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DWWA Regional Chair for Spain: Almudena Alberca MWFirst female master of wine in Spain, accomplished winemaker, sustainability advocate, and global consultant. Based in Spain.
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DWWA Regional Chair for the USA & Central America: James Tidwell MSJames Tidwell MS consults for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and founded the TEXSOM conference and awards.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Provence: Rod Smith MWRod Smith MW is a wine educator, marketer and salesman, based in the South of France.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Greece & Cyprus: Terry KandylisTerry Kandylis is the Group Head Sommelier at the Noble Rot Restaurant & Wine Bar.
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DWWA Co-Chair: Andrew JeffordAndrew has been writing and broadcasting about wine since the 1980s, winning many awards for his work.
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DWWA Co-Chair: Michael Hill Smith AM MWMichael, wine producer, international wine judge, wine consultant, and occasional wine writer, is a DWWA Co-Chair.
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DWWA Co-Chair: Beth WillardBeth Willard, former wine buyer and now a key figure in Spanish wine industry, is a Co-Chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2026.
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DWWA Co-Chair: Ronan Sayburn MSRonan Sayburn MS, CEO for the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe, is a Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
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DWWA Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia: Dr Wojciech Bońkowski MWWojciech Bońkowski is a wine writer, writing articles, blogs and books as well as being President of the Polish Wine Trade Association.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Caucasus Region: Simon J WoolfSimon J Woolf is an award-winning English author and wine writer, currently based in The Netherlands.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Canada: Barbara Philip MWBarbara Philip MW is category manager at BC LIQUOR in Canada, as well as a lecturer, radio columnist and consultant.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Burgundy & Champagne: Charles Curtis MWCharles Curtis MW writes regularly for a number of magazines.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux: Alun Griffiths MWAlun Griffiths MW is a highly respected wine expert with over 35 years of experience in the UK wine industry and extensive consulting work in the Chinese market.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux: Matthew Stubbs MWMatthew Stubbs MW, a highly accomplished wine professional and educator, is the joint Regional Chair for Bordeaux at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 (DWWA).
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DWWA Regional Chair for Beaujolais, Southwest and Rest of France: Dominique VrigneauDominique Vrigneau is Buying Director at Watermill Wines and a Chevalier du Tastevin.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Austria & Switzerland: Stefan Neumann MSStefan Neumann MS runs his own consultancy and online blinding tasting course.
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DWWA Regional Chair for Alsace: Thierry MeyerThierry Meyer is the Regional Chair for Alsace at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2026.
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DWWA judge profile: Tim Marson MWMaster of Wine with over 25 years of international judging experience and buying director for a major US online wine and spirits retailer. Based in the US.
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DWWA judge profile: Shane JonesWine and sake educator teaching accredited programmes in the UK, France and Germany. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Laura Rhys MSLaura Rhys MS is the prestige development manager at Gusbourne, a leading English wine estate.
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DWWA judge profile: Rhys Pender MWMaster of Wine who runs Little Farm Winery in the Similkameen Valley of British Columbia. Based in Canada.
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DWWA judge profile: Pilar CaveroBest sommelier in Spain 2013, currently a wine critic for the Spanish newspaper ABC. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Lauren DenyerWine educator at WSET School London certified in Sherry, Madeira, Rioja, Cava, and Bordeaux. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Julia SewellEx-sommelier and avid wine geek, currently working with Raeburn Fine Wines. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Johan LarssonFrench wine buyer at Systembolaget. Based in Sweden.
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DWWA judge profile: Jeremy Lithgow MWHead of wine for Amathus Drinks, a UK based importer and distributor of wines and spirits from across the globe.
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DWWA judge profile: Ivan Barbic MWExperienced wine buyer and international consultant for wine producers. Based in Switzerland.
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DWWA judge profile: Ieva MarkaityteIndependent wine consultant with over 20 years experience in the wine trade. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Eugene Mlynczyk MWCanadian master of wine, educator, and sales ambassador. Based in Canada.
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DWWA judge profile: Emma Dawson MWFormer wine buyer at M&S, currently the head of buying at Berkmann Wine Cellar. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Emily Brighton MWHead of technical for a leading UK importer, specialising in wine quality evaluation across a global portfolio. Based in the UK.
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DWWA judge profile: Dimitar NikolovWine professional with 20 years of experience as a sommelier, wine buyer, judge and educator. Based in Bulgaria.
