Christopher Tanghe MS is a judge at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)
Christopher Tanghe MS
Christopher Tanghe MS is a New Englander and his foray into restaurants began at the age of 13, as a dishwasher for a country club in Pocasset, MA. After graduating, Christopher attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Part of the curriculum was the wine course that first exposed him to the magic of pairing wine & food, as well as its rich history.
Following his time at the CIA, Christopher worked in restaurants all around the country, eventually settling in Seattle where he began to take classes with the International Sommelier Guild. He passed the Certified Sommelier exam in 2008 while working as the Wine Director and General Manager for Crush restaurant in Seattle, followed by the Advanced exam in 2009 while Wine Director for Matt’s in the Market. In preparation for the Master’s exam, Christopher spent time working with Canlis, an icon of fine dining for 64 years with a 2,400 bottle list, followed by working with Rajat Parr to open Seattle’s RN74 where he specialized in Burgundy & Bordeaux with vintages dating back to the 1940’s. He earned the title of Master Sommelier in May of 2013.
After achieving his MS Diploma, Chris Tanghe MS designed a new Spanish concept restaurant focusing on Catalonian cuisine and wine. Christopher trained a front of house team and created one of the most unique wine lists in Seattle at the time. He was awarded with Food & Wine’s Sommelier of the Year award for his efforts.
He moved to the distribution world where he was portfolio manager and educator for Vinum Importing, requiring maintaining relationships with over 300 producers, weekly staff training and inventory management.
Chris has worked in multiple facets of the industry for more than 20 years and is currently the Director of Education for Guildsomm.com. Based in Seattle, WA he also owns Walter’s Wine Shop and Upwell Wine Bar.
Christopher was first a judge in 2016.
