DWWA 2021 Regional Chairs

DWWA Acting Regional Chair: Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is an Acting Regional Chair for Tuscany at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards and a consultant tutor at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) in London.

DWWA Judge: Peter Csizmadia-Honigh

Peter Csizmadia-Honigh is a wine writer based in Somerset and with a base in Hungary’s Somló wine region too.

DWWA judge profile: Marcel Orford-Williams

Marcel Orford-Williams is a buyer for The Wine Society, sourcing from Rhône, Southern and regional French wines and Germany.

DWWA judge profile: Dimitri Mesnard MS

Dimitri Mesnard MS is the International Brand Ambassador for Jackson Family Wines.

DWWA judge profile: Pierre Mansour

Pierre Mansour is Head Buyer at The Wine Society.

DWWA Acting Regional Chair: Demetri Walters MW

Demetri Walters MW is a wine educator and presenter with many years of experience selling wine, providing product training, running wine schools, and hosting corporate & private wine tasting events to groups of all sizes, all over the world.

DWWA judge profile: Greg Sherwood MW

Greg Sherwood MW is Senior Wine Buyer for Fine Wines at Handford Wines in South Kensington.

DWWA judge profile: Ben Robson

Ben Robson is the buying director for boutique importer of Italian wines, Bat and Bottle, which he co-founded with his wife, Emma, in 1994.

DWWA Regional Chair for North, Central & Eastern Europe: Caroline Gilby MW

Caroline Gilby MW is an author, writer and consultant. She specialises in Central and Eastern Europe and has written a book on the wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova.

DWWA Regional Chair for the UK: Simon Field MW

Simon Field MW worked for Berry Brothers & Rudd for over 20 years. In 2015, he was admitted into the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino.

DWWA Regional Chair for Port & Madeira: Richard Mayson

An expert in the wines of Iberia, Richard Mayson writes regularly for Decanter, contributes to The Oxford Companion to Wine, and has written 5 books.

DWWA Regional Chair for Northern Italy: Michael Garner

Michael Garner is the co-author of Barolo: Tar and Roses, a regular contributor to Decanter, and co-owner of Italian Wine Specialists Tria Wines Limited.

DWWA Regional Chair for Chile: Peter Richards MW

Peter is a TV presenter, broadcaster, author and writer. His credits include more than a decade on BBC1 plus Sky One, ESPN, Financial Times, The Guardian, ITV1, Radio 4, BBC2 and The Sunday Times.

DWWA Regional Chair for Southern Italy : Anthony Rose

Anthony Rose is an award-winning wine and sake writer, and a founding member of The Wine Gang. He is the Regional Chair for Southern Italy at the DWWA 2022.

DWWA Regional Chair for Beaujolais, Southwest and Rest of France: Dominique Vrigneau

Dominique Vrigneau is Buying Director at Watermill Wines and a Chevalier du Tastevin. A DWWA judge since 2010, he joins the Regional Chair team for 2020 .

DWWA Regional Chair for the Rhône: Matt Walls

Matt Walls is an award-winning freelance wine writer, author, blogger and consultant, contributing regular articles to Decanter.

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 Portugal: Sarah Ahmed

Sarah Ahmed, aka The Wine Detective, is an independent, London-based wine writer, educator and judge.

DWWA Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon: Justin Howard-Sneyd MW

Howard-Sneyd founded The Hive Wine Consulting in 2012 and is now a consultant to a wide range of international businesses.

DWWA Regional Chair for Loire: Jim Budd

Jim Budd is a wine writer, having written for Decanter since 1989. He is the former editor of the newsletter of the Circle of Wine Writers, and writes the award-winning Jim’s Loire blog.

DWWA Regional Chair for Piedmont: Stephen Brook

Wine writer and Decanter contributor Stephen Brook is the Regional Chair for Piedmont at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2021.

DWWA Regional Chair for Australia: Justin Knock MW

Justin Knock MW is co-owner of fine wine retailer Philglas & Swiggot, and runs wine consultancy business The Purple Hand Wine Company.

DWWA Regional Chair for Central Italy and Canada: Andy Howard MW

Andy Howard MW became a MW in 2011 and runs his own consultancy business, Vinetrades Ltd, which focuses on education, judging, investment and sourcing.

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 Acting Regional Chair for New Zealand: Rebecca Gibb MW

Rebecca Gibb MW is an award-winning wine writer, author of The Wines of New Zealand and Director of The Drinks Project.

DWWA Acting Regional Chair for Burgundy: Jason Haynes

Jason Haynes is buying Director of Burgundy. In this exceptional year Jason Haynes will be standing in for the Regional Chair for the 2020 competition