Alun Griffiths MW, DWWA Regional Chair
Alun Griffiths MW brings over 35 years of experience to the wine industry, with career highlights including senior roles at Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and as wine director at Berry Bros & Rudd.
His passion for wine began during his university years, where a year in France ignited a deep appreciation for viticulture. In 1991, Griffiths achieved the prestigious Master of Wine title on his first attempt, earning the esteemed Madame Bollinger Medal for exceptional blind tasting skills.
Currently, he serves as non-executive chairman of Thorman Hunt & Co. Ltd, director at First Choice Wines and co-founder of The Old Vine Conference, a non-profit dedicated to preserving historic vineyards.
This May Griffiths returns to Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) judging week in his new role as the joint Regional Chair for Bordeaux alongside Matthew Stubbs MW.
With DWWA 2025 entries closing on 18 March, we caught up with Griffiths to reflect on his inspiring journey and his thoughts on the evolving world of wine.
What sparked your interest in wine?
I studied French at university and as part of the course I was required to spend a year in France. I was sent to Nantes in the Loire Valley and it was here that I really began to take a keen interest in wine, not just the consumption of it, but also how it was made and what role it played in people’s lives.
I love seafood, which, of course, is prevalent in Nantes, and I consumed a large amount of Muscadet while tasting it. That proved to be the trigger for me to acquire more knowledge.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in the wine industry so far?
The importance of service.
It is a very competitive industry and consumers have plenty of choices as to where to buy any wine. Nobody has a monopoly, and comparing prices is easy for consumers through the internet. I have been fortunate to work in some prestigious merchants with impressive wine portfolios, but even there it was possible for customers to buy the same products more cheaply elsewhere, so providing a high degree of personal, well-informed service became the key means to differentiate our offer.
In a world where human contact is ever less frequent when conducting trade, I believe that consumers will always favour merchants who can offer a superior service.
Which wine producing region or varieties would you encourage people to explore more of?
The Loire Valley. Climate change is helping the Loire, always a somewhat marginal region climatically, to achieve more consistent ripeness. With the price of top white Burgundy going beyond the reach of most consumers I would point to the quality of wine produced from Chenin Blanc and Anjou.
Great Savennieres has immense ageing potential and yet is still highly affordable. Even more noteworthy is the quality of the red Loire wines; the leafy, under-ripe, green pepper notes of the past are increasingly giving way to beautiful, fresh, red-fruit scented wines from the Cabernet Franc grape.
What do you find exciting in the wine world right now?
The emergence of ‘new’ regions such as Turkey, the Balkans and Eastern Europe. They have been making wine there for centuries but they are only now receiving due recognition.
A few years ago, when I was a judge at DWWA, I was asked to go and sit on the panel judging Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Europe. My knowledge of those regions was far from deep so I approached the task with trepidation but also an open mind. I was truly astonished by the quality of wines whose names I could scarcely pronounce and of which I had hardly heard.
What are your favourite Bordeaux vintages and why?
I always favour elegance and finesse in wines rather than power and opulence, so my favourite vintages are those with balance and freshness. 1996 on the Left Bank, 2001 on the Right Bank, 2010, 2016 and 2019. Of course I enjoy the great, revered years such as 2005 and 2009, but my favourites are those where the Cabernets are…
Source : https://www.decanter.com/decanter-world-wine-awards/meet-the-judges-qa-with-alun-griffiths-mw-547045/
