WineNZ Summer 18-19 (1)
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The summer issue tasting team. From left: Simon Nash MW, chairman of the panel of judges, Briar Davies EIT, associate judge, Barry Riwai, judge,<br />
Zhuoqun Liu (Ella), EIT degree student and associate judge, Tim Creagh, EIT, Professor Xue Yang a professor of the Qilu University of Technology<br />
who is a visiting scholar at EIT and associate judge for the tasting, Matt Kirby, judge, Paul Taggart, <strong>WineNZ</strong> magazine publisher.<br />
Tasting time<br />
Our top line-up of judges taste sauvignon blanc, rose and<br />
sparkling wines, writes Paul Taggart.<br />
Chairman of the panel was Simon Nash<br />
MW, a Cambridge graduate who spent<br />
three years trading commodities in the<br />
city of London before realising that wine<br />
was his true passion.<br />
He gained industry experience at<br />
Grants of St James’s, Hatch Mansfield<br />
and Private Liquor Brands. In <strong>19</strong>94,<br />
he passed his Master of Wine, and<br />
decided to travel the world, spending<br />
time in the Californian wine industry<br />
before fetching up in New Zealand and<br />
marrying a Kiwi winemaker.<br />
He is now a wine business consultant,<br />
based in Hawke’s Bay.<br />
We welcomed a new member on to the<br />
team for this tasting. Matt Kirby is an<br />
Australian who moved across the ditch<br />
in 2015 with his young family to take up<br />
the winemaking role at Clearview Estate<br />
in Hawke’s Bay.<br />
Before embarking on a career in wine<br />
Matt studied marine biology and he is<br />
also a qualified chef.<br />
He has worked in Australia, China,<br />
France (Burgundy), Austria, the United<br />
States and now New Zealand. He also<br />
has extensive judging experience.<br />
Barry Riwai is a product of the Eastern<br />
Institute of Technology.<br />
He worked at Ngatarawa Wines, Church<br />
Road Winery and in the Loire and<br />
Bordeaux. He was then winemaker at<br />
Clearview, back in Hawke’s Bay, before<br />
moving to Alpha Domus.<br />
Barry’s judging credentials are<br />
impressive, having judged at the<br />
Air New Zealand Wine Awards, the<br />
Royal Easter Wine Awards, Spiegelau<br />
International, Bragato and Australia’s<br />
leading event, the National Wine Show<br />
of Australia, Canberra.<br />
22 <strong>WineNZ</strong> Magazine | <strong>Summer</strong> 20<strong>18</strong>-<strong>19</strong>