Find out about our Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Germany judging panel with biographies of the Regional Chair Giles MacDonough plus Anne Krebiehl, Anthony Barne MW, Bob Betz MW and Caro Maurer MW.
Regional chair: Giles MacDonough
MacDonogh has been writing for various international newspapers and magazines, as well as broadcasting on radio and television, since 1985. He is the author of 14 books, which have been translated into nine languages. Four of them are about wine in general, while two are specifically about Austrian wine, which he helped rescue from the doldrums. MacDonogh is currently writing a history of modern Germany.
Judges
Anne Krebiehl
German-born but London-based, Anne Krebiehl is a freelance wine writer contributing to trade and consumer publications like Harpers Wine & Spirit, The World of Fine Wine, Falstaff Deutschland, The Drinks Business, Imbibe, Fine Magazin Deutschland, Sommelier India and others. She also lectures on wine, works as a wine consultant for London restaurants and as translator for wine-related texts. Anne also judges at international wine competitions, is an accredited member of the Circle of Wine Writers and the Association of Wine Educators. She has harvested and helped to make wine in New Zealand, Germany and Italy. She holds the WSET Diploma and is enrolled for studies at the Institute of Masters of Wine. When not writing, studying or travelling, she can be found in the kitchen, the garden or on some vineyard getting her hands dirty.
Anthony Barne MW
Anthony Barne MW joined the wine trade from the army in 1978, having taken advantage of the endless possibilities for wine tasting during his posting to Gibraltar. He learned his craft in a wine shop in Tunbridge Wells, escaping to Burgundy to work at the Domaine Thénard and, subsequently, at Seppelt’s in South Australia. Until 1992, Barne’s career was in mail order and wine buying, first with Hicks & Don, where he passed the Master of Wine exam in 1985, and then Harveys of Bristol. Since then he has been a wine auctioneer, currently working for Bonhams in London as UK head of wine, where his main pre-occupation is with the classic wine regions of France, Vintage Port and Madeira, although he has many other interests, including Austria, Germany, Tokaji and South Africa, where he wields the gavel each year at the Nederburg Wine Auction.
Bob Betz MW
Bob Betz MW is the winemaker of Betz Family Winery in Washington State, a company he and his wife established in 1997. The path to starting their own winery began in the early 1970s after a year spent in the vineyards of Europe. Upon returning to the USA, Betz began his career with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates where he worked for 28 years in communications, education, quality management and production, eventually retiring as vice president of winemaking research. During his time at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Betz managed the company’s international joint ventures: Col Solare (Marchesi Antinori) and Eroica (Dr. Loosen). He initially graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in zoology, and on passing the MW he received both the Villa Maria Award for the highest scores on the viticultural exam, and the Robert Mondavi Award for the highest overall scores in all theory exams.
Caro Maurer MW
Caro Maurer MW is a wine writer based in Bonn, Germany, who currently shares her time between the General-Anzeiger, the daily newspaper in Bonn, and two magazines, Der Feinschmecker (The Gourmet) and the German edition of FINE. With a writing career spanning almost 20 years, Maurer’s previous positions include working as a correspondent in New York and Los Angeles, as a staff editor for the German edition of Forbes magazine, and at Die Welt (The World), a German daily national newspaper. Maurer is also a wine educator, and judges at international wine competitions.
Written by John Abbott
