Diana Thompson, the founder of Wine Events Scotland, was named Consumer Drinks Communicator 2024 at The People’s Choice Wine Awards, an event that recognises the best wines and spirits chosen by professional trade judges and consumers.
A packed celebration, hosted in Manchester, brought together wine producers, importers, merchants and brands to highlight the best wines and, in a separate competition, spirits, from around the world.
The award is recognition for the efforts Thompson makes to extend the world of wine beyond London, highlighting how vibrant, energetic and exciting the Scottish hospitality industry is.
‘I’m thrilled to have been given this award. It’s particularly exciting because the public decides on the winner after industry experts have drawn up a shortlist of finalists. It is testament to the fact the events I’m organising in Scotland are extremely popular and it’s not all about what happens in the south of the UK,’ Thompson says. ‘Scotland’s hospitality industry is exciting and I’m only too aware how much wine enthusiasts enjoy the opportunity to come to these events.
‘I organise events for the wine trade across Scotland, which give anyone working in the industry the chance to learn about new developments. I also run relaxed, friendly, consumer wine-tasting events, which I hope encourage as many people as possible, regardless of their wine knowledge, to enjoy the opportunity to learn about and access the world of wine. Wine tasting is brilliant fun, incredibly interesting and really should be for everybody,’ she adds.
The People’s Choice Wine Awards launched in 2017, creating a consumer-friendly event that attracts submissions worldwide from importers, independent retailers, supermarkets and producers. Enthusiastic wine consumers, chosen via an application process, judge applications alongside professional wine experts, which include buyers, sommeliers, importers, retailers, and wine writers.
Thompson’s next event, 100 Best Australian Wines Festival, brings renowned wine expert and personality Matthew Jukes to Edinburgh to share his top picks from the 20th-anniversary edition of his 100 Best Australian Wines Report. Jukes tastes more than 4,000 Australian wines every year, from which he selects his top 100, half of which, including fine wines, will travel to the Scottish Capital.
The 100 Best Australian Wines Festival takes place on Saturday 23 March in the glittering main hall of The Edinburgh Academy on Henderson Row.
