DWWA 2019 Regional Chairs

DWWA Regional Chair for Provence: Rod Smith MW

Rod Smith MW is a wine educator, marketer and salesman, based in the South of France.

DWWA Regional Chair for Canada: Barbara Philip MW

Barbara Philip MW is category manager at BC Liquor Stores in Canada, as well as a lecturer, radio columnist and consultant.

DWWA Regional Chair for Burgundy: Jeannie Cho Lee MW

Jeannie Cho Lee MW is an author, wine critic, judge and educator as well as the first Asian Master of Wine.

DWWA Regional Chair for Champagne: Peter Liem

Peter Liem is an American wine writer and author of ChampagneGuide.net, an award-winning online guide to the wines and wine producers of Champagne.

DWWA Regional Chair for Germany & Austria: Markus del Monego MW

Markus Del Monego MW, Best Sommelier of the World 1998, is wine advisor to Lufthansa airlines and runs consultancy company tasteTainment GmbH.

DWWA Regional Chair for Spain: Beth Willard

After working for Syndicat des Vins de Bordeaux, Beth Willard moved into buying roles, including her time as Buying Manager for Direct Wines.

DWWA Regional Chair for Spain: Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, an active member of numerous wine committees, is a wine writer, consultant and educator .

DWWA Regional Chair for South Africa: Fiona McDonald

Fiona McDonald, trained news journalist turned wine writer, is Regional Chair for South Africa at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2019.

DWWA Regional Chair for Spain: Ferran Centelles

Ferran Centelles is a wine writer specialising in Spanish wine for Jancis Robinson, as well as a wine educator and previous sommelier.

DWWA Regional Chair Veneto: Richard Baudains

Richard Baudains was born and bred in Jersey in the Channel Islands and trained to be a teacher of English as a foreign language in order to satisfy his wanderlust.

DWWA Regional Chair for Asia: Poh Tiong Ch'ng

A lawyer by training, Poh Tiong Ch'ng published the world’s first Chinese Bordeaux Guide in 2000 and is the author of 100 Top Chinese Restaurants of the World.

DWWA Regional Chair for Alsace: Thierry Meyer

Thierry Meyer is the Regional Chair for Alsace at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2023.

DWWA Regional Chair for Tuscany: Monty Waldin

Monty Waldin is a British broadcaster, author, and occasional winemaker, specialising in organics and biodynamics.

DWWA Regional Chair for Greece & Cyprus: Nico Manessis

Nico Manessis is an expert on the wines of his native Greece and the author of three wine books. In 2020, he was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Artisanal Wineries of Greece.

DWWA Regional Chair for the UK: Stephen Skelton MW

Stephen Skelton MW is a consultant to the English wine industry and is involved with planting vineyards for the production of both still and sparkling wine.

DWWA Regional Chair for New Zealand: Bob Campbell MW

Bob Campbell is wine editor of Taste magazine and Air New Zealand’s in-flight magazine KiaOra, and runs wine certificate courses in New Zealand.

DWWA judge profile: James Lawther MW

James Lawther MW is an independent wine writer and consultant based in Bordeaux who has contributed to Decanter for over 20 years.

DWWA Regional Chair for Switzerland: Paolo Basso

Swiss-Italian Paolo Basso, now a wine trader and consultant, won the Best Sommelier of the World 2013.

DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux: Jane Anson

Jane Anson is a contributing editor and Bordeaux correspondent for Decanter, also writing a weekly column for Decanterchina.com.

DWWA Regional Chair for Beaujolais & South of France: Bernard Burtschy

Bernard Burtschy writes for l’Avis du Vin, a weekly column in French publication Le Figaro.

DWWA Regional Chair for Central Italy: Jane Hunt MW

Jane Hunt MW, with a wine career spanning 40 years, is Regional Chair for Central Italy (excluding Tuscany) at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)

DWWA Regional Chair for Argentina: Patricio Tapia

Patricio Tapia is the Regional Chair for Argentina at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2019.