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Aims of the International Food & Wine Society

The International Wine & Food Society exists to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the arts of the table. All its activities are designed to raise the standards of selection, preparation and service of good food and good wine. It provides opportunities for men and women who have in common an interest in gastronomy to meet, share and discuss these civilised pleasures.

The society was founded in 1933 and spans the world. It has much prestige and influence, which it strives to constantly increase for the benefit, not only of its members but of everyone. It believes, not merely that the world should be nourished, but that food and wine are more beneficial to health and contentment if they are enjoyable.

In the words of the founder Andre L. Simon, "the object of the society is to bring together and serve all who believe that a right understanding of good food and wine is an essential part of personal contentment and health, and that an intelligent approach to the pleasures and problems of the table offers far greater rewards than the mere satisfaction of appetite."

The Society has its Secretariat in London and hundreds of branches throughout the world. For more details on these please see the Worldwide Contact Information.

About the Society

The International Wine & Food Society is the world’s oldest and most renowned gastronomic society. The Society’s mission is the promotion of a broad knowledge and understanding of both wine and food, the enhancement of their appreciation, and the nurturing of comraderie among those who share the pleasures of the table.

André L. Simon

The Society was founded in 1933 by André L. Simon, CBE, Legion d’Honneur (1877-1970), who was renowned as a bibliophile, gourmet, wine connoisseur, historian and writer.

Born in Paris, Simon went to London in 1902 as the English agent for the champagne house of Pommery and Greno. A year later, the editor of the Wine and Spirit Trade Review commissioned Simon to write articles on the history of the champagne trade in England. He ultimately wrote over 100 books and pamphlets on wine and food, and his library of wine books is one of the finest ever assembled.

With the help of his friend A.J.A. Symons, Simon developed the idea of forming a wine and food society. Thus, the Society was born, with Simon responsible for the dinners and tastings and for editing its quarterly journal. Symons became the Society’s first secretary.

Simon believed that “a man dies too young if he leaves any wine in his cellar.” In keeping with this philosophy, he left only two magnums of claret when he died at age ninety-three.

Organization

“André’s Wonderful Invention” attracted 232 members within three weeks of the Society’s inception. In not too many years, The Wine & Food Society had evolved into The International Wine & Food Society. Simon’s energy and charm ultimately enabled him to generate branches throughout the world so that today there are more than 8,000 members in 150 branches in 40 countries.

The Society’s headquarters are in London. To learn more about the headquarters, go to the Secretariat site. It is governed by a Council of Management helped by three Area Committees: The Americas, Europe-Africa, and Asia-Pacific. To learn more about the society in your area of the world, go to the appropriate area site.