25 Years of the Wine Experience
Wine Spectator is more than a written and visual record. It is also a catalyst in bringing the diverse world of wine together. A major element in this effort is the annual extravaganza of wine appreciation and education known as the Wine Experience.
2005 marks the 25th year of this event, which has grown into one of the world's premier celebrations of wine. Unique tastings of rare wines, appearances by leading wine and food personalities and exploration of new wines and emerging regions all make the Wine Experience the overwhelming success it is today.
It all began in October 1981, at Windows on the World, on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center in New York. There, Wine Spectator hosted its first major wine function. Thirteen restaurants received Wine Spectator Grand Awards for having the finest wine lists in the United States. Among other highlights of the weekend, many extraordinary wines were presented, including a blind tasting of 1974 California Cabernet.
On the opposite coast during the same month, hundreds of wine lovers gathered at the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco to taste the bottlings of dozens of Golden State wineries. This event, called the California Wine Experience, was sponsored by local tourism officials and the Fairmont. In 1982, the California Wine Experience organizers convinced Wine Spectator to take over the event, which continued to be held in San Francisco in 1983 and 1984.
Also in 1982, Wine Spectator's first Distinguished Service Award, honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the wine industry, was given to California wine giant Alfred Fromm. Since then, wine luminaries from around the world have received this prestigious honor.
In 1983, the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation was created, in order to support educational institutions that prepared students for careers in the wine and hospitality industries. Proceeds from the Wine Experience fund the Foundation and its educational and other charitable activities. To date, more than $5 million has been funded, thanks to the generosity of the wineries and wine lovers who participate in this annual event.
Another major milestone occurred in 1985, when the Wine Experience moved to New York. Wines from international as well as U.S. vintners were poured at a boulevard of wine known as the Grand Tasting. That year, winemakers from around the world met with their peers, in many cases for the first time. They exchanged thoughts and ideas and built relationships that would help shape the future of winemaking worldwide.
In 1987, the event began alternating from coast to coast annually. This pattern lasted until 2000, when the California Wine Experience, which focuses on the wines of California, went on the road to New York City, and has since been held in cities such as Las Vegas and Chicago. New York Wine Experiences, offering international wines, continue to be held in Manhattan. In 2006, the California Wine Experience will return to San Francisco.
The size and scope of the Wine Experience, which sells out months in advance each year, attests to the event's enduring success. Hundreds of wineries pour their rare bottlings and top vintages for almost 5,000 wine lovers. Upwards of 20,000 bottles of wine are consumed over the long weekend, which culminates in a black-tie Grand Awards Banquet. There, as in 1981, Wine Spectator continues to recognize award-winning restaurant wine lists, now from all over the globe.
The Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation
Education has always been a primary goal of Wine Spectator. Proceeds from every Wine Experience support the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, which benefits a variety of wine-related and culinary education programs. To date, more than $5 million has been funded, an extraordinary amount made possible by the generosity of wineries from around the world, which have donated all the wines for Wine Experience tastings, as well as the charitable contributions of the thousands of wine lovers who have attended the event.
Wine Spectator is proud to be a contributor to the following programs, and others, that advance the development of America's wine and hospitality industries:
In addition to these major gifts, the Foundation has provided funds to more than 25 charities and organizations. Among these are The American Institute of Wine and Food, City Harvest, the James Beard Foundation, the Court of Master Sommeliers, The Institute of Masters of Wine, the National Wine Coalition, the Society of Wine Educators, Windows of Hope and Women for WineSense. The most recent donation was made to the Emeril Lagasse Employee Disaster Relief Fund, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans in September 2005.
The Foundation has additional funds available and is always eager to find new beneficiaries to help meet the needs of tomorrow's wine world.
