Europe: Countries H-Z
Hungary
Robert Smyth
Budapest-based specialist in Hungarian and CEE wines. Robert is the author of Hungarian Wine: A Tasting Trip to the New Old World and wine columnist for the Budapest Business Journal. He also judges at international competitions and leads wine tours for Taste Hungary.
Sue Tolson Dip WSET, Wein Akademiker
Based in Budapest and North Wales, a freelance writer, translator, editor and educator, specialising in wine, food and travel. Managing Editor of WineSofa, Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador and international wine judge, Sue enjoys helping people discover the hidden treasures of CEE and Italian wines.
Ireland
Raymond Blake
awaiting details
Liam Campbell
Liam Campbell, Diploma WSET, wine writer, judge at competitions, presenter on television and radio and educator & invigilator over 25 years for Levels 2 & 3. Dublin-based. Wine & Drinks Editor, Hotel & Restaurant Times magazine and a weekly blog.
Jean Smullen
Jean Smullen WSET Dip has 28 years wine trade experience; based in Dublin, she presents a slot on Newstalk radio; writes for Retail News and the Sunday World. In the UK, she writes a wine column for Chef.
Italy
Filippo Bartolotta
Awaiting details.
Aldo Fiordelli
Aldo Fiordelli is an independent wine writer and food critic. He is a regular contributor to Decanter, columnist for Corriere della Sera in Florence and author at Civiltà del bere, the oldest wine magazine in Italy. In the 2022 he received the international prize Casato Prime Donne.
Åsa Johansson
Åsa Johansson originally from Sweden writes about Italian wine, food and travel for international magazines. She regularly gives masterclasses, organizes wine events and teaches at the new Swedish school of sommeliers. She has also written for The Wine Hub about Italy. Her latest projects are Sweden's first podcast about Italian wines, @italienpodden and her own Tuscan extra virgin olive oil @lacollinablu.
Filippo Magnani
Filippo Magnani WSET Dip, is a freelance writer and wine travel expert in Italy. A contributor for Decanter, the Wine Channel in China, Vinum.In in Croatia, Liz Palmer's website and The Beauty of the Wine in Canada. He also runs a personal blog: Tales Behind the Wine and has been organising wine tours in Italy since 1999.
Sandro Minella
A Piedmont native, scientific director, and professor at Barolo & Barbaresco Academy, Sandro is the owner and founder of Taste Your Way, a company with 20 years’ experience in tailor-made food and wine events, educational workshops, and tours.
Alessandra Piubello
Journalist, writer, expert wine taster and editor-in-chief of magazines as well as author of books and articles on wine and food tourism. Co-editor of Guida Oro Veronelli, Italy’s first ever wine guide, the only woman co-editor currently working for an Italian wine guide.
Martin Saxon
A wine, food & travel writer and wine list consultant. Martin runs Tasting Plates and organizes/hosts gastronomic wine tours to Italy and Spain with Tasting Places. His time is split between Le Marche Italy where he produces red wine along with olive oil and London.
Michèle Shah
Michèle Shah is a trade consultant, wine critic and journalist based in Italy specialized in promoting Italian wines and their producing regions to export markets, organizing promotional events, seminars and press trips for international press and international wine buyers.
Benjamin Spencer
Benjamin is a consulting winemaker, journalist, the founder of the Etna Wine School™, and award-winning author of The New Wines of Mount Etna. He holds WSET diploma. His work has been featured by BBC World Service, Wine Spectator, The Telegraph, Wine & Spirits, and others. He lives in Sicily.
Mai Tjemsland MW
Mai works as a lecturer, wine writer and importer of global wines into Norway. She is also a regular teacher for WSET Diploma students in Norway and is a mentor for Italian students participating on the Master of Wine Program. Plus she writes wine articles in consumer magazines such as Vinforum in Norway.
Lithuania
Jolanta Smiciene
Jolanta has been learning and discovering wines since 1998. She is currently a wine lecturer and consultant and also works as a Wine and Travel journalist. Jolanta is also a specialist in Champagne and graduate of the Austrian Wine Academy.
Luxembourg
Liliane Turmes
Awaiting details.
Malta
Georges Meekers
Wine columnist for Times of Malta, author of the award-winning ‘Wines of Malta – The Essential Guide’ and other books. He consults to Malta’s national airliner. Outside Malta, known as the founder of the wine school Wine Campus, wine judge and key speaker on Mediterranean wines
Netherlands
Mariëlla Beukers
Mariëlla is an independent Dutch wine writer and researcher, specializing in the history of wine. She is the author of several books, some including Dutch wine and vineyards. Her website focusses on wine history, wine culture and wine tourism.
Fred Nijhuis
Awaiting details.
Simon Woolf
LRIWWA 2018 winner of the Ramos Pinto Online Communicator of the Year Award
Niels van Laatum
Wine writer, journalist and author from The Hague. A skilled copywriter with a keen eye for all things green in the wine world. He specializes in storytelling, writes short and long reads - from a social caption to a book.
Charlotte van Zummeren
Charlotte van Zummeren is an independent Dutch winejournalist. She is owner and Editor in Chief of the popular Dutch wineportal Winebusiness.nl, and freelance writer on wine, spirits, food and hospitality. Weinakademiker, Dip WSET, Register Vinoloog, sommelier, CSE©.
Norway
Håvard Flatland
Håvard has a wine column in the local newspaper which has been running for ten years, and he provides articles for magazines and websites. He believes in transparency and the purifying properties of Riesling’s acidity. He is also a chef and pastry chef.
Anne Samuelsen
Ann specialises in Champagne as well as traditionally made sparkling wines. She writes for several Norwegian wine publications and acts as a judge at many international events. Ann is particularly interested in the wine regions of Italy, New Zealand and Australia.
Portugal
Charles Metcalfe
Charles has spent most of his working life writing about wine (mostly in Wine Magazine), talking about wine (to anyone who will listen) and judging wines (mostly for the International Wine- Challenge). He has co-written books about the wines of Spain and Portugal, and matching wine with food. Charles now lives and works in Portugal.
Romania
Anne-Wies van Oosten
Dutch freelance wine and food writer, journalist and consultant, currently living in Romania. DipWSET, Weinakademiker, Registervinoloog. Wine specialist and judge with a special interest in the wine scene of the ‘New Old World’, also known as ‘Central and Eastern Europe’. Chief editor at www.anne-wies.nl
Spain
Amaya Cervera
Freelance wine writer and journalist based in Madrid. She is the founder of the bilingual website Spanish Wine Lover and writes mainly about Spanish wine. She is also a contributor for printed Spanish publications like El País Semanal, Sobremesa or PlanetaVino and writes occasionally for international wine magazines.
Sander De Vaan
Sander is a passionate Dutch writer on wine, literature, Spain and sports. Publications: Wine Guide Spain, Wine Guide Germany and a yearly calendar, with details on wine-related subjects. Coming soon: Wine Guide France. It’s the story behind a wine (-maker) that is Sander’s special interest.
Colin Harkness
Colin is a radio Wine Show presenter on valleyfm.es. Freelance contributor to 5Barricas, Spanish Wine Mag. Regular Insta/Twitter/Facebook posts, inc videos. Cruise Wine Presenter; Specialises in Spanish Wine. Semi-retired Wine Writer & Wine Judge. Novelist. Ex: Pro Football Scout, Teacher & Restaurateur.
Yolanda Ortiz de Arri
Freelance wine writer and journalist based in the Basque Country. She writes about Spanish wine and food mostly for online publications Spanish Wine Lover and 7 Canibales. Fluent in English and Spanish.
Beth Willard
An expert in Spain, Beth writes for Decanter, is Co-Chair of DWWA and collaborates with Tim Atkin MW. She is also a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Other areas of interest include Central & Eastern Europe.
Sweden
Krister Bengtsson
Krister Bengtsson founded Star Wine List, the guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants, in 2017. Today Star Wine List covers more than 36 countries. Moreover, wine lovers can search for wines in more than 2000 wine lists.
Clive Michelsen
awaiting details
Magnus Reuterdahl
Magnus has been writing about wine since 2006, nowadays mainly in DinVinguide.se (since 2012) & Dryckeslistan.se (since 2015), two of Sweden's biggest on-line wine magazines. Magnus is also a founding member of the on-line network #winelover, with about 25000 members.
Switzerland
Bart de Vries
Based in Basel and Marvão, and a graduate from the Austrian Weinakademie, Bart’s key geographies are Baden, Alsace, Jura, Switzerland, Austria and Portugal. Apart from writing for several publications, Bart (a Dutch citizen) organizes wine trips, moderates tastings and occasionally supports independent wine retailers.
Nicole Harreisser
Nicole originally comes from Germany and has lived in Switzerland since 2014. She is now an editor at the European wine magazine VINUM, she writes about various wine regions around the world and has started the WSET spirits course. Nicole is also a national and international wine award judge.
Markus Hungerbühler
Markus Hungerbühler DipWSET / Weinakademiker is a wine lawyer and member of the AOC-board of the Canton of Bern. Markus writes about wine law and other wine-related topics, trying to explain the sometimes complicated world of wine law.
Robin Kick MW
Robin is presently based in Lugano, Switzerland, where she works as an independent wine consultant, buyer, journalist, educator and judge. Her main wine passions are Burgundy, Champagne, northern Italy, Switzerland, Jerez and seeking off-piste producers, grapes and regions.
Chandra Kurt
Chandra is one of Switzerland’s foremost wine writers and critics. She has authored more than 20 books on wine, including ‘Wine Tales’ and the annual guide ‘Weinseller’ while also launching her wine magazine Weinseller Journal in 2015. Chandra is an international wine consultant, with clients such as Swiss International Air Lines.
Arthur Nägele
Awaiting details.
Richard Pfister
Richard is an engineer in oenology and viticulture and a perfumer. He works on the relationships between oenology and perfumery to improve tasting precision and knowledge about wine aromas. International lecturer and trainer, he is also an independent consultant in many wine countries about the aromatic expression of wines
Ellen Wallace
Ellen Wallace writes in English about Swiss wines, as well as wine travels worldwide. Her audience is primarily multi-cultural consumers and her writing focus is on the landscape of wines in the broadest sense: wines, vineyards, people, history, culture.
Dr José Vouillamoz
awaiting details