The 3rd edition of Winelovers Wine Award will feature several novelties, one of them is the renowned Finnish sparkling expert, Essi Avellan MW evaluating and counselling on sparkling wines. Only 3 more places are available at this unique professional session! If you produce sparkling wines and you are curious about the opinion of the judge at CSWWC – the "Oscar of sparkling wines" –, show your bubblies to her on 28 June in Budapest, eye to eye, privately. The top expert will dedicate around 20 minutes to each producer, therefore a maximum of 6 wineries can apply for the opportunity, and 3 places are already taken. Don't miss a "speed date" with the co-author of the sparkling encyclopaedia!
More about Essi Avellan's tasting session
"Taste with the expert!" is a small, private event where a world-renowned expert will taste three wines from selected wineries in the presence of the participating winemakers. They will give their personal opinion and be available for informal discussion. In 2024, Essi Avellan Master of Wine
will be tasting sparkling wines.
– The unique event takes place on 28 June, in the afternoon.
– The venue is the 5-star Corinthia Hotel Budapest, where Winelovers Wine Awards international wine contest takes place on 28–30 June.
– The price of participation is 300 EUR (+VAT when it applies) for wineries entering wines in the contest and 350 EUR (+VAT when it applies) for wineries without entered wines.
For more information contact us!
See the team of organizers
Essi Avellan MW: "Lady Champagne"
"Essi has a mind like a steel trap! And she is uniquely qualified. Of all the Champagne specialists I know, Essi is the best and most consistent taster I have encountered..." – says Tom Stevenson, founder of CSWWC about the Finnish Master of Wine.
Finland’s first Master of Wine Essi Avellan is a renowned champagne and sparkling wine specialist. She is the author of several wine books and has revised and extended the 3rd and 4th edition of Tom Stevenson’s award-winning Christie’s World Encyclopaedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine. For her MW studies she wrote her dissertation on single-vineyard Champagnes and won both the Lily Bollinger Medal for best taster and the Tim Derouet Memorial Award for best overall student. Essi also holds a Master of Science degree in Business Administration.
Essi Avellan is an organiser of the annual Grand Champagne Helsinki event but also a reputed wine judge; In addition to being responsible of the Club Oenologique Champagne Report and being part of The World of Fine Wine tasting panels, she is a panel chair at the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s (IWSC) and a jury member at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC).
Essi Avellan has been knighted as Chevalier l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the Minister of Agriculture of France. She has also been awarded the titles Dame-Officier of Ordre de Coteaux de Champagne and Commandeur of Commanderie de Bordeaux.
Essi Avellan's website
See the whole jury of Winelovers Wine Awards 2024
Upcoming key dates
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27 July 2026 Online brochure sent to importers & trade
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24 September 2026 Publication of Winelovers 100 Magazine (in Hungarian)
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26 September 2026 Winelovers 100 Grand Tasting
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