DWWA 2013 Chile Judging Panel

Peter Richards MW DWWA 2013 Regional Chair Peter Richards MW is a Master of Wine and one of the UKâs youngest award-winning writers and broadcasters. TV and radio credits include Saturday Kitchen (BBC1), The Food Programme (BBC Radio 4) and Taste (Sky One). With his wife Susie Barrie MW, Peter recently established the Winchester Wine School; soon after they were jointly named IWSC Communicators of the Year 2010. Peter writes regularly about Chilean wines; his book The Wines of Chile was shortlisted for the AndrÃ© Simon Award. Paulo Brammer DWWA 2013 Judge Paulo Brammer began his wine career in London 11 years ago at Bank Aldwych and Just Saint James as Head of Bars. He then moved to become Head Sommelier for the three Michelin-starred chefs Pourcel brothers at WâSens. In 2008, he made the move out of fine dining to take on a new challenge as Group Wine Buyer at ETM Group, where he designs wine lists for ten very different sites. As group wine buyer, Paulo travels to the Languedoc every year to blend ETM Groupâs house wines, hand selecting the best grape varieties in order to create excellent value house wines. Paulo is currently launching a wine and spirits academy, Eno Cultura, in his native Brazil, which will provide and certify WSET Levels 1, 2 and 3. Martin Lam DWWA 2013 Judge Martin Lam opened Le Caprice in 1981 with Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, where he worked as Head Chef before becoming L'Escargot's Head Chef in 1982. In 1992, he and his wife set up Ransome's Dock, a London restaurant renowned to the international wine trade and winner of numerous awards including: the AA Best Wine List 2009, England & Overall; Portuguese Wine Awards 2010 Restaurant of the Year, and Harpers Wine & Spirit European Wine Restaurant of the Year 2010. As well as being Chef-Proprietor at Ransome's Dock, Martin is also a Mentor of the Academy of Culinary Arts, a member of The Master Chefs of Great Britain and regularly judges at international wine competitions and trade events. Terry Threlfall DWWA 2013 Judge Terry Threlfall has been involved in the fine dining industry for 18 years, leaving his native Vancouver 11 years ago to pursue his passion for wine in London - although he returned annually to Vancouver as acting sommelier and wine advisor to the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, one of the world's largest consumer-based wine festivals. In London, he was Head Sommelier at Richard Corrigan's Lindsay House before joining Chez Bruce in 2004 as Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer, a position he held until 2010. At this time, Terry returned permanently to Vancouver to assume the role of Wine Director at the Hotel Georgiaâs Hawksworth Restaurant, one of Canada's most highly anticipated restaurant openings. Today, Terry owns Clos Fine Wine and continues to consult on fine wine and to UK restaurants. Isa Bal MS DWWA 2013 Judge Isa Bal MS has been Head Sommelier at Heston Blumenthal's three Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck for the past eight years. He studied hospitality in his native Turkey before moving to the UK in 1999, where he started in the resturant business at the Vineyard at Stockcross, working his way up to the position of Wine Director/Head Sommelier. In 2008 he won the title of Best Sommelier of Europe from the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, and this year he represented Turkey in the Best Sommelier of the World competition in Tokyo. Jane Parkinson DWWA 2013 Judge Jane Parkinson is one of the UKâs youngest award-winning wine writers. Working freelance, she contributes regularly to a variety of magazines and newspapers, but is also the wine editor at large for Restaurant magazine, the wine expert for Stylist magazine, and the wine columnist for Tesco Magazine . Jane has been the wine expert on BBC radio programmes and she hosts tastings at fairs such as the BBC Good Food Show and the Ideal Home Show, as well as privately for restaurants and wine merchants. She has been the Chair of Judges for the Rising Stars Trophy, a national competition in search of the best young sommelier and chef team in the UK, and is a member of The Wine Gang, a group of five experts who host consumer fairs and review wines every month on thewinegang.com . Jane also has her own website janeparkinson.com , on which she blogs, posts her published features, recommends wines, and writes restaurant reviews. Hector Riquelme DWWA 2013 Judge HÃ©ctor Riquelme is the founder of the website elcavista.com , and Sommelier Consultant for Cuerovaca, Ichiban and Temple Restaurants. Named the Best Sommelier of Chile 2005, HÃ©ctor went on to become a semi-finalist in the Best Sommelier of the World Competition in Greece in 2007. Since 2005, HÃ©ctor has been the co-author of Patricio Tapiaâs Descorchados , a Chilean, Argentinian and Uruguayan wine guide. Richard Hemming DWWA 2013 Judge Richard Hemming is a freelance wine writer and educator. He has written for JancisRobinson.com regularly since 2008, and is also drinks writer for Sainsburyâs Magazine , wine columnist for the Publicanâs Morning Advertiser and has been published by the Financial Times , Decanter , the Drinks Business , Harpers Wine & Spirit , and The World Of Fine Wine . Alongside writing, Richard runs events and wine courses for companies and private clients. His previous roles in the wine industry include six years of UK retail management, viticultural assistant work at a leading estate in Kent, and surviving (just) the 2008 vintage in McLaren Vale as a cellarhand. Richard began studying for the Master of Wine qualification in 2009, passing the theory exam in 2011 and the tasting exam in 2012. In what little free time is left, Richard plays the piano a bit and cooks as much as possible. Laura Rhys MS DWWA 2013 Judge Laura Rhys MS started her wine career after gaining a degree in hospitality from college and taking a WSET course, which led her to focus on wine. Her first job was at the Hotel du Vin in Winchester, and during her two and a half years there, Laura ran for and won a regional heat of the Ruinart UK Sommelier of the Year in 2007. When Hotel TerraVina opened in 2007, Laura moved with Gerard Basset MS MW as Head Sommelier, and in 2009, she began studying for her Master Sommelier qualification, passing the practical the first year and gaining the theory and tasting parts in 2010. Veronique Rivest DWWA 2013 Judge Veronique Rivest is an award-winning sommelier with over 20 yearsâ experience in the restaurant industry. Also a talented speaker and writer, she contributes to wine and food magazines, and is involved with television programs and radio. In March this year, Veronique represented Canada at the Worldâs Best Sommelier Competition in Tokyo, where she came second. Her other accolades include: Best Sommelier of Canada 2006 and 2012, Best Sommelier of the Americas 2012 and Professional Wine Woman 2007 (Wine Women Awards). Chris Hardy DWWA 2013 Judge Chris Hardy joined Majestic as a Trainee Manager in July 1994, and moved into the Buying Department in June 1995. Initially responsible for Fine Wine purchases and putting together Majestic's first ever En Primeur campaign, Chris gradually took on the buying responsibility for most of France as well as Australia, South Africa and North America. Over the past 18 years he has bought from most of the wine regions of the world but, being a true Francophile, he has more recently focused on France. Chris is passionate about all the classic regions but is particularly interested in both the Loire and the Languedoc, due to the diversity of wine styles produced in both regions. Dirceu Junior-Vianna MW DWWA 2013 Judge Dirceu Vianna Junior MW, aka Junior, is originally from Brazil, where he studied Forest Engineering and Law before moving to London in 1989 and joining the wine trade the following year. In 2008, Junior became the first South American male Master of Wine, and received the ViÃ±a Errazuriz Award for Excellence in the Business of Wine. Junior is currently Wine Director at Coe Vintners, and is also a wine educator, technical consultant, freelance writer and wine judge, as well as speaking at several wine events and making appearances on South American radio and television. Jo Ahearne MW DWWA 2013 Judge Jo Ahearne MW first worked in the wine trade in the early 1990s at Oddbins, and after two years she went to Australia to work a vintage for Charles Melton, with his Nine Popes and Rose of Virginia wines. While in the Barossa Valley, she decided to sell her house and belongings and enrol in a winemaking degree at Charles Sturt University in Australia, whilst also working at Pipers Brook, Bailey's of Glenrowan, Leasingham and Tintara wineries. Following this, Jo worked as a flying winemaker in Spain and France, was Assistant Winemaker as at Charles Melton, spent four years making Jacobâs Creek, and spent time in Fitou in the Languedoc. In 2004, Jo moved back to the UK to blend wines for Marks & Spencer, before a stint as Wine and Spirits Buyer for Harrods. She now works as a winemaking consultant. Lindsay Talas DWWA 2013 Judge Lindsay Talas joined Thierry's in 2004 as Buying Director for Italian, Iberian, South African and South American wines, later venturing further afield to Croatia, and India. In November 2012 Lindsay moved to a new venture, Watermill wines, and now combines buying these areas with selling to key accounts. Starting her wine career in 1988 during a gap year spent working for Oddbins, Lindsay then moved to Bordeaux to take a bilingual European Business Studies degree and followed this up with the WSET Diploma, during which she was awarded the Italian Scholarship. Lindsay has spent 12 years in the multiple grocer sector where she worked as a Senior Buyer for Sainsburyâs and later, as Senior Product Development Manager at Tesco, where she was responsible for the launch of the Finest* wine range. Passionate about Italian and Spanish wines, Lindsay has judged in major wine competitions for more than 10 years. Gerd Stepp DWWA 2013 Judge Gerd Steppâs family has been growing grapes in the Pfalz for generations and he himself has been in the wine trade for 25 years. For 10 of those years, Gerd was a Winemaker for Marks & Spencer and has worked in Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Italy and the UK. In 2009, Gerd set up a winery at the site of Stepp Family Vineyards, where he now makes wine. He also consults through WeinWerk on various wine-related matters. Katie Exton DWWA 2013 Judge Katie Exton began her wine career in 2005, helping out Peter Hall at English winery Breaky Bottom. She then spent six months working in wineries in Canada and Australia, before returning to the UK and joining Majestic Wine. A year later she took a trainee sommelier position at Chez Bruce under the stewardship of fellow Decanter judge Terry Threlfall, where she worked until 2009 when she left to do a six month stint at Mayfair's The Square restaurant. In March 2010 Katie returned to Chez Bruce to take on her current role of Head Sommelier.

DWWA 2013 Chile Judging Panel

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