DWWA judge profile: Magdalena Kaiser
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Magdalena Kaiser is a judge at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
Magdalena Kaiser
Magdalena Kaiser has been immersed in the wine industry almost her entire life. She began at Inniskillin Wines as a young teen, leading tours and tastings, and fondly recalls bottling wine with her winemaker father and co-founder, Karl Kaiser, at the age of five.
With over 40 years of experience in wine, tourism, culinary arts, and communication strategy, Magdalena brings passion and expertise to the industry. A decade living and working in the U.S. enriched her international marketing perspective before she returned to Niagara’s wine country. A lifelong champion of Canadian wine, she spent 14 years as Director of PR at the Wine Marketing Association of Ontario, helping elevate Canadian wines on the global stage.
A graduate in Economics and International Marketing, dipWSET certified, and certified by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Magdalena served on numerous boards, including the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C), where she chaired the educational program for 10 years, and the Advisory Board of the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium, Niagara, 2022.
She frequently presents to international audiences on wine, culinary tourism, export business, and strategic PR and marketing. Her expertise has contributed to hundreds of publications, including World of Fine Wine, Decanter, Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, the WSET Global Wine Certification course, Wine Bible, and the Wall Street Journal.
Magdalena launched her first book in May 2026, Niagara Wine + Food, featuring 44 wineries and 88 wine-and-recipe pairings, along with an in-depth introduction to the region.
She regularly travels, tastes, and writes about wine regions worldwide. She also produces a small amount of wine herself through her micro-project, @TinyBatchWine, born from passion and a desire to honor her late father’s craft.
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Magdalena joined the Decanter World Wine Awards as a judge for the first time in 2023.
See more about Magdalena’s work on her website and follow her on Instagram.
See more judges for the 2026 DWWA.
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.