Fellowship Opportunities
Fellowship Opportunities
2011 FELLOWSHIPSThe Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley offers several fellowships each year, which cover the registration fee and lodging at Meadowood, a $1,600 value. Interested wine writers compete for the fellowships by entering their writing samples for evaluation by a team of independent judges. The judging opens for submissions on October 1, 2010, and closes December 1, 2010.
See the bottom of this page for details on how to apply for a fellowship.
Judging Criteria
A panel of three experienced wine writers/editors evaluates the submitted writing samples blind. Judges grade each applicant's work on the 100-point scale. Their scores for each person are averaged to determine the fellowship winners.
Judges look largely for writing quality, and for accurate wine knowledge. They are not necessarily looking for Masters of Wine treatises, but for writers who can inform, entertain and inspire readers on the subject of wine.
Judges adjust their evaluations somewhat based on the type of pieces submitted. If a writing sample is obviously a magazine piece, judges rate it by the standards of a magazine piece. If it is obviously from a blog, judges hold that piece to the standards of good blogging. If it's a video script then it doesn't have to read like a wine book, etc.
Judges look for something more than the typical wine column of four paragraphs with a list of recommended wines, but if it turns out to be the best four paragraphs and list of recommended wines that they've ever read, then that submission deserves a high score.
We want to find the writers with the most talent and/or potential, and help them take their work to a higher level by learning more at the symposium.
2010 FELLOWSHIPS
Sixteen generous Napa Valley wineries sponsored fellowships for the 2010 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. The fellowships allow the top sixteen entrants (out of 53 candidates this year) in our writing competition to attend the February 16-19, 2010, symposium without paying the registration fee or lodging expenses at Meadowood for four nights.
As of January 8, 2010, the fellowship winners have been determined, based on a blind judging of their submitted writings by a panel of independent wine writers. The winners and the wineries who will sponsor them are listed immediately below. Please see the bottom of this page for instruction on how to apply for the 2011 fellowships.
2010 FELLOWSHIP WINNERS AND SPONSORS
Chimney Rock Winery
Fellowship Winner: Chris Macias, Sacramento, California; Sacramento Bee
The Terlato Family is pleased to offer a fellowship to the 2010 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. We salute the dedication and passion that the fellowship candidates bring to their craft and offer our sincere hope that this fellowship will further strengthen the winning candidate's professional development. In addition, we extend an invitation for the recipient to join us for a tasting of Chimney Rock wines.
Far Niente
Fellowship Winner: Jason Wilson, Haddonfield, New Jersey; Washington Post, The Smart Set
The Far Niente Fellowship embraces in-depth study and discussion of the great wine estates of the Napa Valley and their long-term dedication to cultivating vineyards, winery properties and winemaking talent. At the conclusion of the Symposium, the Fellowship recipient is invited to visit Far Niente for a tasting of our estate wines, including current releases and select Cave Collection vintages.
Franciscan Estate
Fellowship Winner: Joe Roberts, Downington, Pennsylvania, 1winedude.com
Franciscan winery is pleased to offer a Fellowship to an attending writer of the 2009 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. The award is open to published writers with a particular interest in the winemaker's art of blending. Following the Symposium, Director of Winemaking Janet Myers invites you to the winery for an exclusive look at Franciscan's small lot winemaking style followed by lunch or dinner.
Freemark Abbey
Fellowship Winner: Rick Kushman, Sacramento, California; Sacramento Bee, A Moveable Thirst
Freemark Abbey extends a fellowship to the wine writer who appreciates the Napa Valley's pioneering spirit and is interested in the evolution of the region and its winemaking. We invite the recipient to join us before or after the symposium for an overnight stay in our guest cottage and a private tour and tasting with our winemaker, Ted Edwards. The visit will focus on Freemark Abbey's rich history, which began in 1886 and includes a role in the Paris Tasting of 1976.
Judd's Hill
Fellowship Winner: Jessica Yadegaran, San Francisco, California; Bay Area News Group
Judd's Hill is proud to offer the Finkelstein Family Fellowship to an attendee of the 2009 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. This support is awarded to a professional wine writer who creatively demonstrates excitement and verve in writing about Napa Valley wines. The recipient is invited to join our winemaking family for dinner at Judd's Hill following the Symposium.
Peju
Fellowship Winner: Erica Duecy, New York, New York; SNOW magazine, Fodors Travel Publications
Peju Province Winery, located in the heart of Napa Valley's famed Rutherford Appellation, is pleased to offer a Fellowship to one wine writer attending the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. Peju's fellowship award celebrates the talents of a published wine writer who is able to marry wine, food, art and travel through meaningful content, excellent clarity and sound knowledge of the wine industry. The recipient will also be invited to join Peju co-founder Herta Peju for a tasting, lunch and tour of the winery's pristine estate.
Plumpjack
Fellowship Winner: Tom Johnson, Louisville, Kentucky; Palate Press, Louisville Courier Journal, Louisville Mojo
The PlumpJack Winery Fellowship celebrates writers dedicated to covering the entrepreneurial aspects of the wine business and or cutting edge developments in winemaking. Following the conclusion of the Symposium, the Fellowship recipient is invited to join winemaker Anthony Biagi and general manager John Conover for an afternoon of tasting at the winery in Oakville.
Raymond Vineyards
Fellowship Winner: Tina Caputo, Petaluma, California; Vineyard & Winery Management, Wine Review Online
Raymond Vineyards is proud to offer a fellowship to one writer attending the 2009 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. The fellowship will be awarded to a writer who demonstrates fresh, passionate writing about wine and food and their role in enhancing the Napa Valley lifestyle.
Robert Mondavi Winery
Fellowship Winner: Patricia Savoie, New York, New York; ICON, Wine Enthusiast, Sommelier Journal
The Robert Mondavi Winery has a long tradition of integrating wine with food and the arts as the embodiment of a gracious, healthy lifestyle. This fellowship will be awarded to a writer who is passionate about exploring what wine means in a larger context with the fresh, bountiful foods and culture that Napa Valley offers.
Saintsbury
Fellowship Winner: Wolfgang Weber, San Francisco, California; Wine & Spirits, San Francisco Chronicle
Saintsbury offers a Fellowship to the wine writer who exemplifies the spirit of George Saintsbury, the literary scholar and wine writer for whom the winery is named. Saintsbury's book Notes on a Cellar inspired owners Dick Ward and David Graves to take the plunge and start their own winery. They return that inspiration in support of a wine writer who strives for excellence in creative and effective writing on the subject and sensibility of wine.
Shafer Vineyards
Fellowship Winner: Patrick Comiskey, Los Angeles, California; Wine & Spirits, Los Angeles Times, Bon Appetit
Shafer Vineyards offers this 2009 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers Fellowship to support and encourage a writer who brings a fresh, passionate voice for California wine and understands its position within the larger world of wine.
Silverado Vineyards
Fellowship Winner: Fred Swan, Castro Valley, California; NorCal Wine
Silverado Vineyards is pleased to award this fellowship to one published wine writer attending the 2009 Symposium. Ideally, the writer will demonstrate the ability to build excitement around the great estates and vintners of the Napa Valley, and lure more readers to choose Napa Valley as top destination.
Stag's Leap Winery
Fellowship Winner: Shari Caudron, Denver, Colorado; 5280 Denver's Liftestyle Magazine, Table Talk
Stags' Leap Winery is pleased to offer a fellowship in conjunction with the 2010 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. Stags' Leap has always offered a welcome retreat for artists of all kinds: poets, painters, sculptors and writers. A dedication to arts and letters is woven through twelve decades of gatherings and celebrations on the Manor House porch, and the arts of the vine have always been intertwined with the enjoyment of delicious food and wine, storytelling, and conversation.
Terlato Family Vineyards
Fellowship Winner: Thomas Ulrich, San Jose, California; Time, Wines & Vines, Christian Science Monitor
The Terlato Family is pleased to offer a fellowship to the 2009 Symposium for Professional Wine Writers to a writer with a special passion for food and wine. We salute the dedication and passion of the fellowship candidates and offer our sincere hope that this fellowship will further strengthen the winner's professional development. In addition, we extend an invitation for the winner to join us for a tasting of Terlato Family Vineyard wines.
TOR Kenward Wines
Fellowship Winner: Derrick Schneider, Berkeley, California; obsessionwithfood.com
TOR Kenward Family Vineyards is pleased to offer a fellowship to an attending writer of the 2009 Symposium. This writer should have an international wine mindset (unbiased by old or new worlds), and a deep appreciation of wine with food. For three decades, Tor and Susan Kenward's professional lives have evolved around wine and food. Following the Symposium, the Kenwards invite their Fellow to select a special bottle from their extensive wine cellar before joining them for lunch.
Tres Sabores
Fellowship Winner: Liza Gross, Berkeley, California; Public Library of Science, Wines & Vines
Tres Sabores offers a fellowship to one writer with a particular interest in progressing the visibility of smaller, family-based vineyards, organic grape growing and land stewardship. In addition, should the recipient choose to spend an additional day or two in Napa Valley after the conclusion of the Symposium, the award includes lodging at the winery's Rutherford guest studio. The awarded fellow is also invited to join us and tour some of the area's most unique farms, talk with leaders in the organic growing movement and dine with community members.
APPLYING FOR 2011 FELLOWSHIPS
The fellowships are open to any professional editorial wine writer, wine/food writer or wine/travel writer who writes in the English language. Each $1600 fellowship covers the cost of symposium registration as well as four nights' lodging at Meadowood. Travel and incidental costs are not covered. Fellowships will be awarded by a panel of independent professional wine writers/editors.
Applications for 2011 fellowships will be accepted from October 1 through December 1, 2010.
FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please Click Here to Download the Fellowship Entry Form
Participants should submit the following for Fellowship consideration:
1.Entry sheet listing name, address, phone, e-mail, website, media outlet/employer, and a biography of no more than 150 words. Note that the PDF entry form is writeable for those who prefer to type.
2.Five legible copies of each of two (2) writing samples published within the last year.
Entry Basics:
1. Each $1600 Fellowship covers the cost of symposium registration as well as four nights' lodging at Meadowood Napa Valley. Travel and incidental costs are not included.
2. Publication sources for entries include books, newspapers, magazines, trade journals, websites and blogs.
3. All references to writer's name or publication are to be deleted on all copies before submission.
4. Regarding a book entry, please send a copy of a single chapter.
5. Please submit a maximum of 5 pages per article submitted, including book chapter.
6. Postmark/express deadline for entries will be December 1, 2010.
7. Five copies of each written work to be distributed to the judges are to be sent to:
The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers
c/o Jim Gordon
3318 Homestead Court
Napa, CA 94558
8. Judges' scores will be compiled and averaged, and the director will award fellowships based on the highest average scores.
9. Awardees will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail by January 5, 2011, and their names will be posted on the Fellowship page at the symposium website.
10. Online symposium registration is expected by all entrants, including placing deposit for lodging. Those who are not awardees will be notified by e-mail. They are encouraged to attend the symposium; however, should they choose not to attend, their deposit must be cancelled by February 5, 2010, to avoid fees.
If you have questions on fellowship applications, kindly contact
Jim Gordon at jimgordon.wine@gmail.com.