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Tim Atkin MW Tim is the winner of many awards, a five time winner of the Glenfiddich Wine Writer Award and a four time winner of the Wine Guild of the United Kingdom's Wine Columnist of the Year. He was the inaugural recipient for both the Wines of France in 1994 and the Wines of Portugal Awards in 2005. He was the co-winner of The Bunch Award, and winner of the Waterford Crystal Wine Correspondent of the Year Award. He has been named Lanson Wine Writer of the Year four times. He has been named Communicator of the Year by the International Wine & Spirit Competition and Best Drink Journalist in the World Food Media Awards. Tim has contributed to a number of books on wine, and written his own - Chardonnay and Vins de Pays d'Oc. He has judged wines around the world and is co-chairman of the London-based International Wine Challenge, the world’s biggest blind tasting competition. In 2001 he passed the Master of Wine examination at the first attempt, winning the Robert Mondavi Award for the best set of theory papers. |
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Dan Buckle, Mount Langi Ghiran, Australia A long and windy path led me to Mount Langi Ghiran and for the past five years I’ve been incredibly lucky to call this iconic vineyard home. After some years of pursuing other disciplines (studying the Classics and professional fencing amongst them) whilst tending vines on my family’s Mornington Peninsula vineyard, I decided winemaking was my calling. This led me to study in Australia and then Bordeaux, before heading to the Yarra Valley’s Coldstream Hills in 1997, working for the distinguished James Halliday. Several vintages in France followed, as well as a long-time posting at Yering Station, and today I combine lessons learnt from home and abroad to produce wines that speak of this special site. |
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James Halliday James Halliday is an award winning wine writer and an international wine judge. He has has written or co-authored over 60 books on wine since 1979, and has been a contributor to others (notably the Oxford Companion to Wine and Larousse Encyclopaedia of Wine). Since 2004 works include Wine Odyssey; a Year of Wine, Travel and Food; Varietal Wines of Australia; The Essential Winemakers Phrase Book; works published 2006 include a completely updated edition of The Art & Science of Wine, and an entirely new Wine Atlas of Australia and 2008 and 2009 Australian Wine Companion. Two other books are in production, including Australian Wine Encyclopeadia. |
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Jason Yapp Jason Yapp is the Managing Director of Yapp Brothers Ltd, fine wine merchants specialising in wines from regional France with a particular emphasis on the Rhône valley. He has worked in the family business for 16 years, having previously spent a year in France working on various vineyards and managed a wine shop for Oddbins in Islington, North London. In 2009 Decanter Magazine awarded Yapp Brothers Ltd their coveted ‘Specialist Merchant of the Year’ award in recognition of their diverse portfolio of growers wines and re-designed website [www.yapp.co.uk]. Jason has hosted numerous professional wine tastings throughout the UK, France and in the USA. He has also hosted wine tastings for the BBC, Christies Wine Masterclasses and the Hotel du Vin’s ‘Ecole du Vin’ and is a lecturer for the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust at diploma level. Jason has a key buying role within Yapp Brothers and makes regular trips to the vineyards to liase with growers, many of whom have become close friends. He also works very closely with Yapp Brothers trade clients who include all 10 of the Top 10 restaurants in the 2009 Good Food Guide (e.g. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Le Gavroche, the Fat Duck and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons). Since January 2009 Jason has been chairman of The Bunch, a group of leading wine merchants who work together to safe-guard consumer standards and promote the independent wine trade. The other members of The Bunch are: Adnams, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Corney & Barrow, Lea & Sandeman & Tanners. |
Joining these featured speakers are winemakers Rod Easthope of Craggy Range (Hawke’s Bay) Rod McDonald of Matariki Wines (Hawke's Bay), technical research experts Associate Professor Markus Herderich from the Australian Wine Research Institute, and Rod Chittenden and Petra King from the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay.
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