Judges
Judges for the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards are selected from across Australia and are engaged based on their exceptional industry knowledge and expertise.
Judges are sourced from a broad base and include leading Australian winemakers, wine journalists, wine buyers, distributors and fine wine retailers.
Entries are blind tasted and judged on their own merits (see ‘Judging Process’ in the Entry Booklet for details. To ensure the anonymity of the Exhibit and to protect the integrity of the judging process, entries are allocated a tasting order number, separate from the Catalogue (Exhibit) Number.
Chair of Judges - Melanie Chester
Ms Chester is the Head of Winemaking and Vineyards at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley, working with the unique single vineyards in its portfolio.
Armed with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Adelaide, Ms Chester started as a winemaker at Seppelt at Great Western, working across a diverse range of brands before joining Sutton Grange Winery in Central Victoria as the Chief Winemaker in 2015. In the same year she was named Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine's Young Winemaker of the Year.
