Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2009: Meet the judges

MEET THE JUDGES

International and local tasters who judged the various
classes at the 2009 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.

SHOW CHAIRMAN:

MICHAEL FRIDJHON (SOUTH AFRICA)
Chairman of the judges at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. Author, co-author and contributor to a number of wine books including ICONS (SA), The Global Wine Encyclopaedia, The Oxford Companion to Wine and Platter's (SA). Recipient of the Chevalier de l'Ordre du Merite Agricole (France). Panel chairman for WINE magazine's Shiraz and Chenin Blanc Challenges (SA) and a judge at numerous other competitions including the International Wine and Spirit Competition (UK), the Australian National Wine Show, the Tri-Nations Challenge as well as benchmark tastings in France, the United States, Chile and South Africa. First international co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge (2007). Visiting Professor at the UCT Graduate School of Business.

INTERNATIONAL JUDGES:

MICHEL BETTANE (FRANCE)
Also a Trophy Wine Show judge in 2004, France's leading wine critic Michel Bettane was born in Maryland and graduated in Classics. Writer for the French consumer wine publication La Revue du Vin de France for 20 years, most recently as editor. Since leaving the Revue he co-writes the annual wine guide Le Classement des Meilleurs Vins de France. Bettane also contributes to Le Monde and Decanter and has a regular column in The World of Fine Wine. Professor at the Academie du Vin from 1977 to 1989. Bettane is credited with coining the term "vin de garage" and its winemakers "garagistes". After wine, he is passionate about classical music.

BRIAN CROSER (AUSTRALIA)
Educated at the University of Adelaide (of which he was Deputy Chancellor for eight years) and at the University of California, Davis, Brian Croser (also a Trophy Wine Show judge in 2004) was involved in the establishment of the Charles Sturt Wine Science degree in Wagga Wagga and in setting up many industry associations through the 1970s and '80s. Recognized as Australia's leading exponent of terroir-driven wines, he founded Petaluma 27 years ago and has been president of the Winemakers Federation of Australia and chairman of the Adelaide, Sydney and (the national) Canberra wine shows. An Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to research, education and service to the Australian wine industry, Croser is also a recipient of the Maurice O'Shea award, an Honorary Doctorate from Charles Sturt University, as well as the Man of the Year award (2004) from UK wine magazine Decanter. In 2007 he was made Doctor of the University of Adelaide.

JULIA HARDING MW (UK)
Based in London, Julia Harding writes for and edits Jancis Robinson's website www.jancisrobinson.com. She is also assistant editor for The Oxford Companion to Wine and the World Atlas of Wine. Starting out in book publishing with a Cambridge degree in modern languages, Harding then began the Wine and Spirit Education Trust courses while working for nearly five years in the wine buying department of upmarket UK supermarket Waitrose. She passed her final Master of Wine exams in 2004, achieving a distinction for her dissertation, and in 2007 was awarded the Noval prize by the Institute of Masters of Wine for her writing, teaching and mentoring Master of Wine students. Harding judges regularly for Decanter magazine and previously for the International Wine and Spirit Competition. In 2008 she judged at the Wines of Chile awards in Santiago and at the Limestone Coast Show in Australia.

SOUTH AFRICAN JUDGES:

CARRIE ADAMS
Partner and wine buyer at leading Johannesburg retail outlet Norman Goodfellows, Carrie Adams has been a wine industry professional for over 20 years. She serves on tasting panels for various national publications and radio stations and occasionally writes wine articles. She also judged at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show in 2006.

GINETTE DE FLEURIOT CWM
Cape Wine Master Ginette de Fleuriot is the national retail sales manager for Wine Worx. She began her career in wine in Germany, managing a specialist wine retail store in Cologne. Whilst in Europe, De Fleuriot worked as a wine judge and freelance journalist for publications including Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland and Selection Wine Magazine. She then chose to focus on wine education and training for sommeliers and the wine trade before returning to South Africa in 2006. A lecturer for the Cape Wine Academy and a regular WINE magazine tasting panel member, she also served on the 2008 SAA Wine Selection panel. A contributor to the 2007 and 2008 editions of the Platter's wine guide and a taster for the 2009 edition, De Fleuriot is a graduate of the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy - one of the few to pass with distinction.

CHRISTIAN EEDES
A few years after graduating from Stellenbosch University with a B.A. Honours degree in Philosophy, Christian Eedes joined WINE magazine as a journalist in 2002 and became editor of the publication in 2008. He has completed a small-scale winemaking course as well as a wine evaluation course under the auspices of the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University, and regularly chairs the WINE magazine tasting panel. In 2007 he obtained a Certificate of Competence at the inaugural WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy and has now judged at the Trophy Wine Show for the past three years.

GARY JORDAN
Owner of and winemaker at Jordan Winery, Gary Jordan - judge at the Trophy Wine Show since 2007 - trained as a geologist before pursuing his winemaking interest in California. He and his wife Kathy graduated from the Masters programme at the University of California, Davis, and after a further year spent working in Californian they returned to the family farm in Stellenbosch Kloof as South Africa's first husband and wife winemaking and viticultural team. The Jordans' passion to grow top quality fruit has produced wines displaying the ripe, concentrated and fruity accessibility of New World wines while retaining the complex elegance of Classic wine styles.

ANGELA LLOYD
Angela Lloyd is a freelance wine writer, contributor to www.grape.co.za, co-author of The South African Wine Cellar Book, and contributor to Platter's wine guide (since 1987), Wines of the World (Dorling Kindersley), Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide and About Wine (Delmar Learning). She has been a judge at the Sydney International 100, Vinitaly's Consurso Enologico Internacional and at various tastings in South Africa, including the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Awards and the SAA winelist selections, and has been a member of the Trophy Wine Show team of judges since its inception.

JAMES PIETERSEN
Former wine buyer for the Vineyard Connection, University of Stellenbosch graduate James Pietersen has been a WINE magazine panel taster since 2006 and contributed to Platter's South African Wine Guide for the 2008 and 2009 editions. He graduated from the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy, passing with distinction, and has been a judge at the Trophy Wine Show since 2008, having been an associate judge in 2007.

ASSOCIATE JUDGES:
The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show draws upon several of South Africa's new-generation winemakers, all of whom have appropriate tasting experience. They are provided with the opportunity of working in a rigorous show-judging environment and learning from the international and local tasters to whom they are seconded. Associate judges work in the tasting room with the main panel and are invited to participate in the discussion; however their scores are not included in the final tally.

TRIZANNE BARNARD
Owner/winemaker of Trizanne Wines and consultant to The Berrio, Elim, Trizanne Barnard graduated from Stellenbosch University with a BSc Viticulture and Oenology degree in 2002. She was chief winemaker for Anwilka from 2005 to 2008, with her extensive international experience including vintages in Portugal, Bordeaux, Alsace and Western Australia. Barnard has served on various judging panels and in 2009 attended the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy where she passed with distinction.

HOWARD BOOYSEN
Currently working at the Graham Beck, Jordan and Flagstone wineries after a vintage in Sonoma California last year, Howard Booysen was appointed the first Cape Winemakers Guild protégé after graduating at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 2006. He completed his first CWG internship at Hartenberg Estate and achieved a Certificate of Competence with distinction from the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy in 2007.

MIGUEL CHAN
Sommelier and beverage manager at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel in Constantia, Miguel Chan represented South Africa at the inaugural Concours Internationales des Jeunes Sommeliers world final in Frankfurt, Germany (2007). His employment history includes the Royal Palm and The Oberoi Hotel in Mauritius. In 2008 he achieved a Certificate of Competence with distinction from the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy.

HIGGO JACOBS
The sommelier at Steenberg Hotel, Higgo Jacobs is completing a postgraduate LLB part-time. His experience in the wine industry started at Hazendal and Hoopenburg, after which he was employed by UK wine importer Anthony Byrne, followed by a stint with the Jeroboams group. In 2008 Jacobs volunteered his sommelier skills to London restaurants - he has since completed the Court of Master Sommeliers Certificate course and achieved a distinction at the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy. Jacobs has also judged for the International Wine Challenge (UK) and has been on the WINE magazine tasting panel.

MARK NORRISH
General manager of Ultra Liquors Wine Division, Mark Norrish's wine industry career spanning 30 years took off with his appointment as national head of the Shoprite Checkers Wine Division in 1994. His extensive experience includes participation at wine shows and auctions, being a consultant to wineries and buying into a small vineyard in Burgundy. Norrish is a Wine-of-the-Month Club judge and a WINE magazine tasting panel member. He achieved a distinction at the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy in 2009.

GARETH ROBERTSON
Newly appointed sales manager at L'Ormarins after a position as general manager at Waterford Estate, Gareth Robertson began developing a passion for the wine industry when working part-time at the 96 Winery Road restaurant while studying financial accounts at Stellenbosch University. He passed the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy course with distinction.

RIANIE STRYDOM
Following 10 years as winemaker at Morgenhof Estate, Rianie Strydom moved across town in 2004 to take up the dual role of general manager and winemaker at Haskell Vineyards and Dombeya Wines in the Helderberg. A regular tasting panel member for WINE magazine and a judge at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show in 2007, Strydom has an in-depth knowledge of international wine styles and a passion for 'improving the breed' of South African wine. She achieved a Certificate of Competence with distinction at the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy in 2007.

ARNOLD VORSTER
Part of Graham Beck Wines' marketing team since 2006, Arnold Vorster has completed the Stellenbosch University course in Wine Management and Marketing. His broad experience in the hospitality industry began with a diploma in Hospitality Management from the Granger Bay Hotel School and includes a stint as sommelier at the Cape Grace Hotel. Vorster has a Certificate of Competence from the WINE magazine Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy.