are the awards that you have to declare yourself candidate to (like the Roederer one, as well as most wine competitions; we did not for Roederer). Then there are the ones that sneak up from behind when you least expect it.
Le Grand Prix Lalau pour L’Amitié entre les Vins is of the latter kind. It comes out of the blue and will probably haunt you for ever. It is no less an honour. It does not come with a bottle of champagne, but it might come with a bottle of beer from the self appointed and totally democratic president who is a French refugee in Belgium. (NB: who had taken refuge in Belgium well before it became popular with bag makers and perfume blenders to do so.)
The magnanimous president, jury (and executioner?) is Hervé Lalau, an eminent French wine writer living and writing in Belgium.
His list of winners for 2012, labelled Premières Grandes Plumes Classées A (after having been subject to blind tastings over no less than ten years and having had their cellars inspected):
- Per Karlsson (Suède Méridionale)
- Marc Vanhellemont (Belgique Méridionale)
- Oivier Grosjean (Nord-Bugey)
- David Cobbold (Gascogne)
- Jacky Rigaux (Bourgogne)
- Agnieszka Kumor (Pologne)
- Michel Smith (Roussillon)
- Laurent Probst (Hell-Vessie)
- Jim Budd (Jumilla)
- Franco Ziliani (Lombardia)
- Marc André Gagnon (Québec)
- Vincent Pousson (Catalunya)
- Lincoln Siliakus (New South Rhône)
- Florence Kennel (Jura)
- Anne Serres (Fenouillèdes)
- Georges Truc (Rhône)
- Alexandre Truffer (Bas-Valais)
- Dominique Hutin (Sud-Cotentin)
(Please let me know if I have missed a link!)
Here is my very beautiful diploma.
Presiden Lalau underlines that the diploma comes with a free upgrade to business class on Air Lund on Tuesdays on the evening flight between Sancerre and Nordköping (wherever that is), provided it is not considered as unethical.
