Wines Committee

The Wines Committee consists of a team of distinguished members of the wine world, a number of whom are Masters of Wine. The Committee meets annually, usually during May, to discuss the latest vintage assessments for its Vintage Card and Chart which are updated each year. The Vintage Card also doubles up as the IWFS Membership Card.

The Wines Committee is extremely fortunate to receive the invaluable opinion from a team of highly regarded consultants who are recognised as experts in their field and many of whom are also based in the region itself.

Wines Committee 2011

Chris J Bonsall, Chairman (see below)
F John Avery, MW
Beverley Blanning, MW
Gregory Bowden
Michael Brajkovich, MW
Harriet Lembeck (see below)
Liz Robertson, MW
Andrea Warren, Secretary

Consultants 2011

Tony Aspler – Ontario
Nicolas Belfrage, MW - Italy                                   
Peter Bell – New York
Dan Berger – Napa/Sonoma                       
Jim Budd - Loire                                   
Bob Campbell, MW – New Zealand                       
G Sidney Cross, OMA - California
Chris Figgins - Washington
David Furer – Austria & Germany
James Halliday - Australia
Ben Howkins - Tokaji
Duncan Killiner – Argentina & Chile                                   
Adam LaZarre – Central Coast
John Livingstone-Learmonth - Rhone
Jane Masters, MW - Provence
Richard Mayson - Portugal
Greg Melick - Australia                                   
John Radford – Spain           
Philip Rich - Australia                       
John Salvi MW - Bordeaux
Michael Schmidt – Austria & Germany
John Schreiner – British Columbia
James Simpson MW - Champagne
Leon Sobon – Shenandoah Valley, Amador County                                   
Alex Sokol Blosser – Oregon
Dave Swingler – South Africa

Click for further details of the Consultants

WINES COMMITTEE MEMBERS

CHRIS BONSALL - Chairman

[PHOTO TO BE LOADED]

Chris Bonsall is the current Chairman of the Wines Committee, having been so since 2008 when he took over from Sid Cross. Chris is also a Past Chairman of the IWFS having served between 2008 and 2010 during which time fellow Wines Committee member, Beverly Blanning, wrote the highly regarded monograph on “Biodynamics in Wine” for the IWFS.

Chris is a long time wine lover and investor, having previously been a shareholder in Peter Lehmann Wines (South Australia), Caledonia Australis (Victoria) and currently Stella Bella Wines (Western Australia). His passion for New World wines developed in 1986 when he migrated to Australia and continues despite currently living in England.

While practicing as a lawyer in Hong Kong for 20 years, he organised and chaired what was then the most prestigious independent wine show in Asia known as Winpac between 1999 and 2003. Although a professed lover of the Pinot Noir grape he is also currently the Vinothecaire for La Commanderie de Bordeaux a Londres and has organised a number of wine trips to Bordeaux.

HARRIET LEMBECK - specialist for wines of North America 

CWE (Certified Wine Educator), CSS (Certified Specialist of Spirits)
 
Wine and Spirits educator for 35 years. Her class is called ‘Harriet Lembeck’s Wine & Spirits Program.’ Classes are held in an 18th C. townhouse in New York City. Author, with copyright, (not ‘editor’) of “Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers and Spirits”, 6th and 7th editions, with the 8th edition in progress, and forthcoming. FYI, the publisher of the 8th edition will be John Wiley. The 6th and 7th editions were published by Charles Scribner Sons. I have a regular column for Beverage Dynamics Magazine on ‘Retailer Education.’ I am Chairman of the Wine Committee and a Director of the International Wine & Food Society, New York chapter. I am also Chairman of the NY Wine Press, a wine writer group. I am very active in the Society of Wine Educators, and a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and Commanderie de Bordeaux, one of very few women members.
 
To find out more please visit my website: www.wineandspiritsprogram.com