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We welcome the latest news from our Chairs from the regions, Chris Ankner (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and Stephen Harrison (Europe Africa) – a special welcome to Stephen who was recently appointed Chairman of EA. AMERICAS - Chris Ankner …

Message from the President Chris Bonsall What a year we have had at the IWFS. Wonderful Festivals in Napa, Rioja and Malaysia, the launch of the new Ask André A1-powered pairing tool for perfect wine and food matches, our latest Vintage Card, a new World…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple One of our main goals in t…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple I am pleased to announce t…

2023 Past Events Meeting 464 8th December 2023 Wines from the Chairman's Cellar Presenter: Colin Mair Our Branch has in previous years visited a restaurant for the December event. This year the committee decided that Christmas fare at restaurants was not …

Welcome to the Members' Home Page. Here you will find the latest news for members and links that you can use for more information. To view your Branch pages use the My Branch link in the site's top menu. MEMBER APP This latest facility for members include…

Honorary President's Message Dave Felton Traditionally, the end of the calendar year is the busiest period for our Society as branches around the world, accompanied by the best in holiday food and wine, celebrate in multiple ways. Last year’s events wer…

Appointment of new IWFS Chairman We are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Tamburri as Chairman of the International Council of Management (ICM). He was handed the reigns from outgoing ICM Chairman, Andrew Jones at the last Council meeting hel…

Vintage Card Consultants The IWFS is very fortunate to have a team of specialist consultants based around the world who each year provide a review of the latest vintage and also update the development of recent vintages. Many of them have been doing this …

Message from the President Chris Bonsall Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the South. These seasons are now upon us inviting our many Branches to complete their programme of events, which hopefully will include many of you embracing the impo…

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 w…

News News 2025/12/09 The Best Bubbly A BBC News item shows the British are beating the French at their own game and making the Best Bubbly... Read more NewsWine 2025/09/04 Bordeaux's Fine Wines Experts Favourite One perfect 100 point score from the Decant…

Sparkling Wine Podcast - Listen Now The IWFS sponsored episode of the award winning and highly successful Wine Blast podcast featuring Susie Barrie and Peter Richards, is now available, so tune in now. This recording titled Top of the Pops: Classic Fizz B…

Message from the President Chris Bonsall Recovering from the recent Europe Africa Festival to Bilbao and Rioja I am contemplating grape varieties in Greece during my week on the relaxing island of Paxos in the Ionian Sea. Blue skies and an even bluer clea…

We welcome the latest news from our Chairs from the regions, Chris Ankner (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa). AMERICAS - Chris Ankner The Americas just completed a highly successful Festival in Napa Valley. It wa…

Napa, California Festival 2025 Written by Tom Murnan, Omaha & Omaha Metro Branches Photos by Tom Murnan For additional photos, click here. I hadn’t been to Napa Valley for about 10 years, so when the IWFS Americas, Inc. hosted an event there, I thought …

Vintage Reports – the latest vintage reports, for the 2023 and 2024 vintages, to accompany the 2025 Vintage Card are now available to read here. You can read and digest at your leisure. The reports have once again been kindly provided freely by our trea…

We welcome the latest news from our Chairs from the regions, Chris Ankner (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa). AMERICAS - Chris Ankner It was a surprisingly active summer for the Americas. I’d like to give a hea…

Message from the President Chris Bonsall In the manifesto of the Labour Party's campaign for power in the United Kingdom in 1997 its leader, Tony Blair, outlined his priorities for office as "Education, education, education". Perhaps we, in The Internatio…

Wine & Dine on the Rhine Written by Tom Murnan. Photos by Tom Murnan To view additional photos by Wayne Markus, click here. This was indeed a wine and food trip of a lifetime, with the added attraction of having a floating hotel that moved from Basel Swit…

Message from the President Chris Bonsall What joy. This fine sunny morning brought 53 cases of vintage wine from the wine regions of France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal to my home in Australia, having been shipped several months ago from the UK. It…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, Chris Ankner (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa). AMERICAS - Chris Ankner Good morning. I’m writing this in the middle of February, as Team Schurhammer are putt…

Message from the President Chris Bonsall With the arrival of the new year there are, as always, some truly exciting events for members to look forward to around the world culminating in the much-postponed IWFS Triennial Festival in Hong Kong. The core of …

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific), John Nicholas (Europe Africa) and also recently appointed Chairman of the Americas – Chris Ankner. Over to you Chris first of all… AMERICAS - Chris Ankner Hi. Last Sep…

Message from the Honorary President Chris Bonsall It seems rather strange to be writing to you about the pleasures of the table with the world yet again in turmoil. The human spirit needs, however, to find joy amongst all that besets it and there are few …

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple I am pleased to report tha…

Photo of Torquay by Chris Boland Honorary President's Message Chris Bonsall If we were to have looked during the Covid years at our Society through a kaleidoscope, we would first have seen fragments of glass stubbornly refusing to connect into any semblan…

Appointment of New Honorary President The International Council of Management (ICM) are pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Bonsall as Honorary President of the Society on 1 June 2022. Chris succeeds Dave Felton, who held the post from 2017 to 20…

AMERICAS SUCCESS IN SAN ANTONIO San Antonio met all the criteria for organizing a successful festival. The Hotel Emma, located on the beautiful Riverwalk, is the only five-diamond hotel in San Antonio. Additionally, October offered excellent weather condi…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple The Americas is doing real…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple Although the Americas are …

Honorary President's Message Dave Felton What to do? What to do? The Grapevine is shared among all 6000 members of the Society throughout the world. It may be read throughout America, as well as by members in Estonia's Tallinn & Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur. M…

By Tom Murnan Council Bluffs & Omaha Branches Agoston Haraszthy was a fascinating individual who contributed greatly to the development of wine in the United States. He was a restless, energetic optimist, a self promoter whose ambitious ideas and actions …

While the benefit of sharing a passion for wine and food with other like-minded people is obvious, there are many other tangible benefits of being a member of the Society. As a member of the IWFS you can benefit from the following: You have the opportunit…

Latest IWFS Publication 2024 ‘The World of Tea’ by Will Battle (2024) We are talking tea….. The International Wine & Food Society are pleased to announce the release of their 2024 monograph ‘The World of Tea’ by Will Battle. As Will is an all-ro…

IWFS Vintage Card - click here to download the latest vintage card We are very grateful to our Consultants who have provided vintage reports for their region. The vintage reports are grouped together in line with the Vintage Card they first appear e.g. 20…

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, App and Chart which …

Do you enjoy good food and good wine? Do you love to relax with friends over a special meal? Are you passionate about the provenance of your food? Do you want to learn more about wine? Is experiencing the best in local food and wine an important part of y…

Photo Policy Photo Policy Introduction Event photos/videos are used as a means of informing the entire International Wine & Food Society, Toronto Branch (hereafter known as the IW&FS) and larger IW&FS community, of IW&FS Toronto Branch events, meetings, o…

Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the South. These seasons are now upon us inviting our many Branches to complete their programme of events, which hopefully will include many of you embracing the important initiative of The Judgement of Pari…

Membership Membership APPLICATION-RENEWAL FORM: IWFS_Membership_Application_Form2026.pdf WHO CAN JOIN IWFS TORONTO? Anyone with a passion and interest in wine and food can join our Chapter. WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY “A true culinary haven for epicureans seek…

A FRIENDLY WELCOME Members welcoming visitors from other branches, when on their travels, is a valuable benefit of being an IWFS member. This extensive network of contacts around the world takes some of the 'unknown' away and often means you get the insid…

Etna, Sicily’s Rising Starby Richard Baudains Introduction Sicily is a major force in the current Italian wine scene. It has enormous natural resources and an industry which is dynamic, outward looking and reactive. If in the 1990s it was the introducti…

Below are two exciting initiatives being undertaken by our regions and could be adopted by other branches or regions to further enhance their profile and potentially increase membership. Please read on and if you would like to find out more please email s…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, Chris Ankner (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa). AMERICAS - Chris Ankner This Spring at the New Orleans Wine weekend, Dwight Catherwood received the seventeenth …

Cognac bottling, Trilogie Vol.3, exclusively for IWFS members For lovers or Cognac this is a great opportunity. Trilogie Vol. 3 is a Cognac bottled exclusively for members of the IWFS and produced in collaboration with an online retailer in France, Cognac…

USA, New Orleans, USA March 14-16, 2024 (Americas) This weekend was indeed an exercise in the 'Big Easy' mood and with members from US, Canada, Cayman and the UK enjoying the experience. This special visit included a leisurely stroll along the Mighty Miss…

It's time for tea This year’s monograph focusses on a non-alcoholic beverage which is a first for us - tea. But with the increasing interest in no and low-alcohol drinks we thought it was time to delve into this world. Tea has many similarities to wine,…

Seasonal/Holiday Bundle With the celebration theme in mind please remember that this merchandise bundle is available and could be that perfect solution for you or your branch to gift (maybe as a thank you to that venue which has produced a memorable meal)…

Chicago, USA 6-9 September 2023 What a wine and food extravaganza! This festival was a French Wine Experience to really savour set in the beautiful and historic city of Chicago. Members were treated to a spectacular tasting of Mature Wines (one dating bac…

New Chairman Appointment We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Donohoe (r) as Chairman of the International Council of Management (ICM*). He was handed the reigns from outgoing ICM Chairman, Michael Tamburri (l) during the Americas Willamette…

90th Anniversary commemorative gift In order to recognise the Society’s 90th Anniversary each member household will receive three complimentary DropStops which the ICM hope you will find useful when sharing wines with friends and family – and to save …

Message from the President Chris Bonsall Your Society is in excellent health. So say I after attending two contrasting Festivals in May, namely one in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, and the other in Catalunya, Spain. Click here to read more Global News Ne…

LATEST MONOGRAPH – PINOT NOIR AROUND THE WORLD This year we are travelling the globe with Anne Krebiehl MW to discover the regions where Pinot Noir, and possibly future Grand Crus, will thrive. Anne is recognised amongst the Pinot Noir experts for her p…

Message from the President Chris Bonsall As I look out over a sparkling Sydney Harbour this February morning in the Southern Hemisphere, it is with optimism that this year will be a wonderful one for our Society, in its 90th year, with a full year of exci…

The Essential Guide to Modern Madeira This monograph has been a long time in the pipeline but, like the wine itself, it has developed over the years and we are extremely please with the quality of the final product. By the time you read this your copy sho…

The Story of our Branch Early Days The West Riding branch (as it was first known) of the IWFS came about through the direct instigation of Andre Simon. Tony Hepworth, an undergraduate at Cambridge, was a member of the University branch of the Society and …

Written by Tom Murnan, Council Bluffs and Omaha Branches Photos by Tom Murnan CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PHOTO GALLERY CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FESTIVAL BROCHURE It was hard for me to believe that our Bordeaux Festival was actually going to happen. Organiz…

Written by Tom Murnan, Council Bluffs and Omaha Branches Photos by Tom Murnan It was hard for me to believe that our Bordeaux Festival was actually going to happen. Organizer Steve Greenwald started preparing in 2017, but the original May 2020 date was po…

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple I am pleased to report tha…

Vintage Guide for 2022 This year a summary of vintage reports for all the regions featured is being compiled. Thanks go to many of our consultants who have done this for us, again giving us such information freely, and providing an informed insight into w…

Latest News Bath and Bristol Presents IWFS Excellence Award The Carpenters Arms (BE) We have recently presented an EAZ Excellence award to The Carpenters Arms at Stanton Wick. This scheme gives branches the opportunity to reward those venues that provide …

We welcome the latest news from our Zone Chairmen, and members of the International Council of Management – Stephen Hipple (Americas), Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) and John Nicholas (Europe Africa) AMERICAS - StePHeN Hipple IWFS is thriving as a new …

THE IMPACT OF SCREWCAPS ON WHEN TO DRINK A WINE We are extremely fortunate to have many high profile experts amongst our team of vintage consultants advising us for our Vintage Card each year - James Halliday being one and he has written an article for us…

SOUTH AMERICA WINE GUIDE Amanda Barnes, our Vintage Card expert consultant and specialist for the wines of Argentina and Chile has recently published a book on the wines of South America – South America Wine Guide and is offering members a 10% discount …

Alsace 2020 vintage – excellent ripeness – it’s a 6! David Ling, our Vintage Card Consultant for Alsace, reports - ‘In Alsace, 2020 was a typical "hot vintage", with all that that entails, and a bit smaller than average. Flowering started early (l…

Blended scotch - extended version for 2021 monograph In spite of its global popularity, Blended Scotch, has been largely ignored by publishers. Charles MacLean and Stuart Leaf will rectify this in our forthcoming monograph on the subject. In order to also…

We welcome two new Chairmen for the Zones, and members of the International Council of Management – Steve Hipple (Americas) and Michael Tamburri (Asia Pacific) AMERICAS - Steve Hipple The various Americas Branches have responded in diverse ways to the C…

2021 Vintage Card – now available We have recently taken delivery of our 2021 IWFS Vintage Card and which you will be due to receive when you renew your membership for the new year. When sourcing the information from our consultants from around the glob…

Honorary President's Message Dave Felton The future is looking brighter Season’s Greetings and welcome to a new style Grapevine!Yes, it’s been quite a year. But 2020 soon will be past. As I write these words in the middle of December, the world has re…

Rare Discovery of 18th & 19th Century Madeiras at Liberty Hall by Tom Murnan Imagine your excitement if you had inherited an old painting and an expert on Antiques Road Show told you it really was an unsigned Van Gough. Or you were a researcher in an obsc…

Visit IWFS Branches around the Baltic The IWFS Europe Africa Zone looks forward to welcoming you at the Baltic Cruise Festival – an opportunity to meet IWFS Branches round the Baltic Sea. This will commence with dinner in Copenhagen on Thursday 29th Jun…

Visiting the area The Bath and Bristol area has so many wonderful attractions that it is difficult to select what to mention so this article just covers some of the more unusual ones. If you are in the area in August then don't miss the Bristol Balloon fi…

Overview The Bath and Bristol Branch was one of the first branches to be formed in the UK and has enjoyed a healthy membership throughout it's history. One of our current members actually knew Andre Simon, the founder of the IWFS. We welcome members both …

Past Events Lunch at the Lime Tree Saturday 21st March 2026 The IWFS Manchester branch monthly meet up was in full swing on Saturday 21st March at one of our favourite restaurants - The Lime Tree in Didsbury. Members and guests gathered for a leisurely lu…

Events Please go to www.iwfs.london for a full listing and details of past and upcoming events, and to make bookings on line. You can also email bookings@iwfs.london for further information. Latest News Our Garden Party at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor was a …

Please see below the monographs published by the IWFS. These handy, almost pocket sized, booklets have been authored by recognised specialists in their area and the aim is for them to provide an informed insight into a wine or food related topic. Their pr…

This is the EAZ's online newsletter with all the latest news from your zone. Download your copies below: Issue 23, June 2024 Issue 22, January 2024 Issue 21, October 2023 Issue 20, June 2023 Issue 19, January 2023 Issue 18, September 2022 Issue 17, May 20…

How to Find Your Way Around the IWFS Web Site The new site offers, in the first instance, much the same facilities as the previous one, but it looks different and works better on tablets and mobile phones. In particular the Branches menu in the top left h…

Part II: Island Traditionalists and a Mainland Maverick Wines of DalmatiaBy Penny Mincho The world’s largest yacht, the Eclipse, lies at anchor off shore while Tom Cruise and his entourage push their way through the crush of tourists. Nearby, patrons in…

Please visit the Secretariat section for details regarding the latest Vintage Card, a summary of Member benefits, Monographs for Members, Branch Directory, merchandise available to Members to purchase, and a summary of the insurance cover provided to Memb…

By Barbie Lichter - Lake Tahoe (Originally appeared in Wine, Food & Friends Issue #99, Fall 2011) The Phoenicians and the Celts were the earliest wine makers in Portugal. We can only guess at the sweet, probably maderized versions that they made some 3,00…

ZÜRICH GREAT WEEKEND JUNE 2012John Macdonald (Zürich) Months of planning with a dedicated team produced a Zürich Great Weekend of “Swissness”. The team of Kurt Haering, organiser and team leader, John and Trudi Macdonald, Hans-Walter and Philppa Ke…

Click here to upload latest Issue COPY DATES (now including Food & Wine Online): Branch news and events (longer articles/reviews) will continue to be published in Food & Wine Dates for the Diary and short news items can be put forwarded for inclusion in F…

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Where to Prospect for Members? 2. Aging Wines or Aging Members? 3. Closing the Deal 4. More Help Recruiting? Go Straight to Your IWFS Americas Inc.! 5. A Word of Caution 6. Need to Excite Your Members? Variety is the Spice of Life!! 7…

The International Wine & Food Society produces a number of publications to further the knowledge of its members on various aspects of the world of food and wine. Some of these are available for non-members to read or purchase which are detailed below: The…

While the benefit of sharing a passion for wine and food with other like-minded people is obvious, there are many other tangible benefits of being a member of the Society. As a member of the IWFS you can benefit from the following: You have the opportunit…

BRANCH RESOURCE MANUAL CHAPTER 10 The Importance of Inter-Branching Events between Branches can be a rewarding and educational source of activity for IW&FS members. Crucial to the success of such events is the understanding by members that individual Bran…

BRANCH RESOURCE MANUAL CHAPTER 2 ‘If I can convince [the Americans] that Wine is the best partner of food and that there is no really gracious way of living without the right wine served with the right food, I will beg of them to spread the good news ar…

This section of the website is for Council Members to reference documents useful to fulfil their role. Council Contact List - please click here for the up-to-date contact details for all Council members, Alternates, Hon President and International Secreta…

BRANCH RESOURCE MANUAL CHAPTER 11 My ambition had long been to provide in a more attractive form, both in the literary and typographical sense, as a…quarterly, the kind of information that would increase the number of potential wine-lovers and their int…

Wine, Food & Friends Access Current and Past Issues Extended Articles Branch Proceeding Reports - How to File Feature Articles - How to Submit Event Ideas - How to Submit FAQs One of the most popular benefits of membership in The International Wine & Food…

Branch Proceeding Report - How to File IWFS Americas Inc. greatly appreciates Branches using the online Event reporting system for Branch Proceeding Reports (BPR) on this website. It's easy: your Branch Admin can add the event with the menu and other deta…

Niagara, Ontario by Ron GiesbrechtWinemakerHenry of Pelham Family Estate Winery 1997199819992000200120022003 2004 I am feeling good about the 2004 harvest. All summer it was cool, wetter than normal and a good vintage seemed to be a possibility that was s…

One of the most popular benefits of membership in The International Wine & Food Society is Wine, Food & Friends--the quarterly journal published by IWFS Americas Inc. and sent to all members in the Americas. Past issues of WF&F are also available to membe…

THE SOCIETY’S OTHER FOUNDER by Philip Clark, Executive Director If you were asked to name the founder of the International Wine & Food Society, you would probably answer without hesitation that it was André Simon, whose memory still dominates the organ…

The Europe Africa Zone produces a printed magazine Food and Wine, and an e-newsletter Food and Wine on Line. In addition the Society produces an e-newsletter Grapevine for all its members worldwide. The latest publications are available only to Members wh…

APPOINTMENT OF NEW INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Donohoe as Chairman of the International Council of Management (ICM*). He was handed the reigns from outgoing ICM Chairman, Michael Tamburri during the Americas W…

Founder André Simon created the International Wine & Food Society in 1933 with a simple goal: "The object of the Society is to bring together and serve all who believe that a right understanding of good food and wine is an essential part of personal cont…

PRESS RELEASE - AUGUST 18, 2023 INTERNATIONAL WINE AND FOOD SOCIETY PRESENTS ALLEN MEADOWS TASTING IN CHICAGO…