The Grand Jury Europeen Tasters
Tastings conducted under the auspices of a legal entity
controlled by Judge M. Edwin Prudhomme


European Tasters    American Tasters


EUROPEAN TASTERS:

Gabriele Bava
Casa Bava, owned by Gabrielle and his family is one of the best wine shops in Italy. His knowledge of various Italian vineyards is exceptional.

Christophe Blanck
Freelance wine consultant, part owner of Domaine Blanck in Alsace, former wine buyer for Carrefour with extensive knowledge of wines of Europe and great tasting skills.

Neville Blech
Neville Blech is the owner of The Wine Treasury Ltd, a specialized negoce house in London, dedicated mainly to restaurants. He travels heavily around wine regions of the world and tastes everything frequently.

Didier Bureau
Didier Bureau is an exemplary and modern Head Sommelier currently in charge of Champagne Duval-Leroy in Paris. His knowledge of the Loire region is renowned and he is a member of the "Revue du Vin de France" wine tasting committee.

Bernard Burtschy
Professor of statistics and regular contributor to the Revue du Vin de France, Bernard Burtschy is the winner of the first EuroCave tasting trophy of the Grand Jury Européen (GJE). He is also a member of the "Revue du Vin de France" wine tasting committee. He is responsible for developing the statistical analysis computer tool used to score the wines.

Sebastiano Castiglioni
Owner of Querciabella in Tuscany and accomplished winemaker in his own right, Sebastiano now spends much time in the United States pursuing other interests in the world of wine. Known for his superb collection and wine savvy.

Stéphane Derenoncourt
Stéphane Derenoncourt is the wine maker at such highly renowned Châteaux as Prieuré Lichine, Canon La Gaffelière, Clos de L'Oratorie and La Mondotte. He also owns his own vineyard, Domaine de l'A, in the Cotes de Castillon denomination. His approach on wines is a wonderful mix of passion and technology.

Abi Duhr
One of the best wine producers of Luxembourg, passionate lover of "grands vins". He is also an oenologist. Professor at the Diekirch Hotel School and responsible for the family vineyard in Luxembourg.

Otto Geisel
Proprietor of the hotel "Victoria" in Bad-Mergentheim, Germany. He contributes to the Feinschmecker Deutsch magazine.

Jean-Pierre Giraud
Commercial Manager of Tonnellerie Taransaud, the leading barrel maker in the world, Jean-Pierre Giraud is continuously on the road to visit the best wine properties in the world. Nobody can match his ability to find qualities and defaults in wood and barriques (barrels).

Ronald de Groot
Editor of the Perwinjs magazine in Holland. Ronald de Groot is always traveling around the world in various wine areas such as Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa in search of material and tasting notes for his excellent and educated wine magazine.

Louis Havaux
Louis Havaux is the founder of the "Revue Belge des Vins" and is often invited to the most prestigious tasting events. He is also the president of the International Federation of Wine Journalist and Writers. He is the founder of the Mondial du Vin, annual show in Brussels.

Wolfango Jezek
Not only does Wolfango Jezek produce the best Italian olive oil in Sicily, but his passion for great wines has pushed him into establishing a vineyard in Sicily where he plans to produce quality wines.

Laurence Mortet
Wife of the famous Denis Mortet, the leading Gevrey-Chambertin producer in Burgundy, Laurence Mortet is second to none when tasting Pinot Noir wines. Her ability to taste other great wines matches what she does for burgundy wines. An exceptional palate.

Bill Paterson
Superb wine collector for decades, Bill Paterson now concentrates on the philantropic side of the realm. He is known for his exquisite palate and sense of picking out great wines.

Joël Payne
An American journalist living in Germany for the past ten years. Joël Payne is co-author (with Armin Diel) of the annual Gault et Millau guide to German wines, considered the bible of German wine.

Jacques Perrin
Jacques Perrin, founder of the Swiss Wine Club and wine merchants "Cave SA" endeavors to give his customers value for money. He is also the editor of the Swiss magazine "Vinifera".

Olivier Poussier
Crowned Best Sommelier in the World 2000 (Montréal, Canada), Olivier Poussier already was a renowned Sommelier, currently working for the Le Nôtre group in Paris.

Patrick Regamey
Doctor Regamey's passion for wine led him to become a winemaker and he produces some excellent wines at his small vineyard in Sézegnin, Switzerland. He has a passion for tasting, an exceptional palate memory and is part of the core group of tasters of the GJE.

Luciano Sandrone Famous Italian wine producer from Piedmonte, making one of the most profound Barolos of all time, the legendary Cannubi Boschis. Is clearly a specialist in the field of winemaking and has a lifetime of superb knowledge and tasting skills behind him.

Harald Schmierer
Harald Schmierer's passion for wine led him to travel Europe for ten years in order to learn about the arts of making and tasting wine from the experts. He has good technical knowledge and is a well developed taster.

Pierre Seguin
Presently Wine & Spirits Director for the Cirque du Soleil, with extensive knowledge of wine, taster extraordinaire and in charge of purchasing the fine wines for the Cirque du Soleil worldwide.

Victor de la Serna
Journalist and wine editor of El Mundo, Spain's largest newspaper. Also great wine amateur and collector, member of the Grand Jury and enthusiastic proponent of the panel tasting system.

Jacques Thorel
Chef/Proprietor of 2 Michelin star restaurant "L'Auberge Bretonne", Jacques Thorel's wine list includes wines from Gaja, Hungarian Tokays and some rare Australian wines as well as some of the best wines from Alsace. Very specialized palate.


AMERICAN TASTERS:

Robert Balzer
Leading Wine Journalist in America for over 60 years, making his debut in 1937 in the Beverly Hills Citizen, Robert Balzer is one of the most respected voices on wine in the US. Has written 12 books on wine and is now writing his autobiography to be published by Abrams.

Dan Berger
Americas most widely read wine columnist, Dan Berger is syndicated nationally by the Copley News Service. Weekly wine columnist for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and frequent judge at major wine competitions around the world.

Fred Dame, M.S.
Fred Dame is currently a Vice President of Seagram's Group; previously the Sommelier of The Sardine Factory in Monterrey and a very fine taster of wines.

Paul Ellis
Currently Hotel Sommelier for the MGM Grand, Paul Ellis has a long list of great wine tastings behind him. He overseas a complex wine program for the largest hotel in the world and has extensive wine knowledge.

Doug Frost, M.W., M.S.
One of only 3 people in the world to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, Doug Frost is also a well known author, wine columnist for the Kansas City Star and a spokesperson for the Wines of Spain.

Stephen Geddes, M.S.
Master Sommelier and founder of the wine program at Charlie Palmer's famous restaurant Aureole in Las Vegas, he now devotes his time to wine consulting in San Francisco.

Joshua Greene
Publisher of Wine & Spirits Magazine, one of the most respected wine publications in the United States. Joshua Greene frequently travels and covers the greatest stories in the world of wine and is an accomplished wine taster.

Ira Harmon, M.S.
Master Sommelier and wine distributor executive, Ira Harmon has been involved actively with wine eductaion for the better part of 2 decades. His knowledge of North American wines is extensive and he is a composed and meticulous taster.

Greg Harrington, M.S.
Wine Director of the Spago Group, Wolfgang Puck's famous restaurant chain and also a Master Sommelier, Greg Harrington is known for his unusual choices of wines for the many different wine lists in the restaurant group.

Jay James, M.S.
Wine Director of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Jay James is a Master Sommelier and as head of the largest single wine account in the world, has plenty of opportunity to fine-tune his excellent palate.

Louis Kapcsandy
Currently Chief Executive Officer of Baugh Enterprises, Inc., one of the largest construction firms in the USA. Lou Kapcsandy also devotes much time to his latest ventures as Proprietor of Grand Cru Imports in Seattle and State Lane Vineyard in Napa. He has over 40 years of wine tasting experience and a superb wine collection.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz
Chairman of The Wine Institute of Las Vegas and the premier wine consultant in Nevada, Gil Lempert-Schwarz also writes for the Las Vegas Review Journal and Las Vegas Magazine. He is an organizer of the Grand Jury Europeen Las Vegas Sessions.

Archie McLaren
Founder & Executive Director of the KCBX Central Coast Wine Classic, Archie McLaren is a living legend among the winemakers and growers in California. Tremendous knowledge paired with deep friendships among the world's great winemakers, makes his tasting contributions invaluable.

Michael Mondavi
Chairman of Robert Mondavi Vineyards, a publicly listed company and an integral part of American's premier winemaking family, Michael Mondavi has now taken over the duties of his famous father and just launched the new To Kalon vineyard project.

Ron Mumford, M.S.
General Sales Manager of Battle Born Distributing, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada's fine wine division, Ron Mumford is also a Master Sommelier, wine educator and known for his encyclopedic knowledge of anything wine.

Joe Spellman, M.S.
A Master Sommelier, educator and special projects coordinator for Paterno Imports, Joe Spellman lives and breathes wine. He was previously the Sommelier for Charlie Trotter's famous restaurant and a past winner of Sopexa Wines of France competition.

Larry Stone, M.S.
Sommelier of the famous Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco, Larry Stone runs one of the most extensive and successful wine programs in the country. He is known for his skills in wine tasting and is the first American to win the Sopexa Wines of France competition.

Ronn Wiegand, M.W., M.S.
Another one of only 3 people in the world to hold the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles simultaneously, Ronn Wiegand is a premier wine consultant and publisher of the acclaimed wine newsletter, Restaurant Wine.




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