Emerging Talent in Wine Communication 2023 shortlist

The IWSC’s 2023 Emerging Talent in Wine Communication trophy is sponsored byProsecco Superiore DOCG.

In 2022 the IWSC launched it’s Emerging Talent in Wine Communication award. This year marks only the second year the title will be awarded and based on the exceptional level of entries from Australia, the USA, Italy, South Africa and the UK, the world of wine communication is in exciting and creative hands.

The judging panel for our Emerging Talent in Wine Communication award comprised of communication veterans - journalist and broadcaster David Kermode, founder and CEO of Swirl Wine Group, Sarah Abbott MW, the IWSC’s 2022 Wine Communicator Trophy winner, Sarah Heller MW and Editorial Director for Club Oenologique, Laura Richards and last year’s Emerging Talent in Wine Communication winner, Sophia Longhi. Our judges were also joined by Giorgia Dotto from the awards sponsor, Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

Our Judges were in agreement that they wanted to hear a strong tone of voice when it came to their communicating style. They were on the lookout for individuals who were creatively communicating about wine, with a perfect balance of personality and knowledge. As well as reviewing the entry forms and CVs that were sent through, and for some of our entrants, the optional video, our judges spent time reviewing content beyond the application.

Laura Richards commented “There are some really great applicants, the standard this year has been really high so very difficult to whittle it down.”

But whittle it down we must, and we are delighted to reveal our 2023 shortlist for the IWSC’s Emerging Talent in Wine Communication.

Anna Spooner

Anna was shortlisted last year and our judges were unanimous in their agreement that she deserved a place again in this year’s shortlist. She brings an incredible clarity to wine communication and explains it in a personal and intelligent way. In 2022 she was runner up in the Jancis Robinson Writing Competition 2022.

Her educational videos on The Wine Society’s YouTube channel, where Anna currently holds the role of tastings and events coordinator were considered by those who hadn’t seen them as an incredibly body of work. Later this year she will be taking the step into freelancing, her new venture Anna Spooner Wine, will expand her media mix further incorporating content across YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, TikTok and Substack, and our judges are all excited to see what comes next.

Hannah Crosbie

Hannah was applauded for the work she’s doing communicating with an audience, notably a younger audience, outside of the industry bubble. Recently securing a presenting slot on Sunday Brunch and in the a new column with Mob, she is in the process of writing her first book. Hannah takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to wine communication, recognising that as a subject it can be unapproachable.

Hannah founded Dalston Wine Club two years ago and runs a monthly wine event at The Hoxton, as well as curating accessible wine events for the Soho House group. Described as on an upward trajectory, there was a lot of excitement from the panel when discussing Hannah’s entry.

Libby Brodie

Described by one judge as “an unstoppable force” Libby is other individual shortlisted for last years awards and like Anna, our judges felt really deserved to be shortlisted again given all the ground she’s broken in the past year. The judges were impressed by Libby’s ability to find new spaces to bring the conversation of wine and her expanded column in City AM’s Long Weekend incorporating wine tourism. Libby’s focus on demystifying wine and sharing content that is approachable was commended and the judges all agreed it was impressive how far she’d come. It’s hard to believe that a little over 2 years ago, Libby reigned in the world of theatre, rather than wine.  

As well as hosting talks (including the one with the IWSC at last year’s London Wine Fair) Libby has her own consultancy business, is incredibly active on social media and hosts supper clubs. She alongside last year’s winner Sophia Longhi, Charlotte Kristensen and Hannah Bouchon founded The Wine Collective, pooling talent and supporting each other, creating a force majeure. It is quite frankly astonishing where Libby manages to finds the time to do all shes does.

Luma Monteiro

Founder of her network, Wineria, Luma shares the stories of what goes on behind the bottles to her audience of over 16k. She is also generous in sharing her study tips following her progress through her own wine studies. Working together with the WSET and Global Wine Academy, students have benefited from Lumas first hand experience.

With her creative approach to communication and a friendly and personable style, our judges were unanimous in the decision to shortlist Luma. They felt she straddled her role in the industry as Marketing Manager for Davy’s Wine Merchant’s and her role as a communicator really well, using her impressive knowledge and awareness of the industry to create content that is friendly and personable. Her previous experience in the on-trade too has helped ensure her content is well informed as well as fun.

Samantha Cole-Johnson

Our fifth finalist for the Emerging Talent in Wine Communication award is Samantha, who our judges felt had really taken the step from reporting to creating content which expresses a strong point of view.

Samantha teaches the WSET courses up to Diploma level and is currently studying toward her Master of Wine qualification. She is keen to see more communicators with wine expertise adopting the communication channels that are booming – audio and visual and video is the future and our judges are looking forward to learning (or hearing!) more about audio articles which she is in the process of launching on JancisRobinson.com.

Congratulations to Anna, Hannah, Libby, Luma, and Samantha. The winner of the IWSC’s 2023 Emerging Talent in Wine Communication Trophy will be announced on Monday 20 February.