DWWA 2023 Regional Chairs

DWWA Regional Chair for Greece & Cyprus: Terry Kandylis

Terry Kandylis is Head Sommelier at 67 Pall Mall.

DWWA Regional Chair for Tuscany: Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is the new Regional Chair for Tuscany at the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards and a consultant tutor at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) in London.

DWWA Regional Chair for North, Central & Eastern Europe: Simon J Woolf

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 Portugal: Sarah Ahmed

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

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 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 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 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 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 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 New Zealand: Cameron Douglas MS

New Zealand’s first Master Sommelier, Cameron Douglas MS is in charge of the wine and beverage programme at AUT University in Auckland.

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 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 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 South & Eastern Mediterranean: Caro Maurer MW

Caro Maurer MW is a wine writer based in Bonn, Germany, with a writing career spanning almost 30 years.

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 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 Switzerland: Stefan Neumann MS

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 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 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 the USA & Central America: James Tidwell MS

James Tidwell MS is a wine writer, speaker, and consultant. He is currently consulting Master Sommelier with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Las Colinas, Texas.

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 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.