Zone News
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 André Simon Gold Medal awarded to an Americas member since the award was established back in 1967 - when the first recipient was André Simon himself. To put that in perspective, twenty-four pitchers have hurled perfect games. Well over 6,000 people have scaled Mt. Everest. Dwight has been the long-time Treasurer of IWFS Ltd and IWFS Americas. Steve Greenwald was honored with the AS Silver Medal on the same evening. Many members know Steve from his years running the America’s Festival and Events Committee including tremendous festivals in Bordeaux, Portugal and Willamette along with smaller weekends around the United States.
But as soon as the last sip of Sauternes was sipped in New Orleans, Charles Schurhammer, our new Festivals and Events Chair, went to work crossing T’s, dotting I’s and otherwise lining up our Rhine River Wine Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam with Ama Waterways. If you have never been on one of our river cruises, you are missing something worthwhile. The Cruise hits historic cities like Strasbourg, Mannheim and Cologne but also visits multiple vineyards and includes a dinner with Olivier Humbrecht of Zind-Humbrecht.
Finally, I’m real excited about our cognac offering, Trilogie Volume 3. You should have already received an email about it. For the first time this year, we are able to make the offering to the entire IWFS worldwide. For the past two years, members in the Americas have had an opportunity to purchase a specially blended bottle of our Cognac. It has been a smash hit. I must throw a huge shout out to Neal Vitale of the Hollywood branch for both bringing the concept to us and selecting the blend annually. After The Hollywood branch has selected the blend, it is bottled by our partners, Cognac Expert in France. Bottles will be delivered prior to the holidays. We will only bottle the number of bottles we get orders for and no other bottles of that particular blend will ever be made again.
ASIA PACIFIC – Michael Tamburri
2024 has demonstrated that our fellow members are in the travel mode. I am one of these having travelled to the Loire, France and also to the Philippines. In Manilla I celebrated with the Manilla Ladies Branch and participated in their wine and food exhibition and also experienced a magnificent event at the Manilla Polo Club. The event was enjoyed by over 500 attendees, and they had an opportunity to try local Filipino cuisine with wines showcased by several of exhibitors. My sincere appreciation goes to President Cecilia Juntereal and her Committee on hosting such a well organised and enjoyable event.
In France, I attended the Loire Valley Festival from 28 May to 1 June 2024 which was hosted by the Europe Africa region. It was wonderful to see it was attended by members from the three IWFS regions. It was an exceptional festival where we discovered the wines, food, culture and history of the Loire Valley. It was also a real insight into the wines of the Loire Valley such as the Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc all matched with the local cuisine.
I’m pleased with the number of events amongst the APZ branches and those that have continued to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Society. In August, I am looking forward to meet and greet the three Malaysian branches of Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang to further enhance our wine and food experience and camaraderie with the members.
Most of our APZ branch activities have been slower than I anticipated but due to individual country economic circumstances, a number of branches are in the process of reactivating their activities. Our membership has slowed down, but I’m grateful to the branches which have renewed their membership and shown incentives to grow. Sadly, one of a Japanese branches has closed but we are grateful that we’ve had three approaches from other potential branches but the APZ board has encouraged a long term planning approach before a Charter is provided.
The IWFS Triennial Hong Kong Festival is from 15 – 17 November 2024 and post tour to Macau is from 17 – 19 November, the festival has been well received and although our bookings have closed we can still consider a few limited places and if you are interested in attending the festival, please get in touch with our APZ administrator at: apz@iwfs.org. I look forward to welcoming you with our host President Karen Leung and her Hong Kong Branch Committee. I’ll be delighted to share wonderful wine, food and experiences with you all.
I note that the IWFS website has been updated and I encourage members to download the webapp and take advantage of its many features. This is also a significant opportunity to regroup and grow and I encourage members to consider inviting other like-minded people to join our IWFS family.
EUROPE AFRICA – John Nicholas
We need to share our experiences to let people know what a wonderful Society the IWFS is. Our branches, each with its own character, are the hub of our Society. Some are flourishing and attract new members often after personal introductions, but our membership overall continues to age gracefully together. Without new members, the Society will eventually wither on the vine. I would challenge all our members in branches everywhere to “sell” our Society to anyone who will listen.
Share your experiences on social media and tag us in via Insta @iwfsglobal1933 and X @IWFSGlobal
Tell fellow members of other clubs that you are members of about IWFS – golf clubs, discussion groups etc and even more effective ask friends and acquaintances to join you as guests for one of your branch events.
The end of May saw 58 of our members (approximately half from Europe Africa) from branches in all three regions gather in the Loire valley for a delightful “showcase” festival. For a few days, we were able to forget the uncertainties in the world and enjoy the delights of Loire Valley wines, a region of fine wines hidden in the shade of the more illustrious regions of France. We also enjoyed fine food from “farmhouse” cuisine to Michelin starred dining.
Meanwhile, the northern hemisphere summer has been and will continue to be dominated by elections and the appalling war zones in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza. Society seems to be riven by an ever-widening chasm between those on the left and those on the right and the generational divide between Baby Boomers and Millennials/Gen Z. In all this change and uncertainty, our Society is a haven where those of all persuasions can come together to enjoy two of the basics of life – food and wine, albeit often somewhat enhanced from “basic”!
Enjoy your next events and publicise their success and your enjoyment wherever you can.