World of Fine Wine, Covid Struck – But Medal Strewn, with Essi Avellan MW

Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2021 – The Results by Essi Avellan MW

“For the eighth year of the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC), the two intense weeks of judging took place in late September under sunny autumn skies. The competition was held at the beautiful Champneys Eastwell Manor Hotel & Health Spa
in Kent, England, where the facilities were simply perfect from a judge’s point of view. The tasting room was right next to the hotel entrance, and the wonderful Champneys gym, outdoor pool, and
spa encouraged a healthy day routine. It felt almost too good to be true.

And so it turned out to be, as our competition founder and chairman Tom Stevenson fell ill with Covid during our first week of judging, despite his and the whole team’s double-vaccination status. It felt devastating for many reasons, the most important being concern over the coming severity of his (and later his wife Pat’s) illness. We also felt sorry for him, knowing how hard he works on the competition all year round with Rachel Davey and Eva Callaghan in the back office and how much he enjoys the whole CSWWC experience with the team…”