Reed Antis
Reed started homebrewing in the 1980s and is a founding member of the Saratoga Thoroughbrews, his local homebrew club. As a certified beer judge (E0539) he has helped over the years to run beer competitions and has had his own homebrew shop for the past 10 years. Reed has taught his customers how to make country wine, wine from grapes and juice, and using wine ingredient kits.
Alexa Ayubi
Alexa is a 2nd year student in the AWS wine Judging program.
Nicole Barto
Nicole is a 2nd year student in the AWS wine Judging program.
Therise Collier
With the American Wine Society (AWS) for 16 years and an amateur winemaker for over 15 years, Therise has participated in several judging events all around the country, including the AWS Wine Judging Program to get her started. Therise is a member of the Alabama Winemakers and Grape Growers Association for over 15 years and proprietor of Creekside at Colliers End, a five acre vineyard selling grapes to various wineries.
Jane Duralia
Jane Duralia has been a member of the American Wine Society (AWS) since 1992 and has judged at various competitions around the country, annually; AWS Commercial and Amateur, Tasters’ Guild International, INDY International, Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association, New York State Fair, NC State Fair, Wines of the South, and Mid-Atlantic Region Competition to name a few. Jane is currently a wine consultant for the Lake Hickory Country Club, Hickory NC and provided wine descriptors and food pairing for the Double Gold recipients at the Tasters’ Guild Competition 2018.
Rege Duralia
Rege has been a member of the American Wine Society (AWS) since 1992. His judging career began in 2002 on Hilton Head Island for the Annual Wine Festival Judging. Joining the Tasters Guild, also in 2002 provided judging events that brought exposure to many wines from different growing and winemaking regions for Rege. He has visited wine growing regions of the world such as California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Virginia, New York Finger Lakes, Ohio, Michigan, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Hungary, Croatia, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia, expanding his horizon of wine knowledge. He became a Certified Wine Judge in 2007 by successfully completing a three year course offered by the American Wine Society and was re-certified in 2012 and 2018. I am also a wine consultant for the Lake Hickory Country Club, Hickory, NC.
Arielle Fabiano
Arielle graduated from Northeastern University in 2015, where she received a B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Business. She got her feet wet in the wine world as a harvest intern at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, CA in 2014, and joined Balderdash Cellars in Richmond, MA as the Assistant Winemaker after graduating from the university. She has since taken on the role of Winemaker at Balderdash Cellars, and spent the 2017 Harvest at La Segreta, a small winery in Umbria, Italy, to expand her winemaking experience. Additionally, she is a member of the Women Winemakers of New England and enjoys judging several wine competitions throughout New England.
Eric Feldhake
Eric Feldhake, a member of the AWS since 2002, has been an AWS certified wine judge since 2016 judging in numerous competitions across the country, tasting over a thousand wines each year. He has been a German Wine Society Member since 2005 and an office of the Walt Whitman Chapter since 2008. Eric is an AWS Educational Foundation Board of Trustee member and Chief Council since 2017. He is Level 2 with Distinction with the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust as well having received his Advanced Wine Certificate from the Wine School of Philadelphia, is a certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators and is a Teacher of Wine Education for The Haddonfield Adult School, Rowan University, and Stockton University.
Laurent Gills
Laurent Gills has participated in several wine Judging events in the last three years such as the TVSO in Tennessee, The Alabama Amateur wine event, the Kentucky State Fair Amateurs’ wine event and the Indy International Wine at Perdue University. He also one of the the only two Third-Year Students to be invited at the Finger Lakes to assist with judging.
Aimée Lasseigne
Aimée Lasseigne is the NYC Brand Ambassador for Lieb Cellars, a 54 acre certified sustainable winery on the North Fork of Long Island, NY and their second label Bridge Lane Wine. She is a graduate of Louisiana Scholars’ College, recognized as a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and a Diploma Candidate of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). As a freelance wine and spirits judge, Aimée has served on panels both locally and internationally in Paris, Beijing, Spain, Bulgaria, and Switzerland in addition to having visited vineyards across New York, Napa, Portugal, Bordeaux, Italy, and the Republic of Georgia.
Tony Lawrence
Tony Lawrence, the Global Winechef is a passionate and trusted wine and food pairing specialist professional. Tony spends a great deal traveling monthly to the west and is a regular judge at 12 annual wine competitions such as at San Francisco Chronicle, Sonoma Harvest, Florida International Fine Wines and other international and other International National, State and local competitions. He has completed the UC Davis wine flaws judging course certificate, as well.
Gary Lum
In his final year of the certification program for the AWS, Gary is currently the Regional VP of N. California, with his role to oversee and to provide support for the AWS Chapters in the region. Since 2018, he has been the Chair and Founder, AOC East Bay Chapter, American Wine Society and is currently enrolled in the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 4 Diploma Program, WSET’s highest level of certification. In addition to achieving the Certified Sherry Wine Specialist Intermediate Course, Gary has judged at different competitions since 2019.
Maureen Macdonald
Maureen Macdonald is a University of Vermont graduate with 18 years professional experience in the beverage and wine industry. She has studied oenology and subjects pertaining thereof at Naugatuck Valley Community College, Penn State, Cornell University, and Uconn. Maureen holds experience in both viticulture and oenology as a field manager and head winemaker for commercial vineyards. After years of working as a consultant to many vineyards, she now is the head winemaker for Hawk Ridge Winery, in Watertown, CT, where she makes 30 different wines, two of which winning double gold medals in competitions. She is also the recipient of Amenti Del Vino’s Chevalier Award for her service and dedication to the appreciation of wine. When she isn’t hard at work in the lab or winery, she is often judging commercial and amateur competitions or making hard cider and beer at home.
Donna Moore
Donna Moore lives in Connecticut, previously from California and is the co-owner of Sunset Hill Vineyard in Lyme, Ct. She is also a partner in Bodega Wine Bar in CA. Donna’s love of wine started in 1991 while living in Australia.
Timothy Morse
Timothy Morse is a highly knowledgeable wine professional with regional expertise and hands-on vineyard management, winemaking, and wine-judging experiences. Since 2007, Tim provides structured wine tastings for small group oenophiles and enthusiasts in the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area as a chef educator, facilitating wine tastings and educational seminars. In 2019, he became the founder and educator for the AWS Skyline Uncorked Chapter in Virginia. In 2018 he completed the UC Davis Winemaking Certificate program and also became a certified sommelier in 2017. Tim earned his WSET Level 4 diploma in 2012 and has designed, planted and managed a personal 300 vine lieu-dit vineyard.
Kevin Norris
Kevin Norris has been a certified wine judge for the AWS since 2018 and earned his WSET Award in Wine Level 2 July 2021. In addition to judging in the states of Washington, Alabama, Vermont and Tennessee, Tim has been a speaker for different wine clubs and festivals. Since 2017, he is currently the chapter chair for the AWS Downtown Huntsville Chapter.
Terry O’Connor
Terry O’Connor works for CT Distributors as a Fine Wine and Spirits Specialist. He is an AWS Certified Wine Judge and has his WSET Level 2 in wine and spirits.
Kevin Ostrowski
Kevin Ostrowski is a Certified Wine Judge with the American Wine Society (AWS), a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and WSET level 3 (with merit) certified. He is a wine judge instructor as part of the AWS Wine judge program. Additionally, Kevin has completed the Champagne Master Level with the Wine Scholar Guild and also the Introductory Sommelier level with the Court of Master Sommeliers. He has judged several local and regional wine competitions. Kevin resides in Beaver, PA.
Gary Pickard
Gary Pickard passed his WSET Level 3 in Wine with Merit, and earning both his Executive Bourbon Steward title from Stave & Thief Society and his Certified Spirits Educator (CSE) certification from the Society of Wine Educators, Gary centers his career on wine and spirits education. He is currently working for Brown-Forman as both their Emerging Brands Market Manager for the state of New Jersey and as the national lead of their Old & Rare release committee. Gary has been a wine and spirits judge for the past seven years, judging for publications and competitions such as The Fifty Best, New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, WineMaker Magazine, and others.
Phil Plummer
Phil Plummer has been making wine in New York’s Finger Lakes region for over the last ten years, spending the last eight at Montezuma Winery where he has served as head winemaker since 2013. In his time at Montezuma, Phil has taken a lead role in the development and production of a wide-ranging portfolio of wines made from grapes, fruit, and honey, and was instrumental in the launch of Montezuma’s sister wineries, Idol Ridge and Fossenvue.
Tim Post
Tim Post is the winemaker and owner of Autumn Harvest Vineyard. As well as being AWS certified, he has a Master’s Degree in Enology. Tim has judged several state and international wine competitions.
Ivan Riggle
Ivan Riggle is a certified wine judge and part of the American Wine Society with 14 years judging experience both local, regional, national and international commercial and amateur wine competitions. Ivan is very familiar with the “back room” activities of wine competitions, as well as being a past Co-Instructor for wine judge training classes. Ivan is currently active as a wine presenter at wine dinners and coordinator for a local wine competition and numerous wine events. A home winemaker, Ivan has won awards locally, regionally and nationally. He has presented classes on wine judging to local American Wine Society members as well.
Mary Agnes Riggle
Mary Agnes Riggle is a certified wine judge and part of the American Wine Society with 14 years judging experience both local, regional, national and international commercial and amateur wine competitions. She is the past chairperson of the AWS National Amateur Competition and Wine Experience. Mary is very familiar with the “back room” activities of wine competitions, as well as being the past Co-Instructor for wine judge training classes. She is currently active as a wine presenter at wine dinners and coordinator for a local wine competition and numerous wine events. Mary is the chapter chair for Laurel Highlands American Wine Society chapter and a home wine and meadmaker, winning awards locally, regionally and nationally. She has presented classes on wine judging to local American Wine Society members as well.
Leann Stacey
Michael Stacey
Bill Stefan
Bill Stefan is a wine judge, winemaker, writer and speaker with over 40 years of fermenting experience. In addition to being a certified judge from the American Wine Society, he is a certified Specialist of Wine and professional member of the Society of Wine Educators, as well as a Certified Sherry Wine Specialist by the Regulatory Council of Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Denomination of Origin. He has judged for WineMaker Magazine Wine Competition, the Tennessee Valley Wine Competition, Kentucky State Fair and at the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition. Bill has Fermented red, white and dessert wines, ports, and apple cider, since 1975 and has won awards in international and national competitions since 2015.
Vincent Williams
Vincent Williams is an American Wine Society Certified Judge and as a wine educator, Mr. Williams enjoys sharing wine knowledge with retail customers and students. He holds certifications from the Society of Wine Educators and the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust. Additionally, he has completed the certificate program in winemaking from University of California-Davis, in an effort to improve his suggestions to winemakers.
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson has completed and passed with merit Wine Spirit Education Trust level 3, passed Italian Wine Central Level 1, and passed Napa Valley Wine Expert. He is a provisional mead judge in the BJCP and has judged in mead and wine competitions; Mead Free or Die, Domras Cup, Texas Rodeo Uncorked, and Tennessee Viticulture Oenological Society, the Domras Cup Mead Competition, the Alabama Winemakers and Grape Growers Association amateur winemaking competition.
Khadija Woods
Khadija Woods is a wine consultant and personal chef based in New Jersey. Her interest in wine was sparked in Botswana, Southern Africa where she moved after earning a journalism degree from New York University. Khadija earned her Specialist Certification and Sommelier Diploma through the International Sommelier Guild at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. Following a stint at Sharrott Winery, an award-winning winery in New Jersey’s Outer Coastal Plain, she established her wine career moving from retail wine sales, ecommerce management and inventory management to her current position as a Recommendations Specialist with Wine.com. She has served on previous wine competition judging panels to award medals and Governor’s Cup State Awards to wineries in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She is a Certified Specialist in Wine with the Society of Wine Educators and an active member of her local chapter of the American Wine Society. Khadija has been published in a number of publications, including The New Pittsburgh Courier, Air Botswana’s inflight magazine Marung, The Australaisan Journal of African Studies and Pittsburgh Magazine. She has been interviewed for publications reporting on local and regional trends in wine that include Jet Magazine and Marketwatch Report. Her report on the 2018 CapeWine Conference, titled Balancing Profit and Sustainability in the South African Wine Industry was published by the Stellenbosch University Institute for Futures Research in 2019.
