DWWA Czech Republic Judging Panel

Angela Muir MW .jpg Angela Muir MW started her career with John Harvey & Sons of Bristol, shortly after leaving Bristol University with a degree in Politics and Economics. She then joined Grants of St James's and Victoria Wine as a Buyer. In 1988 Angela set up her own prize-winning wine shop and school which she followed up with Cellarworld International, a wine consultancy, and Cellarworld Argentina in 2002. Angela also lectures in French, English and Spanish on wine production and the UK market. She is an MW of more than 30 years' standing, a past chairman of the MW Education Committee, and past president of the Wine and Spirit Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Gabor Cseke.jpg GÃ¡bor Cseke is a Hungarian sommelier who graduated in 2005 from the College of Commerce, Catering and Tourism in Budapest. Following this he took further sommelier and WSET courses in Budapest and London while training at Gundel Restaurant and BortÃ¡rsasÃ¡g wine merchant. He moved to London in 2007 where he has worked in the two-Michelin-starred Pied Ã¡ Terre, Hotel Andaz and the Hotel Great Fosters in Surrey. GÃ¡bor represented Hungary at the Meilleur Sommelier d'Europe competition in 2008 and 2010, won Best Sommelier of Hungary in 2010, and in 2009 he organised a wine tasting at the Hungarian Cultural Centre in London for the press and trade. Currently, GÃ¡bor is working as the Sommelier at Restaurant CsalogÃ¡ny 26 in Budapest, is studying for his WSET Diploma and is setting up his own winery in the Zala wine region of South-West-Hungary. Igor Sotric.jpg Igor Sotric moved to the UK and entered the wine industry 15 years ago after graduating with a degree in Microbiology. Qualified to WSET Diploma level, he is Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer at China Tang at the Dorchester. His prior experience has also been with Asian restaurants including the Cocoon and the St Martins Lane Hotel. Igor also acts as consultant to several restaurants. Luis Capitao.jpg Luis Capitao is a California-based wine industry veteran and international wine consultant. Former roles have included advising Eastern European wineries and government associations on export strategies, a ten-year period in strategic marketing with Constellation Wines U.S., and a tenure as Marketing Director of WJ Deutsch and Sons, Inc during which time he successfully rolled out Yellow Tail in the US. Luis holds an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a BA in economics from Rutgers University. He is currently Managing Partner of Touchstone Wines, a sales and marketing firm working with foreign wineries, which he co-founded. Caroline Gilby MW.jpg Caroline Gilby MW has been visiting Hungary for over 20 years since becoming the first major buyer to ship wines from there for Augustus Barnet off-licences. She has a doctorate in plant biology but abandoned life behind the microscope for a career in wine soon after winning the Decanter-Macallan Malt Whisky Taster of the Year Award while a student. Caroline passed her MW in 1992 then spent seven years as a senior wine buyer before switching to a career as freelance writer and consultant, specialising in Central and Eastern Europe.She contributes to Hugh Johnsonâs Pocket Wine Guide, and has written for Dorling Kindersleyâs Wines of the World, The Oxford Companion to Wine, The Wine Opus and Tom Stevensonâs Wine Report, as well as for various websites and magazines. Darrel Joseph .jpg Darrel Joseph is based in Vienna and began writing about the wines of Central, Eastern and south eastern Europe in 1995, after Hungaryâs Tokaji, and the GrÃ¼ner Veltliner and Riesling from Austria captured his palate. Since then he has broadened his scope to include the wines of Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Georgia, Russia and beyond. His writing has appeared in Decanter, Wine Spectator, Wine Business International and Harpers Wine & Spirit, and he has also contributed to Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Guide and wein-pur's Best of Austria and Guide to GrÃ¼ner Veltliner. He was the English language editor to LÃ¡szlo Alkonyiâs Tokaj, The Wine of Freedom. In addition to his writing, Joseph conducts wine tastings and seminars internationally and translates a wide range of wine texts from German to English. Dimitar Nikolov.jpg Dimitar Nikolov is a Bulgarian sommelier, wine buyer and taster. He possesses twelve yearsâ experience in the hospitality industry and has worked in Bulgaria, the UAE and the USA. In 2004, Dimitar decided to focus his career to work only in wine, so commenced his formal studies at the International Sommelier Guild in Chicago and continued with the WSET, where is is currently studying for the Diploma. His future goal is the Master of Wine course. Past wine experience has included various sommelier positions in the USA and Bulgaria, and positions as Wine Buyer and Wine Category Manager in Bulgaria and Russia respectively. Dimitar has also been a judge for Bulgariaâs Vinaria for two consecutive years. DWWA Darrell Joseph Darrel Joseph is based in Vienna and began writing about the wines of Central, Eastern and south eastern Europe in 1995, after Hungaryâs Tokaji, and the GrÃ¼ner Veltliner and Riesling from Austria captured his palate. Since then he has broadened his scope to include the wines of Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Georgia, Russia and beyond. His writing has appeared in Decanter, Wine Spectator, Wine Business International and Harpers Wine & Spirit, and he has also contributed to Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Guide and wein-pur's Best of Austria and Guide to GrÃ¼ner Veltliner. He was the English language editor to LÃ¡szlo Alkonyiâs Tokaj, The Wine of Freedom. In addition to his writing, Joseph conducts wine tastings and seminars internationally and translates a wide range of wine texts from German to English.

DWWA Czech Republic Judging Panel

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