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The Competition | Organizers | Judges | Gala Dinner | Press Room
Judges are experienced wine professionals from around the country representing importers, producers, hoteliers, restauraters, journalists and wine consultants. As chairman, Steven Spurrier will ensure that the wines are judged impartially. Importers and producers will not judge their own wines. Read the judging procedure for more details.

Steven Spurrier Steven Spurrier is a renowned wine expert and Chairman of the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Japan Wine Challenge, the two largest wine competitions in the world and Asia, respectively. He is also Chairman of The Wine Society of India. In addition, he is a member of the Advisory Council of Sommelier India – The Wine Magazine.
Rahul Akerkar Rahul Akerkar is the MD and Director of Cuisine of deGustibus Hospitality, the owner of Indigo restaurant. Based in Mumbai Akerkar's Indigo has been recognized as the first Indian restaurant to win the Wine Spectator Award, which it has won every year since 2000.
Gautam Anand Gautam Anand is Vice-President, Hotels Division, ITC, New Delhi. Gautam enjoys the fine cuisine of India and Japan and has had an enduring love affair with Champagne and wine which translated into enhancing ITC Hotels’ wine programme. As editorial director of Zest Magazine and the Zest Lounge, Gautam continues to contribute extensively to the wine ecosystem of ITC hotels.
David Banford David Banford pioneered the introduction of direct marketing of wine in the US with the launch of The Wine Society of America in 1986, which grew to become the largest wine club in the US and floated on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 1991. He is the Director of The Wine Society of India.
Alok Chandra Alok Chandra is an independent wine consultant whose company Gryphon Brands Inc focuses on Wine: Knowledge, Research, Projects and Marketing. He is a veteran of the Indian alcoholic beverages industry having worked for The UB Group (1982 – 95) and International Distillers India (now Diageo India) as head of the latter’s wine division (1995 – 2000).
Kavita Faiella Kavita Faiella is a third level Master Sommelier and the Cellar Master of Hotel Aman in Delhi. Prior to that she was the Head Sommelier of the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa Rangali Island.
Nitesh Gandhi Nitesh Gandhi is the Executive Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage at the new Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai. An alumnus of The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development, Nitesh has been a part of the pre-opening team at The Oberoi, Udaivilas and Trident, Gurgaon. Widely  travelled studying the finer nuances of wine and wine production in Europe, Nitesh is actively involved in the wine and spirit portfolio of the hotel.
Sonal Holland Sonal Holland is a professional wine educator, consultant and writer. Qualified at London from WSET, she is the founder of Sonal Holland Wine Academy which organises WSET certified wine education courses and wine tastings for professionals and enthusiasts including members of the Wine Society of India. Her unrelenting vision is to be India’s first Master of Wine.
Abhay Kewadkar Abhay Kewadkar is Chief Winemaker and Business Head (Wines) of the UB Group and a Director at Four Seasons Wines Ltd. Prior to joining the UB Group he was Chief Winemaker and Vice President at Grover Vineyards Ltd.
Sanjay Menon Sanjay Menon is the proprietor of Sonary's, and founder of the KBR School of Wine that runs WSET courses around the country. He has been recognized in Decanter's bi-annual Power List 2009.
Alejandro Oritz Alejandro Ortiz is the Global Cellarmaster and Group Food and Beverage Manager for Aman Resorts and has developed wine and spirits programmes at Aman Resorts around the world. He is currently based in Delhi.
Mukund Padmanabhan Mukund Padmanabhan is the Senior Associate Editor of The Hindu. He oversees the newspaper's city supplements, writes editorials and a widely read fortnightly wine column. He is a founding member of Terroir, the Madras Wine Club.
Vir Sanghvi Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times and one of India's leading print and TV journalists, Vir Sanghvi is a foodie who loves wine. Hugely influential, his Rude Food column in Brunch, Hindustan Times’ Sunday magazine, and A Matter of Taste, the TV version on the Discovery Travel & Living channel have made Sanghvi internationally known.
Harshal Shah Harshal Shah is a sommelier, wine consultant and writer. He is consultant sommelier to restaurants and hotels and advises wine importers in India as well as wineries outside India, providing market intelligence about the Indian wine market. He is enrolled in the WSET Diploma with a view to entering the Master of Wine programme.
Aman Sharma Aman Sharma is Manager - Corporate, F&B, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Mumbai. A recipient of the Robert Parker scholarship in 2006 he was the first Indian to become a Certified Wine Professional from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, California. He drives the Wine Programme for the Taj Group of Hotels.
Ajoy Shaw Ajoy Shaw is Chief Winemaker at Sula Vineyards. A Biotechnologist with a Diploma in Wines and Spirits from WSET London, Shaw has represented India as a judge in several International Wine Challenges and is also an Associate member of the Institute of Wines and Spirits, London.
Magandeep Singh Magandeep Singh is an F&B consultant, writer and educator. He is India’s first French certified sommelier and has opened the Institute of Wine and Beverage Studies (IWBS) in Delhi.
Craig W. Wedge Wine consultant and writer, Craig W. Wedge is Sr. Vice President Branding and Business Development – FineWinesnMore, Mumbai. Prior to this he was the wine consultant for The Marriot Hotels across Asia based in India.
  Also learn about the Sommelier India Wine Competition Organizers.