The Golden Vines Academy
Where the global fine-wine industry meets
The Golden Vines Academy is a select group of senior fine-wine and rare-spirits professionals drawn from across the globe. The opinions and decisions of these producers, sommeliers, merchants, critics, buyers, media and educators shape not only what is being listed, purchased and consumed around the world, but also market sentiment, reputation, demand and pricing.
Through these members, the Academy recognises and rewards excellence in the worlds of fine wine & rare spirits by determining the winners of The Golden Vines Awards. In a more extensive dissection of the market, the opinions and insights of the members inform the annual Golden Vines Annual Report, the definitive overview and analysis of the issues, opportunities and challenges impacting the industry today.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Each year, we survey the Academy members to capture the collective judgment of this eminent group. Arguably the most conspicuous outcome of this exercise comes in the form of the Golden Vines Awards, revealed over a spectacular weekend of tastings, lunches, auctions and dinners to raise money for the Gérard Basset Foundation. Categories comprise the Best Fine Wine Producers in Europe, the Americas, and the Rest of the World, as well as the World’s Best Rising Star, World’s Best Rare Spirit Brand plus Innovation and Hall of Fame awards. To see a list of previous winners, click here.
But the more deep-rooted element of the Academy’s work comes via the Golden Vines Annual Report, an undertaking which pre-dates the Awards, and was instigated specifically to honour the legacy of our founding partner Gérard Basset OBE MS MW MBA OIV MSc within the world of wine and spirits. As well as being a constant champion of the industry, Gérard was also relentless in assessing the forces impacting its evolution and analysing ways in which it could adapt. By exploring our members’ extensive, on-the-ground insights across all sectors of the industry, we seek to detail the key factors shaping the market at that moment in time, and document their impact.
OUR PHILOSOPHY, APPROACH AND GOALS
Every year, we send a topical, tailored survey to all Academy members, in two parts. The first part is a voting form for the Golden Vines Awards, asking members to nominate their choices in the various categories. The second, more extensive part comprises a series of questions, most of them in simple, multiple-choice format. Members are encouraged to respond based on their personal conviction, rather than driven by commercial or corporate influence, and with honesty and candour rather than optimism or caution. Freeform options are also provided for respondents who wish to expand on or contextualise their choices.
The answers to these second set of questions form the editorial backbone of the Golden Vines Annual Report. Our intention with this report is for it to act as an industry reference point, providing authoritative, credible market intelligence and informing debate as to how the fine wine and rare spirits market is evolving. The findings are amplified by individual comments, attributed to their author where possible, to lend further colour and depth.
HOW IS THE REPORT DISTRIBUTED AND HOW CAN I GET A COPY?
The report is distributed as a free digital download in the autumn of each year – typically at the conclusion of the Golden Vines Awards weekend. As well as Academy members, it is sent to press and trade within the fine wine and rare spirits community. It is also available directly on the Report page of the Liquid Icons website.
Should you wish to be added to our mailing list, please complete the form here.
Previous editions of the report can be downloaded here.
APPLY TO JOIN THE ACADEMY
If you are an experienced industry professional and are keen to contribute to furthering our work, you can register your interest in becoming an Academy member here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Academy is a select group of senior fine-wine and rare-spirits professionals drawn from across the globe, covering all sectors of the industry. It is an invite-only association, with members strictly vetted and validated before being accepted.
In general, Academy members must have at least three years of industry experience as a fine wine or spirits merchant, broker, distributor, sommelier, restaurateur, chef or specialist press or media. Fine wine or spirits producers are eligible for membership but cannot vote for an estate with which they are associated, or one from their local appellation or surroundings. Other relevant professionals such as barrel-makers are welcomed after five years of experience, while collectors of fine wine and spirits must have a minimum of 10 years experience.
In 2025, the Academy comprised 830 leading global fine-wine and rare-spirits professionals, including 41 Masters of Wine, 31 Master Sommeliers, 58 Advanced Sommeliers, 37 ASI Diploma and 204 DipWSET qualification holders.
A full list of Academy Members is available to view here (add link).
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While voters self-certify their qualifications, those who designate that they are Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers or ASI Certificate holders (WSET qualifications?) will have their qualifications verified by the respective certification bodies or against their publicly available directories. Voters who misrepresent their qualifications and/or years of experience might have their votes invalidated. The Academy reserves the right to discount votes from respondents whose credentials it is not possible to validate.
Any contributor to the Golden Vines Survey whose experience is deemed insufficient for voting rights in the Golden Vines Awards shall be designated a ‘contributor’ to the Golden Vines Annual Report, and their votes discounted from the awards calculations. Instead, any commentary provided will be considered for inclusion within the qualitative, editorial sections of the Report.
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Academy Members are asked to vote for their selections within each category. No shortlist is provided, but Members are informed of previous winners, both for benchmarking purposes, and also in case they should wish to inaugurate new winners. (NB if any producer wins an award category three times over a ten-year period, they become a Golden Vines All Star Producer, and cannot then win that Award category again for another 10 years.)
The winner is the producer to poll the most nominations from all respondents by the closure of the survey. In the event of a tie, the winner is the one whose name appeared higher as a first nomination in responses the greater number of times, and so forth in the event of a further tie (i.e. second, third, fourth or fifth in descending order as relevant).
Votes will be deducted where:
• Respondents list the same name more than once.
• Liquid Icons believes that respondents have completed more than one survey.
• Liquid Icons believes there to be a conflict of interest (e.g. financial relationship, distribution agreement, etc) between the respondent and the nominee for whom they have voted, in respect of some or all of the respondent’s nominations.
• Liquid Icons has identified perceived biases in the nominees of any respondent (e.g. multiple votes for producers from the same region) in respect of some or all of the respondent’s nominations.
• Liquid Icons has identified a suspicious pattern of voting that appears to suggest collusion or coordinated voting in respect of some or all of the respondent’s nominations.Individuals nominated for The Hall of Fame Award have to be living persons on 7 March of the previous year.
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In order to recognise the knowledge that comes with experience, the Academy voting procedure is weighted according to the length of time each individual member has been active in the industry, as follows:
• Votes from respondents with three years (or less) experience are multiplied by 0.33
• Votes from respondents with between three and seven years experience are multiplied by 0.66
• Votes from respondents with between seven and 15 years experience are multiplied by 1.00
• Votes from respondents with more than 15 years experience are multiplied by 1.33
• Votes from respondents with either a Masters of Wine or Master Sommelier qualification are multiplied by 1.33 (irrespective of number of years experience)
• Votes from respondents with either a WSET Diploma or Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Certificate, or ASI Diploma are multiplied by 1.15 (irrespective of number of years experience)
• Votes from respondents who are winemakers are multiplied by 1.33.
• Votes from respondents who are collectors (with at least 10 years experience) are multiplied by 1.00
• Votes from respondents who are collectors (with at least 20 years experience) are multiplied by 1.33 -
The results of the Golden Vines Awards are independently audited by Deloitte LLP in accordance with the rules outlined above.
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To avoid multiple winners in a single year, if the winner of The World’s Best Fine Wine Producer Award is also the winner of any other Award – except for The Innovation Award and The Hall of Fame Award where wine producers are not nominees – the second-placed wine producer in that category shall be elevated as the winner.
If the winner of The World’s Best Rising Star Award is also the winner of any other Award category – except for The Innovation Award and The Hall of Fame Award where wine producers are not nominees – the second-placed wine producer in The World’s Best Rising Star Award category shall be elevated as the winner.
If any producer wins an award category three times over a ten-year period, they become a Golden Vines All Star Producer, and cannot then win that Award category again for another 10 years.