Regional News
We welcome the latest news from our Chairs from the regions, Chris Ankner (Americas), Nicola Lee (Asia Pacific) and Stephen Harrison (Europe Africa) – a special welcome to Nicola who was recently appointed Chairman of AP.
AMERICAS - Chris Ankner
I’m writing this note on a cold, snowy New York day, when the calendar says we should be in the early bloom of spring. But I’m excited by our spring and summer plans. Steve Greenwald is reprising the acclaimed Paris/Bordeaux trip with 77 members in May, and Steve Hipple is leading 54 members to Walla Walla in June. While everyone knows Bordeaux as one of the planet’s truly great wine regions, I was still surprised by the sheer number of 95+ wines we’ll be able to serve in Washington at a relatively affordable price. Two different trips, but each should reach or exceed the high expectations we have for Steve and Steve.
Unfortunately, we have been forced to postpone our plans for a Fall Festival in Mexico City. Events in Western Mexico after the killing of cartel kingpin El Mencho have made it impossible for us to be confident in the safety of our members. By November, this may all seem overly cautious, but we don’t have the luxury of time. Deposits and reservations need to be made. We are watching events closely, and I truly hope we’ll be able to present this festival in 2027.
In the branches there is some exciting news. The Spokane Branch is changing its name to The Inland NW Branch for primarily technical reasons. The Philadelphia Branch is changing its name to the Herbert Engelbert Philadelphia Branch in honor of their longstanding sommelier. And I hope everyone gives a hearty welcome to the new Sedona Branch, and founder Malcolm Boyd which has earned a Prospective Charter. For those who don’t know Sedona, please look the branch up when you go there—it's one of the most beautiful locations in the US. I suspect we’ll see a lot of photos in the magazine from that branch.
I want to give two shout-outs before I sign off. If you haven’t explored the wine-pairing app Ask André, you’re doing yourself a disservice. I’ve used it myself a handful of times. Please thank Baltimore’s Mark Geller, who designed it. The Houston Branch’s Merrianne Timko, however, took Ask André to the next level. She brilliantly used the app to pair wines for a branch dinner at an Italian restaurant, matching the app’s selections with what was available on the wine list. I only wish I had thought of that.
Neal Vitale, of the Hollywood Branch, took over the Virtual Tasting Series when I assumed the chairmanship of the Americas and has outshone me at every turn. I know it is hard for an international audience to watch tastings live given the variety of time zones we operate in. Frankly, it’s even hard in the Americas. But all the tastings have been saved on the website. Neal has also built a really incredible Committee with David Myers, Brad McGiboney and Charles Schurhammer. This Committee is in good hands for a very long time
ASIA PACIFIC – Nicola Lee
Warm greetings from Asia Pacific. As we begin 2026, our region enters an important period of transition with the retirement of our long-serving Chair, Michael Tamburri. Over the past five years, Michael has made an immense contribution to strengthening and reconnecting the Asia Pacific community. He revived the Asia Pacific newsletter, travelled extensively throughout the region to visit branches, fostered valuable ties among members, and championed the use of the IWFS website as an important tool for information-sharing and branch management.
Michael also led us with great steadiness through the challenges of the pandemic and oversaw the revival of our annual Asia Pacific Festivals, first in Singapore, then in Sydney, and most recently in Malaysia. We send him our sincere thanks and deep appreciation for his outstanding leadership, energy and dedication.
I am greatly honoured to have been appointed Chair for a 3 year term. I look forward to building on the excellent work Michael has undertaken together with the Directors and Executive Committee of Asia Pacific Limited.
The Asia Pacific region is remarkable for its breadth and diversity of cultures and cuisines. This richness is one of our greatest strengths, and I look forward to celebrating it with members across the region. In that spirit, I am delighted to share that our next Asia Pacific Festival will be held in the Barossa Valley from 6 to 8 November.
I look forward to meeting many of you in the months ahead.
EUROPE AFRICA – Stephen Harrison
It’s been a busy start to 2026, and there is a lot to look forward to, with the Final and Awards Lunch of our Young Chef Competition in April and May, along with the Judgement of Paris (Plus 50) events. Branches in Singapore and Australia are joining European branches for Judgement to deliver what will (probably!) be the largest global tasting ever attempted.
Some of the things going on in the Region are:
This year’s Young Chef Competition is now concluding the heats stage and we’ve been hugely impressed by the quality of the entries. This is the fifth time we’ve run the competition with 10 colleges and nearly 200 students taking part. The Awards Lunch takes place on Wednesday 20th May at Cheshire College South and West Crewe Campus and it would be wonderful to see as many members there as possible to join the celebration.
The Judgement event series in May will form part of a worldwide series of events that only a Society of our scale and reach could deliver. In our region, we have confirmed events in London, Berkshire, the South West, Manchester and Leeds, along with others still in planning. With branches in Singapore and Australia also participating, this is a major chance for members and guests to take part in something truly global and unique. We’ll be publicising the event through the press and social media to gain as much publicity for the Society as possible. To capitalise on this, we will be unveiling a simple online “join” function to enable anyone who has enjoyed an event to sign up for membership on the spot.
“Glass Class” – a new wine training video series – has been launched on www.iwfsea.org
Phillip Kim has curated a 5-part video training series for anyone who wants to gain a grounding in the basics of wine appreciation. The series has been made possible by the generosity of the sponsors of the Young Chef Competition – Saga Cruises, The Savoy Educational Trust and Robinsons Wines. Waud Handford Wines also lent us their impressive showroom to enable the filming. Congratulations to Phillip, and to presenters Mimi Avery and Vito Bowen. Thanks too to Tim Hodges and Jane Barber who have done a fantastic job fund raising for both this and the Young Chef Competition.
Waud Handford are offering EA members a 10% discount on any orders from their website. Use the code IWFS10 when placing orders. Thanks to a new partnership, EA branches will be able to profit from Wauds’ broad ranges at competitive prices. While the partnership will primarily benefit UK members and branches, we will be looking to develop other partnerships throughout the EA Region.