Sandro Boscaini wins the “Lifetime Achievement Award of the Year 2024” from the American magazine Wine Enthusiast

Sandro Boscaini , President of Masi Agricola, known internationally as “Mister Amarone”, received the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award of the Year 2024” from the American magazine Wine Enthusiast .

The lifetime achievement award was presented during the 25th anniversary gala of the Wine Star Awards , held on January 27 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco , in the presence of over 500 illustrious representatives of the international wine world, including producers, importers, distributors and other key players in the trade.

In the official motivation of the award , Wine Enthusiast underlined that “ Sandro Boscaini has revolutionized the concept of Italian wine in the world, without ever ceasing to experiment, innovate and look to the future ”, affirming that “ innovation is a source of optimism ”.

Sandro Boscaini, in his acceptance speech, commented : “Tonight, the entire Masi team is being rewarded, as is my region, Veneto, and in particular Valpolicella and its most prestigious wine: Amarone. Wine and the territory are a great resource. In my career, I have tried to represent Amarone della Valpolicella and its ancient culture, up to the recent international success." Boscaini also recalled: “Two of my close friends, Piero Antinori and Angelo Gaja, received the same award as me. I am now happy to join them in representing the promoters of the renaissance of Italian wine that began in the 1960s. The Star Award has thus brought together three Italian regions with a vocation – Tuscany, Piedmont and Veneto – with their most iconic wines: Brunello, Barolo and Amarone.”

In addition to celebrating the honorees, the event also provided an important opportunity for discussion for the sector, with international trade leaders reflecting on the prospects for wine at the start of a particularly challenging year . Among the topics discussed, the importance of defending wine from unfounded criticism and preserving its unifying and cultural role was highlighted, as underlined by Wine Enthusiast CEO Adam Strum , who spread a message of joyful resilience: " In a time when neo-prohibitionists are making unfounded claims about our beloved products, it is essential to remind people that wine has always been a unifying force around the world and around the table ."

This edition of the Wine Star Awards saw Sandro Boscaini take to the stage for the second time, twenty years after the award he received for Masi as “European Winery of the Year” in 2004. A further testimony to his long-term commitment to the excellence and promotion of Italian wine in the world.