DWWA Regional Chair for Southern Italy: Jason Millar

Jason Millar is the new Regional Chair for Southern Italy at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Jason Millar

After reading English Literature at Oxford, Jason worked in publishing for five years before a compelling bottle of Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2003 lured him into the wine business. A tasting specialist, he has presented over three hundred tastings on diverse themes, from the terroirs of Dönnhoff, via wine in literature, to blind tastings at large corporate events.

Jason was awarded the top honour of The Vintner’s Cup and The Vintner’s Scholarship for the highest aggregate mark across all units of the WSET Level 4 Diploma in 2016, and the Graham’s Port Scholarship for the highest mark in the Fortified Wines paper.

For 5 years, he was the company director at Theatre of Wine, an independent retailer and importer, where he was responsible for buying, staff training, tastings and private clients.

He writes a monthly column for Drinks Retailing, as well as engaging with other freelance writing and communication projects. After stepping up as the Acting Regional Chair for Portugal in 2025, he has been newly appointed to lead the Southern Italy panels at the DWWA 2026.

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

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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.