Asian Pinot Noir Masters: Results and Analysis

Judges profile:

Sarah Heller MW is a wine communicator, designer and consultant based in Hong Kong and the youngest Master of Wine. Having graduated from Yale University with a degree in fine art, Sarah began her career in the New York and Hong Kong wine trades and wineries in France and Italy. She was Executive Director of events and education firm Meiburg Wine Media in Hong Kong for three years. Sarah currently writes for the South China Morning Post, Spirito di Vino and #legend magazine; her educational wine videos on Chinese app ShowMuse have over a million views. She speaks and consults on Asian wine markets, with a special focus on E-commerce. Her boutique design agency Radix & Folium works with clients in the F&B and wine industries to create market-appropriate packaging, branding and training materials. She recently tried her hand at F&B with a pop-up wine bar in central Hong Kong. Sarah also regularly judges wine competitions like the Cathay Pacific HKIWSC and China’s Wine100. She is also the winner of Drinks Business Asian Awards Young Achiever of the Year, Prestige Hong Kong 40 Under 40, 2017 Winner of Villa Maria Prize, Errazuriz Award, Robert Mondavi Winery Award, and Austrian Wine Marketing Board Outstanding Achievement Award.

Seattle native Darius Allyn MS became the 60th American passing the Master Sommelier examination in 2005, after obtaining his Advanced Oenology Diploma from leading winemaking school UC Davis in 2004. With over 30 years of hospitality experience, Allyn has created and led award-winning wine programmes around the world including Wine Spectator Grand Award recipient Aureole Las Vegas and Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney Australia. A firm believer in industry wine education, Allyn was Adjunct Professor in University of Nevada Las Vegas. Over past decade, Allyn frequently travelled to Asia to lead courses for Court of Master Sommeliers whilst continuing to be active as Examiner for Master Sommelier level candidates. Allyn possesses extensive judging and speaking experience, having participated in over 20 international wine conferences and competitions.

A Sydney native, Amanda Longworth is the head of marketing and wine services at Berry Bros. & Rudd in Hong Kong after a lustrous career in wine working in the US, UK, Korea, Singapore, China and Japan. A certified WSET educator, Amanda is responsible for coordinating all education programmes at Berry Bros. Since 2008, she has educated over 2,500 wine enthusiasts. After receiving the prestigious Wine Australia Scholarship in 2012 awarded to the top performing WSET Diploma candidate in Asia-Pacific, Amanda is continuing her wine studies for the ultimate Master of Wine.

Jude Mullins is International Development Director at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the largest global provider of qualifications in the field of Wines and Spirits. After a career working in hospitality, retail, direct sales and for the International Wine Challenge, Jude joined the WSET in 2002 as part of the Awards (examinations) team and subsequently moving to the newly formed International Development Team in 2005.  She was appointed as Director for Asia Pacific in 2012, becoming International Development Director in 2013. Jude’s responsibilities include working with, and training, wine and spirit educators in over 70 countries worldwide, where she has gained a great appreciation for the challenges and nuances of communication across different cultures and languages, especially in the field of wines and spirits. She passed the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits with Honours in 2001 also winning the Carlo Pellegrino Scholarship. She is also a WSET Certified Educator.

Henry Chang is the beverage manager of China Club, an opulent exclusive members club in Central. Having worked more than 20 years in Hong Kong’s wine industry as a sommelier, Chang won The Best Sommelier Hong Kong competition in 2007 and The Best French Sommelier Hong Kong in 2009. A native of Hong Kong, Chang honed his skills at some of Hong Kong top restaurants and hotels including Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Island Shangri-la Hotel’s Petrus restaurant and Grand Lisboa Macau before appointed to oversee China Club’s beverage programmes. Chang has WSET advanced certificate and is also a senior sommelier of Hong Kong Sommelier Association.