DWWA Regional Chair for Beaujolais, Southwest and Rest of France: Dominique Vrigneau

Dominique Vrigneau is the Regional Chair for Beaujolais, Southwest and Rest of France at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2026.

Dominique Vrigneau

Dominique Vrigneau joined Majestic on a work experience placement in 1986 after completing a five-year PhD in agriculture and oenology in Toulouse France.

He was soon promoted to the position of buying manager, and in 1991 he joined Thierry’s Wine Services as Buying Director.

In November 2012 Vrigneau moved to a new venture, Watermill Wines, and now combines his buying capabilities with selling to key accounts.

Vrigneau is well known for his in-depth knowledge of French wine, but was also one of the foremost pioneers of Australian wines in the UK in the 1980s. He is also a an expert in Argentinian wines, when he started working with Family Zuccardi in 1991, and Austrian wines, as he has been working with producer Markus Huber since 2005.

Vrigneau has judged in international competitions for many years and is a Chevalier du Tastevin.

He was first a DWWA judge in 2010.

See more 2026 Regional Chairs.

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.