Michael Fridjhon, chairman of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, has compiled a distinguished panel of three international and six local judges, as follows:Gerard Basset MW (United Kingdom)UK-based French-born Gerard Basset was voted Decanter Man of the Year in 2013 and judged the World’s Best Sommelier of 2010. He is the only person to have qualified as a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier and to hold a Wine MBA (from Bordeaux). Gerard was appointed OBE in 2011 in acknowledgement of his mentoring a generation of young sommeliers and his contribution to the British hospitality industry. In 2013 Gerard was Vice-Chair at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards in Hong Kong and was recently appointed Honorary President of WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust).After immigrating to the UK more than 30 years ago, Gerard started his career as a restaurant waiter followed by extensive sommelier experience and training. He is a co-founder of the Hotel du Vin group and co-owner, with wife Nina, of the award-winning boutique Hotel TerraVina located outside London. Véronique Drouhin-Boss (France)Véronique is winemaker at family-owned Maison Joseph Drouhin in Burgundy, France. She supervises the vinification of wines, tracking their development and ageing through daily tastings with her brothers, Frédéric, Philippe and Laurent.Véronique received the National Diploma of Enology from the University of Dijon and obtained an advanced degree (Diplôme Supérieur de Recherche) for her work on the pinot noir grape varietal, working with Laurence Jobard, the enologist of the House from 1976 to 2005. In 1988, together with her father Robert Drouhin, she vinified the first vintage at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon where she is still in charge of wine making.Fongyee Walker (China)A graduate of Cambridge University and China's best known wine educator, Malaysian-born Fongyee Walker is a wine judge, writer and highly regarded wine authority. Her teaching experience includes lecturing at China Agricultural University, Cambridge University, Tsinghua University in Beijing and as a WSET Recommended Tutor. She is co-founder and director of Beijing-based Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting. As international wine judge Fongyee recently served as panel member of the Hong Kong International Wines and Spirits Competition, Limestone Coast Wine Show, Wines of Chile, Hawke’s Bay Wine Show, Qantas Western Australia Wine Show and Royal Melbourne Wine Show. Walker held the title as ‘Best Varsity Blind Taster’ while at Cambridge University. Fongyee has contributed to Hong Kong Tatler, The World of Fine Wine Magazine and Decanter. She was co-author of Cambridge University Blind Wine-Tasting Guide.The 2014 local judges need no introduction to the wine industry and are as follows: Trizanne Barnard (Winemaker and owner, Trizanne Signature Wines), Christian Eedes (Wine writer, founder of whatidranklastnight.co.za), James Pietersen (Head sommelier for Belthazar and Balducci's restaurants), JD Pretorius (Winemaker, Steenberg Wines), François Rautenbach (Head of Singita Premier Wine Direct programme) and Cathy van Zyl MW (Chair of Institute of Masters of Wine's education committee, lecturer).Panels comprise three judges (including one overseas juror) and an associate judge who taste over 1 000 wines ‘blind’ in the four day period. Associate judges (usually drawn from distinction graduates of the Michael Fridjhon Wine Judging Academy held in conjunction with the Graduate School of Business of the University of Cape Town) sit with each judging panel, participating in the tasting and the post-judging discussion, although their scores are not included in the final tally.An important feature of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show judging week is the annual judges’ feedback session. The invitation to attend this on Thursday 8 May at the Grande Roche hotel in Paarl is open to the wine industry at large. Seats are limited and need to be reserved by contacting the organisers.The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2014 entry kit is available in both English and Afrikaans on www.trophywineshow.co.za. Deadline for entries is 27 March and late entries will be received at the discretion of the organisers. For further information, contact Alex Mason-Gordon at OutSorceress Marketing on 011 482 5936 or alex@outsorceress.co.za.