DWWA 2024 Regional Chairs

DWWA Regional Chair for Spain: Pierre Mansour

Pierre Mansour is Head Buyer at The Wine Society.

DWWA Acting Regional Chair for Chile: Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes is an award-winning wine journalist and expert in South American wines and regions.

DWWA Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia: Dr Wojciech Bońkowski MW

Wojciech Bońkowski is a wine writer, writing articles, blogs and books as well as being President of the Polish Wine Trade Association.

DWWA Regional Chair for Balkans, Caucasus Region and Croatia & Slovenia: Simon J Woolf

DWWA Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia: Dr Caroline Gilby MW

Caroline Gilby MW is an author, writer and consultant, specialising on Central and Eastern Europe.

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.

DWWA Regional Chair for Greece & Cyprus: Terry Kandylis

Terry Kandylis is Head Sommelier at 67 Pall Mall.

DWWA Regional Chair for Burgundy & Champagne: Charles Curtis MW

Charles Curtis MW writes regularly for a number of magazines.

DWWA Regional Chair for Chile: Peter Richards MW

Peter is a TV presenter, broadcaster, author and writer.

DWWA Regional Chair for Australia: Huon Hooke

Huon Hooke is an educator, international wine judge and writer, having published 19 books on wine.

DWWA Regional Chair for Piedmont: Michaela Morris

Michaela Morris is an international wine writer and educator, based in Vancouver, Canada.

DWWA Regional Chair for Tuscany: Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is the Regional Chair for Tuscany at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards and a consultant tutor at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) in London.

DWWA Regional Chair for the USA & Central America: James Tidwell MS

James Tidwell MS consults for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and founded the TEXSOM conference and awards.

DWWA Regional Chair Veneto: Richard Baudains

Richard Baudains, a longstanding contributor to Decanter, also works as a Cambridge University English language examiner.

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 Piedmont: Stephen Brook

Wine writer and Decanter contributor Stephen Brook is the Regional Chair for Piedmont at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2023.

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 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 and makes wine at Domaine of the Bee.

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 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 Northern Italy: Michael Garner

Michael Garner is 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.

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 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

Stefan Neumann MS runs his own consultancy and online blinding tasting course.

DWWA Regional Chair for Germany and 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: 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 JancisRobinson.com.