Current Judges
Tanja Wright, DipWSET (Head Judge)
Tanja is an independent wine merchant based on North Norfolk.
She studied for the Diploma at WSET in London & after working in London, returned home to East Anglia.
Passionate about supporting small producers, finding off-piste wines & something a little different, often from up & coming or emerging wine regions, for her clients
Being a farmers’ daughter she is also keen to know that the wines are made to the high standards of viticulture & vinification, followed here in this country by agriculture.
Tanja enjoys food & wine pairing, working alongside chefs and doing tutored wine tastings for clients.
She is judging for Wine GB East for the fourth time, regarding it a real privilege & honour. Tanja returns as head judge and is very grateful for the opportunity after missing last year due to hospitalisation.
Janne (“Janna”) Hallinan, DipWSET
Based in Suffolk, Janna is a wine educator, presenter, writer & judge. Founder of How2EnjoyWine & The English Wine Academy,
Janna did not come from a wine background. She only discovered her passion for wine when she joined a wine loving friend on a course.
Understanding how difficult it can be to navigate wine, her approach is to provide courses, tastings & videos suitable for all, from home enthusiast to connoisseur.
She presents food & wine pairing videos on YouTube@how2enjoywine. She develops and presents courses for The English Wine Academy on English Wines, new wine regions, changing wine styles & sustainability.
She is a member of the WineGB East Committee. Winner of the 2023 WineGB East Guy Howard award.
She is working with WineGB on developing wine tourism in East Anglia and across the UK.
James Long, DipWSET
Following a few years in the family turkey business in Suffolk, James worked on a vineyard in Switzerland which confirmed his great interest in the wine trade which continues to today, some fifty years later!
Working in the retail world, as a wine buyer and a salesman to hotels and restaurants. With private clients in the horse racing world in Newmarket, he retired from Corney & Barrow Ltd after over thirty years.
He is now a wine consultant concentrating on hosting wine tasting events and sorting out wine cellars for private customers.
For several years he was a judge of the Wine of the Year on behalf of The East Anglian Wine Growers Association. He is delighted to be returning as a judge for WineGB East.
Matt Hodgson
Matt of Grape Britannia is based in Cambridge. He created Grape Britannia after a career in Accountancy, with the aim of championing retailing of English wines.
Grape Britannia is the winner of the Decanter Retailer Award for Best English & Wine Specialist in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Matt gained the 2022 Wine GB East Guy Howard award for promoting East Anglian wines, and is delighted to be returning as a judge for WineGB East.
Past Judges
Jeremy Dunn, DipWSET
Jeremy is the owner and Chief Wine Tutor of Norfolk Wine School.
He started his career in the wine industry in his early 20’s. WSET Diploma holder and certified wine educator, his wine career has taken him around the wine regions of the world including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Australia, and California.
He loves sharing the stories behind the wines he has tasted, encouraging people to explore the wonderful world of wine.