IWSC Wine Communicator shortlist: Fiona Beckett

This week, the IWSC will be celebrating five fantastic communicators in the wine industry, each  shortlisted for the prestigious IWSC Wine Communicator of the Year Trophy, sponsored by Vinitaly. The award recognises someone whose communication skills have made an exceptional contribution to the wine industry in the past year.

Fiona Beckett, the first shortlisted nominee, is an award-winning writer who works as a wine columnist for The Guardian and National Geographic Traveler Food. An active voice in the wine community for almost 30 years, she has written at one time or another for most of the UK’s national newspapers and food magazines. 

Beckett has published an impressive 24 books over the course of her career, and regularly writes forDecantermagazine and Club Oenologique. Most recently, she authored Wine Lover’s Kitchen, a selection of recipes for cooking with wine, and launched podcast Batonnage with Liam Steevenson MW to have ‘stirring discussions about wine’ with a range of guests. She has also proven herself a valued wine communicator through her own website www.matchingfoodandwine.com, which she has been operating for 15 years. 

“The IWSC Wine Communicator of the Year award is hugely prestigious. I’d see it as a platform to talk about the aspects of the wine industry I care about most, particularly the importance of food in enjoying wine and making it more accessible to new consumers, greater tolerance for alternative wine styles which often get unfairly overlooked, and the amazing role that women play in the industry,” Beckett said.

The IWSC judging panel affirmed Beckett’s engagement in the community, commenting “Who hasn’t referred to Fiona’s books or website before a big dinner party? She is both an authoritative voice and a fun one, and her podcast with Liam is opening a new world of wine communication”. 

The IWSC Wine Communicator of the Year 2019 will be announced at the Vinitaly Gala Dinner on 6 April in Verona.