About the Academy

Nicolas Angelina is a consultant who began his career in hospitality in Paris. In the UK, Angelina developed his wine-tasting skills and became a judge for competitions including the International Wine Challenge, later serving as its ambassador for Macedonia and Lebanon. He advises wineries on entering new markets, connecting them with relevant importers and helping with wine blends. Angelina's work combines hospitality experience, international wine judging and commercial consultancy, giving him a broad perspective on producers and markets. Alongside wine, he also travels to the Caribbean to help blend cigars, extending his expertise into another specialist field. 

Dr Winifred Bowman is a qualified physiotherapist and biomedical scientist with a PhD in education, as well as a Cape Wine Master. Bowman is a former chairperson of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters and a member of its education committee. She is also Chairperson of the UK-based Circle of Wine Writers and a member of the Association of Wine Educators. Bowman has judged wine and spirits competitions around the world for more than a decade and conducts wine and brandy tastings for corporate and private clients, combining academic expertise with extensive experience in wine education and evaluation. 

Guillermo Crespo is an international wine broker and consultant based in Chile's Central Valley. Crespo founded The Contact Global Consulting, through which he has supplied wines from different denominations of origin to clients in China, the UK and US. His work connects producers with international markets and draws on extensive knowledge of Chilean wine and global trade. Crespo has also served as an associate judge at the International Wine Challenge and has been its ambassador in Chile since 2010, combining commercial expertise with long-standing experience in wine evaluation and the promotion of Chile's wine industry internationally. 

Burçak Desombre DipWSET is a wine educator, consultant and CMS-certified sommelier with more than 15 years of experience. Desombre founded Vinipedia Wine Consultancy in 2011 to share her passion for wine through education, consultancy and wine tourism. Her expertise includes creating wine menus, training food and beverage teams, developing wine cellars and organising tastings and gourmet tours. Through these projects and collaborations, Desombre helps both professionals and enthusiasts deepen their knowledge and appreciation of wine, combining technical expertise with an accessible approach to education and a strong interest in the relationship between wine, food and travel. 

Lotte Karolina Gabrovits is a judge at several global wine competitions, an educator and consultant, as well as a group lead in the buying department for Lidl Germany. Gabrovits holds a BSc and double-degree MSc in horticulture, focusing on viticulture and oenology, from TU Munich, plus an MA in international wine marketing from Eisenstadt, Austria. She has travelled widely through wine regions around the world, from established areas such as Burgundy and Champagne to Santorini and lesser-known regions including Lebanon and Zimbabwe. Her academic, buying and judging experience gives Gabrovits a broad perspective on global wine. 

Born and raised in Hungary, Pál Gabrovits began his journey as a wine-loving software engineer. Now based in Germany, Gabrovits works within a software division of a world-leading retail group while pursuing his passion for wine. He holds a master's degree in international wine marketing from Austria, where he specialised in e-commerce for the wine industry, combining professional expertise with personal interest. Having also lived and worked in Switzerland, Gabrovits has explored wine regions extensively and developed a broad understanding of global wine cultures. His knowledge and discerning palate have also earned him judging roles at international wine competitions. 

Geddes is a professional wine reviewer, author, judge and consultant with more than 30 years’ experience in the Australian and international wine industries. Admitted to the Institute of Masters of Wine in 1992, Geddes is the author of several wine books including Australian Wine Vintages (editions 26 to 33) and A Good Nose & Great Legs – the art of wine from the vine to the table. A farmer’s son, Geddes was brought up in South Australia’s Clare Valley and worked for nearly a decade in marketing with Rosemount Estate. In 2017, Geddes established his own company and wine studio in Shanghai.

Aileen Lee is a well-regarded wine journalist, marketing consultant and event organiser in China. Lee is co-founder of VinosVivo Wine Media and a contributing writer at China Wine News. Since 2011, she has written about international wines and spirits, organised masterclasses, roadshows, forums and webinars, and built business connections among producers worldwide. An international wine and spirits judge, Lee is a member of FIJEV, the International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists & Writers, and the Hong Kong Sommelier Association. She also holds the Weinakademiker qualification and DipWSET, complementing her experience across media, education and industry events. 

Chiara Giorleo DipWSET is a bilingual wine blogger, freelance journalist and International Wine Challenge judge whose work has been published in Italy, the US and Russia. Giorleo is also a panel member for Italian national wine guides, a wine educator and a translator specialising in wine and food. In wine tourism, she works as a consultant and wine leader for Italian and international tour operators. Earlier in her career, Giorleo worked in wine marketing and communications for the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Toronto and for Mastroberardino winery, experience that complements her work across journalism, education, judging and tourism. 

David Hsiao is a Taiwan-born New Zealander and the first Bureau Français – Business France gastronomy ambassador in Taiwan, as well as the first wine promotion representative for New Zealand Trade & Enterprise there. A former head sommelier at La Cocotte by Fabien Vergé, Hsiao is a certified sommelier, experienced international wine judge and holder of a WSET Advanced certificate. He also holds three master's degrees, in biotechnology, biochemistry and international business. This combination of scientific, commercial and hospitality expertise underpins Hsiao's broad perspective on wine, gastronomy and international markets across Asia and beyond. 

Magandeep Singh is India's first French-certified sommelier, as well as a TV host, author and lifestyle columnist. Through his team at Wi-Not, a major beverage education institute in the subcontinent, Singh has helped develop drinks knowledge and culture in India. He is also the founder of the Society of Sommeliers and the Indian Sommelier Championship. Alongside judging, tasting and educating, Singh writes about his travels and experiences and has authored two books on beverages, Wine Wisdom and The Indian Spirit. His work spans wine education, media and professional development across India's growing drinks industry. 

Tatiana Mann is an international wine judge and consultant who learned her craft in London after growing up in Eastern Europe. A qualified sommelier, Mann holds multiple degrees in chemical technology and psychology and is working towards the Master of Wine qualification. Her hospitality career began as the owner of a boutique hotel and two restaurants in the London suburbs, and she is now managing director of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Mann is also a member of the Circle of Wine Writers, a Sherry Educator and an international wine judge, and has started and developed several international wine competitions. 

Ester Bachs is PR and communication director for Spain at Vinventions, a multinational specialising in wine closure solutions. Bachs holds the WSET Advanced certificate as well as a master's degree in business communication and advertising management. Her work spans brand representation, wine launches, B2B consultancy, media collaborations and speaking engagements at major industry events. Working closely with wine-sector brands, she combines communications expertise with specialist wine knowledge to bring products to market and build their profiles. Bachs' role places her at the intersection of wine, marketing and industry relations, with a particular focus on the Spanish market. 

Peter McCombie MW is a Master of Wine whose career spans hospitality, sales, consultancy and judging. After starting as a sommelier in his native New Zealand and working in wine sales in the UK, McCombie developed a perspective encompassing buyer and seller, consumer and professional. He consults on and selects wines for companies across a range of sectors and judges wines and competitions around the world. McCombie has a particularly long association with the International Wine Challenge, one of the world's most rigorous wine competitions, where he serves as a co-chair, bringing extensive industry experience to the judging process. 

Jon McDaniel is founder and CEO of Second City Soil, a Chicago-based wine consultancy focused on growing the city's wine culture through winery and restaurant marketing and education partnerships. Recognised as a leading US wine professional, McDaniel works with wineries, international organisations and trade festivals on marketing, education and sales strategy. He is also an adjunct professor of hospitality management at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Alongside his consultancy and teaching, McDaniel is the owner and winemaker of Amos Cellars, a California-based wine brand, giving him experience across production, education, hospitality and the commercial side of the wine industry. 

Based in Porto, Pedro Nelson Dias holds a joint degree in viticulture and oenology from the University of Porto and School of Agronomy in Lisbon. Nelson Dias also earned a master's degree in wine tourism from the Universities of Bordeaux and Rovira i Virgili, plus a communications degree from Perth College in Scotland. He works for a Dutch food and wine company and consults for wine school Portugal Wine Experience. Passionate about sharing his knowledge of wine and viticulture, Nelson Dias is also an experienced tour guide in northern Portugal and Spain and speaks Portuguese, Spanish and English. 

María Laura Ortiz is a well-known Argentine sommelier, wine writer and international wine judge. Ortiz founded Winifera, a company specialising in wine consulting, PR and marketing, and co-founded Club de Mujeres del Vino, a non-profit organisation for professional women in Argentina's wine industry. A former vice-president of the Argentine Sommelier Association and committee member at the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, she is a qualified sommelier and producer of Tim Atkin's Argentine and Chilean reports and the Descorchados Argentina wine guide. Ortiz's work spans wine communication, industry development, judging and professional education. 

Richard Owens discovered wine at the age of 30, when a glass of vintage Penfolds 707 changed his view of the subject entirely. That experience developed into a lasting interest in wine and, ultimately, a business connecting his technology background with the industry. Owens founded software company WithWine.com, which helps wineries build more profitable, customer-centric and data-driven businesses. His work focuses on using technology to strengthen direct relationships between producers and wine drinkers, bringing a commercial and digital perspective to the sector. Owens combines entrepreneurial experience with an enthusiast's curiosity about wine, wineries and the people behind them. 

Daniella Romano has worked as a sommelier, journalist, wine educator and TV host for two decades, alongside consulting in Brazil and internationally. A law graduate, Romano pursued specialist wine studies around the world, focusing on sensory analysis. She founded Aromas do Vinho, which produces aroma kits for tasting education, and in 2010 launched Ver o Vinho to teach and professionalise blind people in wine. Romano also created Brazilian virtual wine guide Selo 7 Sommeliers, organises events including Wine Day and Champagne Day, and consults for the Invino Wine Travel Summit, combining education, accessibility and industry expertise. 

Irina Sofranova is a consultant to international companies, wineries and institutions in wine marketing, PR, strategic communications, training and coaching. Sofranova is also a wine taster and organises seminars, corporate workshops, team-building events and thematic wine trips across selected Balkan countries. After more than 15 years living abroad and working for large corporations and NGOs as a strategic communications consultant, she returned to her Bulgarian roots in 2015. Her work now combines communications expertise with a deep interest in regional wine, with a particular mission to increase awareness and appreciation of Balkan wines among international audiences. 

Tim Unwin is emeritus professor of geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, with a special interest in the geography of wine. Unwin is best known in the wine world for his book Wine and the Vine, first published in 1991, and continues to write and speak about wine. He has served as academic adviser and external examiner to the Institute of Masters of Wine, co-founding editor of the Journal of Wine Research and reviewer of the Australian Wine Research Institute's extension services. More recently, Unwin has chaired the Wine Committee of the Athenaeum Club in London. 

Akihiko Yamamoto is a journalist and CEO of Wine Report, one of Japan's influential specialist wine media outlets. Yamamoto is the author of eight wine books and a judge at wine competitions, combining extensive tasting experience with a long career in journalism. Before focusing on wine media, he worked as a staff writer for The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest newspaper by circulation. Through Wine Report and his books, Yamamoto covers producers, regions, vintages and developments in the wine world, bringing a journalist's perspective to wine criticism and communication and helping connect Japanese readers with the international wine industry.