Angus is an award-winning wine writer and the Founder and Publisher of Winepilot, the Australian Editor for leading international publication VINOUS with Antonio Galloni based in New York City and the Co-Publisher of The Australian Ark with over 15 years of publishing, writing and judging experience.

Jeni Port is one of Australia's top wine communicators and judges. Based in Melbourne, Jeni was the longest-serving wine writer on The Age newspaper and continues to write for most Australian wine magazines including Winestate, Wine Selector, Halliday Wine Companion magazine, Gourmet Traveller WINE, Winning and Il Tridente. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 was named Legend of the Vine.

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Shanteh cut her teeth at Sydney’s Award-Winning Quay restaurant where she worked for over a decade and was Head Sommelier from 2018 till 2022. She has been nominated for the Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award on three occasions and claims that her experience as a Len Evans scholar as one of the highlights of her career. Shanteh hosts her own weekly podcast ‘Over A Glass’ with the Deep in the Weeds Network and spends her time writing for various publications and judging at numerous wine shows across the country.

Ray Jordan has been writing about wine for more than 40 years. His first articles were published in the early issues of national wine magazine Winestate in the late 1970s when he worked in Sydney as a newspaper correspondent. From 1989 Ray wrote more than 3000 columns as a regular newspaper wine columnist. He currently writes a regular column for the special business publication Business News and is one of the main contributors to national wine platform Wine Pilot. In 2017 Ray co-authored The Way it Was – A History of The Early Days of the Margaret River Wine Industry and previously wrote Wine in the Blood: Australia’s Family Wine Estates, published in Mandarin and English. In 2011 Ray was awarded WA Wine Press Club Jack Mann Memorial Medal for his contribution to the WA wine industry. His love of wine is as strong as his love of the blues and tasting the thousands of wines that cross his bench each year allows him to indulge in both.

Multi-award-winning wine writer and critic Malu Lambert writes for a variety of international and local publications. Malu won the title of the Mont Blanc Emerging Wine Writer of the Year at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards 2019. She also won the Veritas Young Wine Writer in 2015. Most recently she co-authored Klein Constantia: The Home of Vin de Constance, which was the winner of the ‘Discovering and Presenting Wines’ category of the 2023 OIV. Malu writes for numerous South African titles, and was the wine editor of Food & Home for five years. Internationally, she has also written for Jancis Robinson, Decanter, The Buyer, Falstaff, Club Oenologique, Drinks International, Thirteen Barrels, The Japanese Times, and more. She is also a taster on the Platter's Guide, South Africa’s most definitive and respected guide to wine. Malu is a regular on South Africa's judging panels, including Winemag, Wine-of-the-Month Club and was recently the chairperson for the inaugural Fine Wine Awards by Amex. She also judges for Decanter, IWSC and Concours Mondial du Sauvignon.

Tom Kline is a Victoria based wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator. He is the Australian contributor for Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and also contributes to the likes of Decanter Magazine (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine to name a few. Tom is a wine show judge, a WSET educator, and an author of consumer-facing wine courses. In 2023, Tom was announced as the winner of the ‘Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column’ at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards held by Wine Communicators of Australia courses.

Lisa Cardelli is an Italian-born wine professional based in Melbourne since 2010. She has worked as a sommelier in some of Melbourne's best fine-dining restaurants for over 10 years, then leaving hospitality to work as wine sales representative. Lisa is a certified WSET Educator and teaches at Prince Wine Store and Wine House. And, when she is not busy looking after her one-year-old son, she judges at local wine shows. She is also a member of the wine selection's panel of Qantas/Neil Perry and a judge for Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards. Lisa is the recipient of the 2022 Wine Communicators of Australia Best Published Feature Article; 2022 Sydney Royal Wine Professional Development Scholarship sponsored by the Len Evans Foundation; 2021 Wine Communicators of Australia mentee.

Tony is best known for his 10 years as News Corp’s National Wine Writer, with weekly columns in major metropolitan mastheads throughout Australia including The Adelaide Advertiser, The Sydney Daily Telegraph and the Melbourne Herald Sun. He continues to write feature articles and columns for all the major Australian wine media publications. Tony has also worked as a restaurant reviewer, section editor, book editor, digital content provider, journalism teacher and was named Wine Communicators of Australia 2018 Legend of the Vine (SA). Find out more about Tony at tonylove.com.au

Tijana is on a mission to take the intimidation out of wine. With a background in sales and marketing, she furthered her studies to complete WSET Levels 2 and 3. An advocate for chardonnay, she plans to use her position as Deputy Chair for Wine Communicators SA Chapter to break the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) stigma. If sentenced to death, her last meal would be freshly baked bread and salted butter paired with a glass of the best wine in the world - chardonnay of course.

Brendan is a Melbourne-based writer, filmmaker, playwright and composer. Since 2013, he has been published in national and regional Australian titles such as Halliday Magazine, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Grapegrower and Winemaker, Gippslandia, Gippsland Lifestyle, Yarra Valley and Ranges and Gippsland Country Life magazines. He has completed the WSET Level 3 course (gaining a Distinction) and has a passion for small producers of wine, beer and spirits. He is also the co-editor of 'I'm Not a Film Star: David Bowie as Actor' for Bloomsbury Academic.

Annette is currently the Group Beverage Manager for Solotel, a diverse hospitality group also having worked in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants as a sommelier including Banc, Claudes and Marque. She completed the rigorous Masters of Wine programme in 2020, was a professional winner in the 2014 Vin de Champagne Award, a Len Evans scholar and wine judge. She also is a fantastic communicator in wine and sprits including as a lecturer for the WSET.

Matt Dunne is one of Sydney’s finest sommeliers and communicators who is also the Group Wine Ambassador for the Joval Wine Group. He has created and managed wine lists for over 30 venues including ARIA Sydney, Opera Bar and Chiswick. In 2011 Matt won the Sydney Morning Herald’s 2011 ‘Good Food Guide Louis Roederer Sommelier of the Year’ and his team won the 2015 Wine List of the Year in the Good Food Guide for ARIA Sydney plus he was a Len Evans Scholar. Matt has tremendous knowledge of wine, beer and spirits, and has written his own wine blog for over 8 years.

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.

Marcell is the Beverage Director at Restaurant Botanic and, with his cross-functional background, re-defines the role of modern-day sommelier. After obtaining a qualification in food engineering and winemaking operations, Marcell started his career as a food product developer before turning his hand to wine. He began working as a sommelier while undertaking a Master's degree in gastronomy. His curiosity for memorable wine experiences led to a PhD in food, wine and emotional pairing at the University of Adelaide in collaboration with Wine Australia and UC Davis. As the Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer at Penfolds Magill Estate, Marcell curated one of the country's most extensive champagne lists and created memorable experiences with a twist of science. Just recently, Marcell has joined a new project showcasing Australian botanicals and native ingredients. As a beverage director, he is responsible for product development, industry collaborations and creating a whole new dining experience. Marcell has been a contributing author in several academic and industry journals and continues to evolve as a wine judge. And if that wasn’t enough, he recently co-founded a wine label (LUDO wines) to make brave wines with transparency, curiosity and precision. Photo credit: Meaghan Coles and VINE & BUBBLE Magazine

For over 19 years, Emma’s passion for the wine industry has produced award-winning wine lists across top venues in Perth. As Director of Wine for the State Buildings & Como The Treasury, Emma’s invaluable insights and industry-wide network enables her to curate unique wine lists and wine events for each of the award-winning restaurants at the State Buildings, including Wildflower, Long Chim, Post, Petition Kitchen and Wine Merchant. Emma also creates world-class experiences for the guests of the 48 room luxury hotel. For two years, Emma studied under the guidance of Dr Steve Charters, Master of Wine. Since then, Emma has worked as a Sommelier and consulted on various wine lists and menus, earning her recognition through numerous awards. With her finger firmly on the pulse of the wine industry, Emma has been selected as a judge for many wine shows including Young Gun of Wine Awards, South Australia’s Hot 100, Drink Easy Awards, WAGFG WA Wine Awards, Langton’s Margaret River Wine Show, James Halliday Cabernet Challenge and Australian Chenin Blanc Challenge. She was also awarded 2017 Sommelier of the Year at the WA Good Food Guide awards and Sommelier of the Year at the 2019 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant awards.

Andrew is a former WCA 'Young Gun' of Wine Journalism and Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert who was voted in the Top 30 most trusted wine critics in the world. Now clocking up over 20 years in the wine industry, Andrew has an unusual dual background with a Masters in Wine Technology & Viticulture and a Bachelor of Environmental Management, with wine and climate change a speciality. Andrew spends his days as a marketer, presenter and writing about wine, beer, spirits and cider for his own website Australian Wine Review and the likes of Gourmet Traveller Wine, National Liquor News, The Seniors Magazine & Latte Life. The co-founder of wine events business The Tasting Glass, in his spare time, Andrew runs foolishly long ultramarathons.

Cassandra is an award winning Margaret River based wine, travel, and food writer and presenter, regularly contributing to publications including Decanter, Halliday Wine Magazine, Delicious, and Escape. She was recently awarded the IWSC Emerging Talent Award for 2024.

Melissa began her hospitality career in London working for the Rolling Stones, returning to Australia at the dawn of the wine bar explosion in Melbourne to develop a deep love of wine, restaurants, beaches and much warmer weather. She has judged at several national and local wine shows including The Royal Sydney Show, the NSW Wine Awards and The Alternative Varieties Wine Show, and contributed to the Sydney Morning Herald with wine selection articles. Melissa was selected to be a scholar of the Len Evans’ Tutorial and was dux of the 2019 New Zealand Family of Twelve Tutorial. She was previously Head Sommelier at Merivale and is now Beverage and Operations Manager for the Love Tilly Group. She lives in Sydney with her family.

David is a wine, beverage & gastronomy consultant. A passionate professional, with rounded expertise: from wine & fruit production as an Agricultural Engineer; marketing, wine trends and wine business as a wine merchant; buying, stock management and financial management as a wine & beverage manager; assessing wines as an international wine judge plus food and wine pairing expert as the co-author of PAIRED Volume 1: Champagne & Sparkling Wines. Find out more about David here at paired-media.com

Regan is a regular wine columnist for the News Regional Media "Weekend" Magazine and digital "Life" sections. A graduate of the Australian Wine Research Institute's Advanced Wine Assessment Course #47 he was awarded with Distinction WSET Level 3 in Wine & Spirits, has been an Associate Judge for the New South Wine Awards plus a couple of little stints helping out in the Hunter Valley and Tasmania during vintages with small but quality winemakers.