DWWA Regional Chair for South Africa: Higgo Jacobs

Higgo Jacobs has been appointed Regional Chair for South Africa at the 2027 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). He succeeds Fiona McDonald, who has served as a Regional Chair at the DWWA for many years.

Higgo Jacobs

Higgo Jacobs’s experience in the wine industry spans over 25 years. He has worked on harvests as well as sales and marketing on the production side in the early years, followed by retail, restaurant and hospitality experience, including 2 years in the UK fine wine trade.

Higgo was instrumental in the foundation and early establishment of ground-breaking industry initiatives, ranging from annual fine wine events and auctions, to sommelier education and competitions. He is a founding member and past chairperson of the South African Sommelier Association (SASA), an NPO that does training and development for the profession in South Africa, as well as Director of By-Laws for the ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale), the international regulatory body for the sommelier profession.

In 2019, he formed a partnership with South Africa’s most respected auction house, Strauss & Co and fine wine retailer Wine Cellar, to launch the Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions. This is a platform now widely credited with formalising a secondary market for South Africa’s fine wines.

An experienced competition panellist and Golden Vines Awards Ambassador for South Africa, he holds a law degree with the University of Stellenbosch and certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Higgo Jacobs was first a judge at the DWWA in 2012. DWWA 2027 marks his first year as Regional Chair at the awards.

Follow Higgo on Instagram and X @higgojacobs

For more information about Higgo’s work, take a look at his website.

See more regional chairs for 2027 DWWA.