DWWA judge profile: Daisuke Kawai

Daisuke Kawai is a judge at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Daisuke Kawai

With 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Daisuke began his career at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo before moving to Singapore in 2010 to become the chief sommelier at Michelin 3-Star restaurant, Les Amis. He went on to found La Terre in 2015, a luxury wine bar in Singapore, before leaving to focus on his wine consulting business.

Throughout his career, Daisuke has won several accolades, including being named Best Sommelier of the Year three times in the Singapore World Gourmet Series Award in 2013, 2017, and 2019, as well as being inducted into the Hall of Fame for Best Sommelier. He was also the winner of the Gastromonth Favourite Sommelier by Robert Parker and Michelin 2017, the Asia Best Sommelier Competition in French Wines by SOPEXA 2017, and Singapore’s Best Sommelier for California Wines 2018.

Daisuke conducts wine education classes for professionals and enthusiasts alike and judges in the National Sommelier Competition of Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as Asia’s Best Sommelier Competition by SOPEXA.

He was a judge at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards for several years and joined the Decanter World Wine Awards as a judge in 2022.

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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.