DWWA judge profile: Richard Baudains

Richard Baudains is a judge at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Richard Baudains

Richard Baudains was born and raised on the island of Jersey before moving to Italy, where he taught English in several of the country's leading wine regions. He has been writing about Italian wine for Decanter since 1988 and is a regular contributor to Decanter Premium, where he writes a monthly column.

A judge and long-standing Regional Chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards, Richard is also a member of the editorial team for the Slow Wine Guide covering Friuli Venezia Giulia. He has taught MA courses in Wine Journalism at the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche and regularly leads tastings, educational seminars and masterclasses across Italy.

Outside wine, Richard works as a Cambridge University English language examiner. He lives in Gorizia, on Italy's north-eastern border.

See more judges for the 2026 DWWA.