Sue Tolson is a new judge at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Sue Tolson

Sue Tolson is a freelance wine writer, judge, educator, consultant, and specialist translator and editor. Originally from England, she is now based in Hungary and focuses on Hungary and other Central and Eastern European countries, as well as Italy. She is one of Vinitaly International’s few Italian Wine Experts, with particular interests in indigenous grape varieties, volcanic wines, and old vines.

Sue has contributed to Vince, Trink, Glug, and Decanter supplements, and writes regularly for WineSofa, the online Central and Eastern European wine magazine, where she serves as Managing Editor, as well as for Wines of Hungary. She judges widely in Hungary and internationally, particularly across the CEE region.

She studied Italian and French at university and also speaks fluent Hungarian and German. Sue holds the DipWSET, is a Weinakademiker, and is a Stage 3 Master of Wine student.

Sue joins the Decanter World Wine Awards judging panel for the first time in 2026.

Follow Sue on Instagram.

See more judges for the 2026 DWWA.

Shivani Tomar
Shivani Tomar
Awards Manager

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.