DWWA 2023 Regional Chairs

DWWA Regional Chair for Southern Italy : Anthony Rose

Anthony Rose is an award-winning wine and sake writer, and a founding member of The Wine Gang.

DWWA Regional Chair for Germany and South & Eastern Mediterranean: Caro Maurer MW

Caro Maurer MW is a wine writer based in Bonn, Germany, with a writing career spanning almost 30 years.

DWWA Regional Chair for Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Caucasus Region: Simon J Woolf

Simon J Woolf is an award-winning English author and wine writer, currently based in The Netherlands.

DWWA Regional Chair for Austria & Switzerland: Stefan Neumann MS

Stefan Neumann MS runs his own consultancy and online blinding tasting course.

DWWA Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia: Dr Caroline Gilby MW

Caroline Gilby MW is an author, writer and consultant, specialising on Central and Eastern Europe.

DWWA Regional Chair for Greece & Cyprus: Terry Kandylis

Terry Kandylis is the Group Head Sommelier at the Noble Rot Restaurant & Wine Bar.

DWWA Regional Chair for Burgundy & Champagne: Charles Curtis MW

Charles Curtis MW writes regularly for a number of magazines.

DWWA Regional Chair for Australia: Huon Hooke

Huon Hooke is an educator, international wine judge and writer, having published 19 books on wine.

DWWA Regional Chair for Tuscany: Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is the Regional Chair for Tuscany at the DWWA and a consultant tutor at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) in London.

DWWA Co-Chair: Beth Willard

Beth Willard, former wine buyer and now a key figure in Spanish wine industry, is a Co-Chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025.

DWWA Regional Chair for the USA & Central America: James Tidwell MS

James Tidwell MS consults for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and founded the TEXSOM conference and awards.

DWWA Regional Chair Veneto: Richard Baudains

Richard Baudains, a longstanding contributor to Decanter, also works as a Cambridge University English language examiner.

DWWA Regional Chair for Portugal: Sarah Ahmed

Sarah Ahmed, aka The Wine Detective, is an independent, London-based wine writer, educator and judge.

DWWA Regional Chair for Loire: Jim Budd

Jim Budd is a wine writer and has been writing for Decanter since 1989.

DWWA Regional Chair for Provence: Rod Smith MW

Rod Smith MW is a wine educator, marketer and salesman, based in the South of France.

DWWA Regional Chair for Canada: Barbara Philip MW

Barbara Philip MW is category manager at BC LIQUOR in Canada, as well as a lecturer, radio columnist and consultant.

DWWA Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon: Justin Howard-Sneyd MW

Howard-Sneyd founded The Hive Wine Consulting and is a winemaker at Domaine of the Bee.

DWWA Regional Chair for Port & Madeira: Richard Mayson

An expert in the wines of Iberia, Richard Mayson writes regularly for Decanter, contributes to The Oxford Companion to Wine, and has written 5 books.

DWWA Regional Chair for New Zealand: Cameron Douglas MS

New Zealand’s first Master Sommelier, Cameron Douglas MS is in charge of the wine and beverage programme at AUT University in Auckland.

DWWA Regional Chair for Northern Italy: Michael Garner

Michael Garner is a regular contributor to Decanter, and co-owner of Italian Wine Specialists Tria Wines Limited.

DWWA Regional Chair for Beaujolais, Southwest and Rest of France: Dominique Vrigneau

Dominique Vrigneau is Buying Director at Watermill Wines and a Chevalier du Tastevin.