Maxime Walkowiak is a judge at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)
Maxime Walkowiak
Maxime Walkowiak is head sommelier at The Waterside Inn in Bray in the south of England. Hailing from France, he discovered his passion for wine at the age of 15 while attending catering school in Aires-sur-la-Lys. In 2009, he studied at the wine school at Lycée Michel Servet in Lille, working at the same time at the Michelin-starred Château de Montreuil as a commis sommelier.
The following year, Walkowiak passed the final exam of the Mention Complémentaire Sommellerie and moved to the UK, joining The Waterside Inn after being offered a commis sommelier position by Michel Roux senior. Walkowiak has been promoted twice since 2010, arriving at his current position of head sommelier in January 2012. His role includes being immediately responsible for over 1,000 references, and he also has a hand in marketing activities and designing personalised labels.
Walkowiak was first a DWWA judge in 2015.
