DWWA 2013 South Africa Judging Panel

Lynne Sherriff MW DWWA 2013 Regional Chair Originally training in Hotel Management, Lynne Sherriff MWâs interest in wine grew through her studies and lead to her gaining diplomas in Cellar Technology in Stellenbosch, and Oenology and Viticulture in Germany before working for Nederburg and the Stellenbosch Farmers Winery in South Africa. In 1990, she was head hunted to establish the Hong Kong Wine & Spirits Academy, and after relocating to London in 1992 to establish the wine import and distribution company Vinfruco, she launched the âArniston Bayâ brand. Lynne currently works as an independent wine consultant - specialising in production, blending and marketing - educates, and is the Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine. John Hoskins MW DWWA 2013 Judge John Hoskins MW was born into a family of hoteliers but had no intention of joining his relations, instead studying English literature. However, wine drew him into the family business, and in 1994 he became the first person in the restaurant industry to become a Master of Wine. In the same year, he formed his own business, hotel-restaurant The Old Bridge, in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, which includes a thriving wine shop and mail order business, Old Bridge Wine. John is also in charge of the Master of Wine's Practical Examination Panel. Daniel Hart DWWA 2013 Judge Daniel Hart is the Senior Buyer at Enotria, where he has been responsible for growing Enotria's New World wines into an award winning, benchmark portfolio since 2003. He also oversees the categories of Champagne, Portugal and England, and has winemaking experience with Enotriaâs partners around the world. His highlights include working vintages in Douro, Piemonte, South Africa, Coonawarra and Catalonia. WSET Diploma qualified in 2001, Daniel is the co-founder of Trophy winning Hart & Hunter wines in Hunter Valley, Australia. Fiona McDonald DWWA 2013 Judge Fiona McDonald is a trained news journalist who began her wine journalism career when she helped a friend organise a wine show, which resulted in her writing a weekly wine column. With Fiona's previous roles including those of specialist medical reporter, night news editor, sub editor and newspaper designer, she was then headhunted by WINE magazine in Cape Town. The eight years Fiona spent as Editor of WINE saw her play a large role in documenting the changing face of South African wine, particularly as her tenure coincided with the industry's post-apartheid era. Although a freelance writer, Fiona edits two magazines, Cheers and Whisky , as well as contributing to a number of other publications. In addition to serving as a judge at a number of international wine competitions, she is also a member of the Platter Guide tasting panel and writing team. Magandeep Singh DWWA 2013 Judge Magandeep Singh is Indiaâs first French-qualified sommelier and professional wine taster, and since qualifying around ten years ago, he has worked in India where he consults via his company Wi-Not Beverage Solutions. Magandeep is also an established freelance wine, food, travel, and lifestyle writer, with regular columns in several national newspapers and magazines, and has conducted wine training workshops across India for the most prestigious on and off-trade establishments. Author of Wine Wisdom , now in its third edition, he was awarded the Silver Medal at the World Gourmand Awards for his book's importance as an educational reference. Recently, Magandeep and his Wi-Not partners inaugurated Indiaâs first ever accredited wine school, the âInstitute of Wine and Beverage Studiesâ, in New Delhi. Richard Kelley MW DWWA 2013 Judge Richard Kelley MW grew up in Leicester with tee-total parents and did not envisage a career in wine until he tasted the 1969 Gaston Huet Vouvray in 1981. The next six years saw Richard on a tour of vinous self-discovery, which included taking the WSET Diploma while working in wine sales for Grants of St Jamesâs. Richard commenced his MW studies in 1993, the year in which the dissertation was introduced and, as a result, ended up in South Africa working the vintage as part of his studies on the importance of temperature in red wine making. He moved back to South Africa in 1995 to develop international markets for Vinimark, the countryâs largest independent wine wholesaler, and after seven years of promoting Chenin Blanc, Richard returned to the UK to work with Richards Walford until 2011. Despite his relationship with the South African wine industry, Richard is a devout Francophile and has been passionate about the Loire ever since his tasting of the 1969 Gaston Huet Vouvray. Vladimir Gorodkov DWWA 2013 Judge Vladimir Gorodkov drifted into the world of wine after building a successful career in the fruit and beer industries. He moved to South Africa in 1992, where he was captivated by the aura and mystique of wine, resulting in him completing the Cape Wine Academy Diploma. Based in Cape Town, Vladimir is Director of Majestic Demand Trading and runs his own consultancy, offering services in marketing, wine education and, most recently, wine tourism for trade professionals. Links to his native Russia remain - he has been promoting Wines of South Africa in the country since 2005. Cathy van Zyl MW DWWA 2013 Judge Cathy van Zyl MW started her wine career on a bike when she asked her husband to cycle South Africa's arduous Pick ânâ Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour with her â he complied on the condition that she endured a basic wine course with him. Some 21 years later, Cathy now has 17 cycle tours notched on her bikeâs bars, as well as an MW qualification. A PR consultant in the marketing and business-to-business fields, Cathyâs wine life centres around judging locally and abroad, writing the occasional wine piece, lecturing about wine, and fulfilling the role of Associate Editor and Taster for Platter's South African Wine Guide . Johan Larsson DWWA 2013 Judge Johan Larssonâs 18 years in the wine trade has involved a variety of positions, including: sommelier for Stockholmâs top restaurants, key account and product management at different Swedish wine importing companies, and a year as Assistant Winemaker at Mas de Daumas Gassac in the Languedoc. Johan has also been Head Steward to the King and Queen of Sweden, and he now manages the Royal Wine Cellars, conducts tastings with the King and Queen, and provides advice on food and wine pairing for state banquets. In November 2010, Johan joined Systembolaget as Wine Buyer, with responsibility for South Africa, North Africa, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and the Far East. He commenced his WSET Diploma studies in 2012. Greg Sherwood MW DWWA 2013 Judge As the Senior Wine Buyer for fine wines at Handford Wines in South Kensington, London, Greg Sherwood MW, along with Handford Winesâ owner, James Handford MW, has had the opportunity to buy, sell and taste some of the most finely crafted and sought after wines in the world on a daily basis. This extensive tasting exposure enabled Greg to pass his Master of Wine tasting examination in his first sitting in 2004. He completed his MW qualification in 2007, and although he is proud to be counted as only the 4th South African MW, he is currently encouraging more of his fellow countrymen through the rigours of the MW exam process. Allan Cheesman DWWA 2013 Judge Allan Cheesman has been in the UK wine trade for 42 years, spending 31 of them at Sainsburyâs, where he was Trading Director. As he was responsible for the supermarket's own-label development in the 1970s and 1980s, Allan is attributed with demystifying and popularising wine in the UK. Now semi-retired, he is a non-executive and consultant for several global wine businesses, a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and sits on the board for the WSET and London Wine Trade Fair. Also an Officier dans lâOrdre du MÃ©rite Agricole, Allan has lifetime achievement awards from Off Licence News and the IWSC and, in 2011, he was awarded the Order of Isabel the Catholic by the King of Spain, the country's highest civil award, for services to Spanish wines. Sue Daniels DWWA 2013 Judge Sue Daniels is Marks & Spencer's winemaker for Champagne/Sparkling, Fortified, Spain, Portugal, England, Burgundy and South Africa. She has looked after sparkling and fortified wines for Marks and Spencer since 1996, and is currently studying for her Master of Wine while simultaneously bringing up three children. Chris Murphy DWWA 2013 Judge Chris Murphy has worked at Marks & Spencer all his life, and has spent the best part of the last three decades sourcing wines from around the world. For the past six years he has concentrated on the M&S Wine Club, âWine Onlineâ, and has judged at wine competitions both at home and abroad. Chris has tried to adhere to the advice given him by Christopher Tatham when he was first starting out, that âthe first duty of a wine is to be deliciousâ. Nick Dumergue DWWA 2013 Judge Nick Dumergue started his career as a Sommelier in his native New Zealand in 1990. From there his career progressed to working a dozen vintages around the world, working for many years in London learning about the commercial side of the industry, and holding several sales and managerial roles in Europe, Asia and Australia. In wine buying positions, Nick selected fine wines on Super Yachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, worked as part of the team at Harrods and for an importer in Hong Kong. A certified educator for the WSET and a former tasting co-ordinator for Decanter, Nick currently divides his time between a wine ambassador role, consulting for Indonesiaâs largest importer and working in London and France several times a year. The rest of the time, Nick can be found surfing in Bali, where he currently resides. Becca Reeves DWWA 2013 Judge Becca Reeves started her career in the wine trade in 2001 at Thierryâs, where she worked as a National Account Manager, before joining Asda as a Product Development Manager. In 2009 she joined Laithwaites Wine, where she was Senior Buyer, managing the RhÃ´ne, Provence, England & South Africa, and previously Chile and the South of France. She left Laithwaites in December 2012 and is now setting up her own wine business. Nick Clarke MW DWWA 2013 Judge Nick Clarke MW joined Hedges & Butler in 1960 and rose successfully to the position of Wine Buyer for Bass Charrington. He passed his Master of Wine exams in 1971, and in 1978 Nick joined Henry C Collison, where he became Managing Director in 1981. In 1986 he joined O W Loeb as a director, and developed their ex-cellar sales for Paul Jaboulet Aine and Hugel, in particular. In 1996, with the support of Paul Jaboulet Aine and Hugel, Nick reformed Dreyfus Ashby (which had been bought by O W Loeb following the takeover of Schenley (USA) by Guinness). He is now a consultant for Dreyfus Ashby and has always held an interest and passion for the wines of Alsace, Rhone and South Africa. Anthony Barne MW DWWA 2013 Judge Anthony Barne MW joined the Wine Trade from the Army in 1978, having taken advantage of the endless possibilities for wine tasting during his posting to Gibraltar. He learned his craft in a wine shop in Tunbridge Wells, escaping to Burgundy to work at the Domaine ThÃ©nard and, subsequently, at Seppeltâs in South Australia. His career until 1992 was in mail order and wine buying, first with Hicks & Don, where he passed the Master of Wine exam in 1985, and then Harveys of Bristol. Since then he has been a wine auctioneer, currently working for Bonhams in London as UK Head of Wine, where his main pre-occupation is with the classic wine regions of France, Vintage Port and Madeira, although he has many other interests, including Austria, Germany, Tokaji and Australia.

DWWA 2013 South Africa Judging Panel

Latest Wine News

Brad Pitt stars in video for his French Riviera-inspired gin

Macron state banquet menu: Haut-Brion and English sparkling poured

Highland Park’s master whisky maker Gordon Motion retires

Walls: Exceptional single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie from Benjamin & David Duclaux

Decanter World Wine Awards: American wine continues to climb