Cathy van Zyl MW
DWWA judge, Cathy van Zyl MW
(Image credit: DWWA judge, Cathy van Zyl MW)

Cathy van Zyl MW is a judge at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Cathy van Zyl MW

She served as chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IWM) education committee and was a member of its council for six years.

Cathy lectures and judges locally and internationally, occasionally contributes to wine journals and websites around the world, but spends most of her time devoted to wine as associate editor of Platter’s South African Wine Guide.

In 2019, Cathy was named Institute of Cape Wine Masters’ Personality of the Year for her passionate promotion of South African wine.

Recently, she was also inducted as Le Grand Maitre de l’Ordre of the Confrerie des Chevaliers de la Chantepleure. “That’s for my love of Chenin Blanc,” Cathy quips.

Follow Cathy on instagram

See more judges for the 2025 DWWA. 

Shivani Tomar
Shivani Tomar
Awards Manager

Born and raised in India, Shivani is the awards manager at Decanter, managing the 300-strong cohort of worldwide judges for the world's largest wine competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards, ensuring a seamless judging process and driving the competitive integrity of the awards. After earning a master’s in wine management from the Burgundy School of Business, she moved to London in 2016 and completed her WSET diploma. While Burgundy holds a special place in her heart, Champagne is her go-to bottle. Alongside her full-time role, she has been dipping her toes into wine writing, relishing the opportunity to bring wine stories to the surface.