{"api":{"host":"https:\/\/pinot.decanter.com","authorization":"Bearer YjNhNWY2YjdiYzEwNDI0MDQzOTBiNjQ5MGU2ZGU1ODUyMTg2ZWM1YzE3ZDIwNGFiMzNkNTNkOTgzODI0MWYxOA","version":"2.0"},"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"6qv8OniKQO","rid":"RJXC8OC","offerId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","offerTemplateId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","wcTemplateId":"OTOW5EUWVZ4B"}}

DWWA Regional Chair for Australia: Huon Hooke

Huon Hooke is joint Regional Chair for Australia with Justin Knock MW at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Huon Hooke

Huon Hooke is a leading Australian independent wine writer, based in Sydney, who also judges wine competitions and educates on wine. A journalist first and wine professional second, he has tertiary qualifications in both fields, and has also worked in wineries and wine retailing.

Huon has contributed to many print publications but today most of his work appears online on The Real Review, which is the most widely read wine publication in Australia and New Zealand. He is also kept busy hosting events for The Real Review. In print, he writes for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s ‘Good Weekend’ magazine and Decanter.

Huon was co-author of The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide for 14 years until 2007, and wrote a weekly wine column for The Sydney Morning Herald ‘Good Living’ for about 35 years.

In 2011 he launched the web and phone based app, Huonhooke.com which morphed into the website Therealreview.com several years later.

Hooke has won 11 awards for wine writing since 1984 and has published 19 books on wine, including a biography of Penfolds Grange creator Max Schubert.

Follow Huon on Twitter @HuonHooke

See other 2025 Regional Chairs

Latest Wine News