DWWA judge profile: Chris Howard
Get our daily fine wine reviews, latest wine ratings, news and travel guides delivered straight to your inbox.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Chris Howard is a new judge at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
Chris Howard
Chris Howard is an award-winning wine writer, educator and judge based in Paris. He holds a doctorate in anthropology and worked as both an academic and economist at the OECD before returning to wine – a path that began in his native Sonoma County.
His writing appears in World of Fine Wine, Decanter, and JancisRobinson.com. He served as an editorial advisor for the Oxford Companion to Wine 5th edition, and is international editor for The Tasting Panel and The Somm Journal. He has a special interest in oceanic wines, old vines, heritage varietals, and the intersections between wine and art.
An international wine judge, Chris is joining Decanter World Wine Awards judging panels for the first time in 2026.
Follow Howard on Instagram and Medium.
See more judges for the 2026 DWWA.
Get our daily fine wine reviews, latest wine ratings, news and travel guides delivered straight to your inbox.
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.