DWWA judge profile: Bob Betz MW

Bob Betz MW is a judge at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Bob Betz MW

Bob Betz MW is the consulting winemaker of Betz Family Winery in Washington State, a company he and his wife established in 1997; he currently also consults for a number of other North American west coast wineries on winemaking, sensory and blending issues.

The path to starting their own winery began in the early 1970s, after a year spent in the vineyards of Europe. Upon returning to the USA, Betz began his career with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, where he worked for 28 years in communications, education, quality management and production, eventually retiring as vice president of winemaking research.

During his time at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Betz managed the company’s international joint ventures: Col Solare (Marchesi Antinori) and Eroica (Dr. Loosen). He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in zoology, and on passing the MW exams he received both the Villa Maria Award for the highest scores on the viticultural exam, and the Robert Mondavi Award for the highest overall scores in all theory exams.