Resorts World Sentosa launches inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards

Resorts World Sentosa will be kicking off the inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards, a new award competition alongside The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival, a three-day consumer event in October celebrating the wine lifestyle.

Integrated lifestyle destination Resorts World Sentosa is introducing a new wine awards competition; the inaugural Wine Pinnacle Awards, presented by Genting Singapore and to held in October this year, is touted as the first-ever awards conducted on a nomination basis without the need for submissions of wines or entry fees. Instead the competition is set to pull together a panel of over 80 wine professionals from around the world who will be tasked to nominate wines of their choice without restrictions on origin. Votes by the independent expert jury will be gathered by way of a secured online nomination ballot, with the nomination list to be revealed in August.

Wine Pinnacle Awards 2019

The panel will be overseen by a five-member Wine Pinnacle Awards committee, consisting of some of the world’s most highly regarded wine experts – Hong Kong-based Jeannie Cho Lee MW (pictured above), Kenichi Ohashi MW from Tokyo, United States’ Doug Frost MW, MS, London-based wine writer Oz Clarke, and award-winning Swedish sommelier Andreas Larsson. Local wine enthusiasts may know Cho Lee and Clarke as two of the members of Singapore Airlines’ wine panel, while Larsson is best known for being accorded Best Sommelier of the World 2007.

Wine Pinnacle Awards will consist of 27 different award categories:

1. Best Bordeaux Wine from 1996
2. Best Burgundy White from 2008
3. Best Burgundy Red from 2005
4. Best Barolo from 1999
5. Best Tuscan Red from 2007
6. Best Australian Shiraz/Syrah from 2008
7. Best Cabernet-based California Wine from 2009
8. Best 2002 Vintage Champagne
9. Best Rioja/Ribera del Duero from 2005
10. Best Chinese Red
11. Best Rose in the World
12. Best Organic/Natural Wine of the Year
13. Black Swan Wine of the Year (Most Thought-provoking Wine)
14. Best Recent Release New World Pinot Noir
15. Best Recent Release Sauvignon Blanc
16. Best Recent Release Non-Champagne Sparkling Wine
17. Best Recent Release South American Red
18. Best Recent Release Non-Burgundy Chardonnay
19. Hidden Treasure: Bordeaux
20. Hidden Treasure: Burgundy
21. Hidden Treasure: Piedmont
22. Hidden Treasure: Australia
23. Best Young Winemaker of the Year (Under 40)
24. Best Friend of the Earth (Most Environmentally-Conscious)
25. Unsung Hero
26. Top Wine Influencer (Under 45)
27. Grand Jury Award

The most coveted title would be the ‘Grand Jury Award’, which will be chosen from amongst all the winners
from the other categories by the Wine Pinnacle Awards committee.

“Given that the Wine Pinnacle Awards is based on expert nominations instead of paid submissions, it opens up for an entire world of wines to be recognised and awarded. For the first time, we are honouring deserving wine producers and wines that may otherwise fall under the radar of wine competitions,” Jeannie Cho Lee explained. “We have designed the award categories such that we can celebrate wines across a broad spectrum, from young wines to mature wines that are ready to drink, discovering hidden treasures that are currently under-appreciated or under-valued.”

“This will be a truly groundbreaking awards platform that will hopefully generate lots interest and excitement among the wine community,” she added.

“Of all the categories, I am most looking forward to see what will be nominated for the category of
Best Organic/Natural Wine of the Year,” Oz Clarke said. “I strongly believe that organic wines will become
commonplace and perhaps even mainstream so it would be interesting to see how wine producers
exercised their craftsmanship while managing the challenges and opportunities presented by the
world phenomenon of climate change and sustainability.”

The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival

The GREAT Wine & Dine Festival will take place alongside Wine Pinnacle Awards, a three-day celebration of the world of wines from 10 to 12 October later this year. An evolution of its previous The Great Food Festival, It will kick off with the Wine Pinnacle Awards gala dinner and awards ceremony on the first day, and start three days where gourmands can feast on good food paired with many of the nominated wines.

Resorts World Sentosa intends to set the festival as the premier and most extensive wine event in Southeast Asia for both wine professionals and wine enthusiasts, where wine lovers can look forward to a slew of activities including masterclasses by the world’s top wine critics, wine tastings, as well as wine pairing dinners at Resorts World Sentosa’s celebrity chef restaurants.

Follow us on Telegram to get updated on events and other spirited announcements!