DWWA 2025 Regional Chairs

DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux: Matthew Stubbs MW

Matthew Stubbs MW, a highly accomplished wine professional and educator, is the new Joint Regional Chair for Bordeaux at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025 (DWWA).

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

Wojciech Bońkowski is a wine writer, writing articles, blogs and books as well as being President of the Polish Wine Trade Association.

DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux: Alun Griffiths MW

Alun Griffiths MW is a highly respected wine expert with over 35 years of experience in the UK wine industry and extensive consulting work in the Chinese market.

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 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 Piedmont: Michaela Morris

Michaela Morris is an international wine writer and educator, based in Vancouver, Canada.

DWWA Regional Chair for Chile: Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes is an award-winning wine journalist and expert in South American wines and regions.

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 Regional Chair for Spain: Pierre Mansour

Pierre Mansour is Head Buyer at The Wine Society.

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.