Geoffrey Roberts Award 2009 open for entries

The Geoffrey Roberts Award, established to commemorate the life and work of the pioneering wine importer, is now taking applications for 2009.

The annual travel bursary of £3,000 rewards those judged to have the potential to make a positive difference in their chosen field of food, drink and/or travel.

Last year the award was won by two applicants, both from New York. Magdalena Eriksson, originally from Sweden, moved to Ghana to help develop products based on a variety of pineapple for the benefit of a small village community.

In Central America, Nelle Gretzinger is using her bursary to establish the commercial cultivation of vanilla in the small country of Belize.

Geoffrey Roberts began importing Australian wine to the UK in the 1970s and his company had an impressive range of Californian imports by the 1980s.

Living and working in London, he also travelled frequently to France and the west coast of the US, earning a reputation as a bon viveur along the way, before his death at the age of 46.

Applications for the 2009 award can be made at www.geoffreyrobertsaward.com. Applicants of any age or nationality are welcome. All entries must be submitted by 31 March 2009.

Source: Decanter