Judges

Senior Judges

Sue Jones

Owner

The Harrow at Little Bedwyn

Sue bought The Harrow at Little Bedwyn with her husband Roger in December 1998. They created a destination restaurant in the countryside majoring on the finest food, a substantial amount of wines (most recently 900) and professional but relaxed service. Sue ran the front of house team at The Harrow and over the last 10 years, developed and run annual events such as the Tri-Nations Wine Challenge, the Mamba Awards and the World Sparkling Challenge at The Harrow and all over the world. The restaurant shut in March 2020 to allow Sue to pursue other challenges, but food and wine remain very close to her heart.

Panel Judges

Sam Weatherill

Restaurant Manager & Sommelier

Etch. by Steven Edwards

Sam was born and raised in Brighton and holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine, is a certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers & is also an associate member of the Academy of Cheese. He has previously been a judge with the Sommelier Wine Awards in 2020, and has also featured on 67 Pall Mall TV's 'The Perfect Match’. At etch by Steven Edwards Sam curates the wine list wine pairings and is constantly sourcing exciting new wines, focussing on a mixture of classic regions, as well as exciting under the radar gems, with sustainability a core feature of the list.

Savvas Symeonidis

Head of Wine

Gordon Ramsey Restaurants

Athens born, I discontinued my medical studies in the relevant faculty in Athens, whilst working in some of the best restaurants of Greece, to follow my passion in the wine industry. I started building my knowledge in wine and spirits at WSPC in Athens. In 2013 I moved in Henry the VIII's castle outside Bristol, England, where I was in charge of the restaurant and cellar. When I was ready, I settled in London, working in the best restaurants in the world in the heart of the wine business, focusing on Indian cuisine. After the pandemic, I had the opportunity to travel to various locations in the world for work, with a focus on Asian gastronomy. Having a great love and respect for Japanese culture, I also started getting into sake professionally. Today, I continue this journey as Head of Wine for one of the most well-recognised and successful groups in hospitality worldwide.