Chief of Judges
RUSSELL CODY | Calabria Family Wines & McWilliams Wines | Senior Commercial & Export Winemaker
‘Be prepared for hard work as it is not all beer and skittles. Fine wine takes time and lots of hard yakka!’ Russell speaks with some authority.
He started his winemaking career in 1989 and joined the celebrated McWilliam’s team back in 1995. Twenty odd years on, Russell is a senior winemaker, wine judge and one of the most respected wine experts in the industry.
Also a winemaker with a clear philosophy, he states ‘great wines are made in the vineyard’. Russell places strong emphasis on good vineyard management practices, and to sourcing the most appropriate, high-quality fruit available. This philosophy marries with Russell’s continuing passion for the Australian wine industry, as he says ‘we are still in an exciting early phase of making great table wine in Australia as we continue to pioneer the best varieties in each region that suits them’.
Panel Chairs
GEOFF ALEXANDER | Brown Brothers
A former Pharmacist, Geoff saw the opportunity to transfer his skills to the wine industry and began studying winemaking at the University of Adelaide in 2002. He successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) (Oenology) in 2004, along the way collecting the Brokenwood Wines Prize (top second year student) and a University Medal for outstanding academic achievement.
Having completed the 2004 vintage at Brokenwood Wines in the Hunter Valley, Geoff joined the Brown Family Wine Group as Assistant Winemaker for the 2005 vintage. Initially a 3 month position, at the completion of vintage the company decided to expand its winemaking team and the position was made permanent.
In October 2007, Geoff was promoted to the position of Winemaker and is now responsible for a portfolio of red, white, sparkling and fortified wines at a range of price points including the Innocent Bystander brand from the Yarra Valley. He is particularly interested in the development of new varieties and wine styles, something for which the Brown Family Wine Group is rightly famous.
Geoff has judged at numerous wine shows including Rutherglen, Swan Hill, Cairns, The Australian Small Winemakers Show and the Australian Cool Climate wine show.
ANDREW HIGGINS | Tamburlaine Wines
Andrew Higgins, formally McWilliams, joined Tamburlaine as Chief Winemaker-Orange in late 2021. Andrew leads a growing team at the Cudal winery with a focus on organic cool climate wines. Prior to this Andrew was with McWilliams Wines for 18 years. Over that time, he progressed through the ranks to Chief Winemaker and has been a quiet achiever who accumulated all the technical skills supplemented with international experience in France and the US.
Judges
JOHN COUGHLAN | De Bortoli Wines
Winemaking chose John Coughlan. Taking the equivalent of a gap year in ‘97 before he started on a Science degree, John landed a job working in a lab at a Griffith winery. A self confessed “bourbon and beer man” at the time who “wouldn’t drink the stuff [wine] if you paid me”, John found himself completely seduced by “the smell and taste of the fermenting juice”.
“It was amazing to me to see how the flavours evolved from a fermenting juice to a wine, that grapes could be transformed to what you saw in the bottle,” he says.
He was hooked. After his stint in the lab, John applied for a job at De Bortoli Wines and began working as technical assistant.
By 2003, John was a winemaker looking after the whites and three years later he was made Senior White Winemaker, overseeing all the sparkling and white table wine produced at Bilbul. Graduated from CSU in 2006. Completed AWAC in 2004, numerous oversees trips with a Vintage in Northern Italy 2011. Having been a judge over those years to present at numerous shows. Head Steward at the Griffith Show for the last 3 years & seeing the other side to a wine show has been invlaubale.
AMY SUTHERLAND SMITH | Warrabilla Wines
Amy had the good fortune of growing up with wine in her veins and a vineyard for a playground. Today she is both General Manager and Winemaker alongside her father Andrew Sutherland Smith in the cellar. The pair share a love of barrel work and blending where Amy's discerning palate and experience as a wine show judge ensure the standard remains high and a near 160year family tradition continues into its sixth generation.
Amy is recognised in the Australian wine industry for her not so common skill set of outstanding knowledge of fortified wines. This expertise has gained her a position as a judge at the Victorian Wine Show. She also worked as both wine judge and associate wine judge at the Riverina Wine Show, Australian Inland Wine Show as well as the Rutherglen and Australian Fortified Wine Shows.
CHRIS CARPENTER | Lark Hill Wines
Chris grew up on the family vineyard, Lark Hill. After vintages at Penfolds and Seppeltsfield, Chris studied Biochemistry and Wine Science before returning to the family business. Chris works with Lark Hill’s two estate-owned Vineyards as well as purchasing fruit around Canberra, Gundagai and Hilltops. The certified organic and biodynamic Lark Hill wines are elegant expressions of varieties ideally suited to their sites, and show the diversity of terroirs in the Canberra Region. Chris has a broad spectrum of judging experience from small and focused wine shows like the Canberra Regional and International Riesling Challenge, through to the National Wine Show. Chris was a Young Gun of Wine finalist in 2017, and Young Gun of Wine Trophy Winner in 2018.
JADEN HALL | Mount Pleasant Wines
The Hunter Valley has been Jaden's home for 26 years. Working in a small bottle shop where the owner loved classic Hunter Valley wines sparked his enthusiasm for the industry. His generosity allowed Jaden to experience some of the best wines from this region, which inspired him to study winemaking.
Through his passion and drive, he was able to secure a vintage job with Tyrrell's wines in 2017. Since then, he has worked full-time within the wine industry and continues to push himself in every aspect of production. He has worked at Tamburlaine Organic Wines, Hart & Hunter, and Mount Pleasant Wines since mid-2020, where he has since been promoted to winemaker. Currently, he is pursuing his bachelor's degree at Charles Sturt University in Wine science. As a winemaker, Jaden excels and is passionate about what he does.
Associate Judges
CHRISSIE SMITH | Intrepidus Wines
Owner, vineyard manager and wine maker of Intrepidus Wines. Chrissie is also vineyard manager at Jeir Creek Wines, and has previously worked at Clonakilla and Collector Wines in Canberra.
Having completed AWAC and WSET 2, she is a Young Gun of Wine Finalist for 2023, on the committee for Canberra Wine Show and Associate judging positions at shows such as NSW Wine Awards and Riverina: Open GI, Tumbarumba GI, Italian Varieties and Sweet Wine challenge.
LEAH MOTTIN | Domaine Chandon
Leah pursues innovation and quality as part of her role at Domaine Chandon Australia under the LVMH banner.
As a key member of the Winemaking team, Leah brings her international experience from working at wineries in England and California, and her knowledge of the Australian wine industry brought on by a decade of work.
She came from an Agricultural background, then pursued her passion for vines and wine by completing a Masters of Viticulture and Oenology. She was awarded a Mentoring Scholarship by the ‘Australian Woman in Wine Awards’ and ‘Inspiring Rare Birds’ in 2021 and the ASVO Advanced Wine Assessment Scholarship (AWAC) in 2022. Leah has been involved in the wine Show system for many years and hopes to continue her involvement for many years to come.