Jean-Louis Chave wins Winemakers’ Winemaker Award 2022

Beyond the suppliers’ presentation and specialized events, the event was marked by the selection of the Winemakers’ Winemaker award. Jean-Louis Chave, a well-known manufacturer from the Hermitage Hillside in northern Rhône Valley, whose wines are presented on the Russian market in the portfolio of Simple, became the winner. His family has been producing wines in the region for over 500 years, and Jean-Louis took over the family helm as the 16th generation winemaker.

On receiving the award, Jean-Louis Chave said, «I am very proud to win this award, especially coming from the Masters of Wine whom I admire so much. It’s impossible to make a wine from a vineyard that doesn’t inspire you, and a good winemaker should give a sense of the place in their wine. It’s more than a technique; it’s a deep understanding of the terroir and its history, which I try to express in my wines.»

The selection of the winner is very precise: winner is chosen by a panel of winemaking peers that comprise all Masters of Wine who are winemakers, and the award’s past winners.

Winemakers’ Winemaker award is given annually since 2011 (due to the global pandemic, there was no award given in 2020 and 2021). Among the winners of all years, there are 5 producers from Simple’s portfolio: Peter Sissek (2011), Peter Gago (2012), Paul Draper (2013), Alvaro Palacios (2016) and Jean-Claude Berrouet (2018).