Meet the Team
Our Judges
The Australian & New Zealand Wine Show is honoured and privileged to have Huon Hooke as the founding Awards Chairman – a position he still holds to this day. The 2020 season threw many challenges our way, and due to unforeseen circumstances, Huon was unable to judge the show. Peter Leske, one of the shows long term Senior Judges took the reigns for the 2020 show as Chairperson. Gary Baldwin is a Senior judge and panel leader who has also served the show since 1996, but was unable to attend the 2020 show due to travel restrictions. Their unbroken records are unusual in the Australian wine industry and demonstrates their commitment to the boutique winemakers.
Hooke, Leske & Baldwin are joined each year by ‘permanents’ Toni Paterson MW, Andrew Thomas, Mike De Iuliis and other winemakers and industry personnel making a total of nine judges and three associate judges.
Our Management Team
Our Patron
The Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers (AABW) & Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show (ANZBWS) were founded in 1996 by Ms Judith Kennedy AM to give a voice to the minority group in the wine industry. The Association has had an enormous impact on the growth and success of the boutique wine industry in Australia and more recently in New Zealand. Since 2018, we have been honoured to have Ms Judith Kennedy AM as Patron of the Show, naming the Pinot Noir Trophy after her in recognition of her achievements. Judith now heads up the Australian Gin Distillers Association.
Our Stewards
Our amazing team of Stewards are lead by Alistair Dunn, now into his 6th year with the ANZ Boutique Wine Show, and 2nd as Chief Steward. Every aspect of running an accurate and successful show comes down to this amazing team that operate tirelessly behind the scenes.
"The importance of the Boutique Wine Show is significant. This is the only wine show that truly showcases the small winemakers, the true innovators and cutting edge of the domestic wine industries of Australia & New Zealand!"
Huon Hooke
Chairperson