For the past seven years, Romaric has resided in Australia, having originated from Vertus, a town in the Marne area of Champagne. His familial roots lie in winemaking, with his grandfather initiating the family business as a "Récoltant Coopérateur" in 1955. Romaric’s upbringing involved active participation in vineyard work, especially during summer breaks and harvest seasons. The significance of wine within his French culture is ingrained, often accompanying pivotal family events from a young age.

 

In pursuit of broader experiences, he ventured to Paris to study and work in the tourism industry, ultimately earning a Bachelor's degree in Tourism and Hospitality from La Sorbonne University. This phase of my his afforded him extensive travel throughout Europe, exposing Romaric to diverse cultures, cuisines, and wines. Countries such as Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, and Italy broadened his appreciation for wines beyond the traditional "Champagne."

 

Further exploration of France's various wine regions, from Alsace and Burgundy to the more unconventional Basque and Jura, followed. Subsequently, his global travels from South and North America to Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, California, and Hawaii revealed the widespread production of wine.

 

Upon settling in Australia in 2016, his connection with wine deepened, echoing his familial roots. Working at Sirromet Winery in Brisbane under Chief Winemaker Mike Hayes kindled his passion for winemaking. Subsequently, Romaric pursued formal education, obtaining a diploma in Wine Technology from GoTAFE Victoria, alongside WSET L2 and L3 certifications with distinction. Romaric currently serve as a winemaker at Kilchurn Wines, specializing in Sparkling Wines.

 

Romaric’s commitment to continuous learning is evident in his pursuit of the WSET L4 and participation as an associate judge at the Australian Sparkling Wines Show. International travels, including visits to France, Croatia, New Zealand, and Japan, enriched his understanding of different terroirs and winemaking techniques.

Although his direct work experience is primarily in Australia, he had the privilege of exploring vineyards and meeting winemakers globally. This has honed his understanding of cool climate wines from various regions.

 

As an Associate Judge, Romaric approaches wine with humility, recognizing the vastness of this industry. His daily training involves dosage trials at work and weekly tastings at home, refining his palate with tools such as "Le Nez du Vin." Romaric is eager to contribute his skills and passion to the International Cool Climate Wine Show, confident that the esteemed panel and diverse selection of wines will offer a rich learning experience.

Iryna has a passion for wine and continuously strives to broaden her knowledge in this area, having done extensive traveling worldwide to gain greater experience and to enhance the science aspect of winemaking. This allowed Iryna to work with wines from different varieties made in a wide range of styles and different wine regions. Working with Sukholymansky and Odessa Black in Ukraine, specializing in different clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Sonoma, and Italian varieties in King Valley.

​

While working as a sommelier, Iryan had the opportunity to visit the Italian wineries in Trento, Veneto, Tuscany, and Umbria, doing vintages in different countries throughout.

​

She also traveled to New Zealand, where is tasted and visited wineries in Marlborough, North Canterbury, Central Otago & Nelson.

In the USA, Iryna has traveled extensively in Sonoma & Napa County, Alexander Valley, Mendocino, and Santa Cruz.  

​

Iryna has had a wide-ranging education, covering many aspects of the wine, food and tourism industries, which includes gaining her Certificate WSET Level 3 and a Diploma from Flinders University, both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the National University of Food Technologies (Kyiv, Ukraine) as well as certificates from the University of Melbourne, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and has successfully completed other training courses along the way.

​

Her employment history within the wine and food sphere includes many roles both withing Australia, the USA, New Zealand and the Ukraine.  She currently works at King Vally Wines, here in Victoria, as a Quality Manager and Winemaker