2026 Judges

JUDGES

Ch’ng Poh Tiong

Ch’ng Poh Tiong, a lawyer by training, is a highly influential and prolific publisher, writer, consultant, lecturer, and wine judge. The Singaporean is recognised internationally as a Bordeaux specialist and posts daily on his website chngpohtiong.com and on Instagram. His contribution to the world of wine includes founding the International Congress of Chinese Cuisine & Wine and acting as Regional Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. He is a columnist for The World of Fine Wine magazine, contributes to academieduvinlibrary.com and to Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book, as well as publishing '100 Top Chinese Restaurants of the World' in 2019 and 2020. He somehow found time to obtain a postgraduate certificate in Chinese art from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Elin McCoy

Elin McCoy is an award-winning journalist and author, focusing on the world of wine. She is a wine and spirits columnist for Bloomberg News, where she writes a bimonthly column for their global news wire and a monthly column for Bloomberg Markets, and a columnist at Zesterdaily.com. She is also U.S. Editor for The Wine Conversation, the international podcast launched by Sarah Kemp, former publisher of Decanter. McCoy’s most recent book is The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M Parker Jr and the Reign of American Taste, which garnered international praise and has appeared in seven foreign editions. She is also the coauthor of Thinking About Wine and is currently working on a new book set in California. McCoy serves as a wine judge in American and international competitions, appears on radio and television, and is a frequent speaker at wine festivals and industry events.

Francis Percival

The World of Fine Wine’s food editor Francis Percival read history at Christ’s College, Cambridge, before embarking on a career in professional food. After stints as a chef and fishmonger, he now dedicates his time to writing on food and gastronomy. He was recognized as Columnist of the Year in the 2013 Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards, and Food and Wine Writer of the Year in the 2015 Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards. He lives in London.

Heidi Mäkinen MW

Heidi Mäkinen is a Master of Wine (MW) and President of the Finnish Sommelier Association with a career built in the restaurant industry in the UK and her homeland in Finland. She is a now based in Helsinki where she works as a portfolio manager, and wine educator teaching students of all levels at the Wine School Perho PRO.

James Tidwell MS

James Tidwell, Master Sommelier (MS), is a writer, speaker, educator, and wine event producer. He is co-founder of the world’s leading wine education conference, TEXSOM, and producer of one of the country’s leading wine competitions, the TEXSOM International Wine Awards. He is a writer and editor, a member of the editorial committee of the Classic Wine Library, consultant on The World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition, and freelance journalist. He was nominated for the Person of the Year in Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2019 Wine Star Awards.

Luciana Girotto

Luciana Girotto was a sommelier for more than 25 years, serving in Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and the UK. She is currently a wine consultant and Italian wine broker. Luciana has been part of the tasting committee for different DOCs and DOCGs in Italy, a judge for several international wine awards, and helped to develop the Italian Association of Sommeliers (AIS) in England. Her dream is to be able to explain how drinking wine (if possible, Italian…) should not be demonized but enjoyed in moderation as part of a healthy life style.

Marc Almert

Marc Almert earned the title of ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale) Best Sommelier of the World 2019 at the age of 27. Since 2017 he has been Chef Sommelier of the renowned Baur au Lac hotel and Baur au Lac Vins wine store in Zurich, where he is also a member of the executive board. He also serves as vice-president of the German Sommelier Union.

Neil Beckett

Dr Neil Beckett began his career as an academic historian. But equally interested in wine, he soon wanted to spend more time down in the cellar than up in the ivory tower. In 2000 he became senior feature writer for UK trade publication Harpers Wine & Spirit Weekly, and in 2004 the first editor of The World of Fine Wine, the award-winning quarterly review on which he works with Hugh Johnson and Andrew Jefford. He also edited the Finest Wines book series, published by University of California Press, and 1001 Wines to Try Before You Die. In 2020 he was presented with the Cristal Lifetime Achievement Award in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards.