Paul has been in the wine industry for over the past 25 years. In 2005 Paul moved his operations to the Mornington Peninsula and over the next 11 years developed the largest Wine, Beer and Cider distribution business, Whitehill Wine Distributors on the Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine Peninsula and West Coast. His key to success has always been having a “hands on approach” with his clients, talking through their specific needs and offering extensive knowledge on his portfolio including food matching and wine list development for degustation menus. In 2016 the business was sold to a great team, James, Clare and Dylan who now call the business “Four Pours”. His daughter, Katrina took over the Bellarine and West Coast regions.

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Paul has been involved with all aspects of the International Cool Climate Wine Show (ICCWS), initially as a steward, then an associate judge and now a judge.

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“The ICCWS is by far the best wine show of its type in Australia and it is an honour to be involved with, the calibre of the judges, the venue, the great number of entrants and most of all reviewing Cool Climate wines is just so rewarding.”

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Paul, having been in a range of businesses for 40 years, brings to the Chairmanship a great wealth of skills and knowledge.

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More recently, he has been invited to Italy to review wines and attend various show in Florence and other regions.

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Paul  now has the time to be able to consult to boutique wineries, both locally and in Europe, to arrange marketing, import and distribution of their wines.

Kevin's first formal introduction to wine was with a Wine Tasting Class undertaken by Jenny Polack in the late 90’s. Since then he has taken many opportunities to better appreciate wines in general but particularly, cool climate wines.

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Kevin is very happy to be combining with such an enthusiastic Committee of Management and Event Managers to:

• Provide a wine show where local producers can compare their wines against other cool climate wines from around the world

• Provide opportunities to further promote the importance of cool climate wines in the wine industry

• Provide opportunities to enable individuals to participate in Wine Show Judging at all levels

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Kevin was awarded Life Membership to the ICCWS in June 2019.

Caroline came to the ICCWS through her involvement as the Treasurer for the Red Hill Agricultural & Horticultural Show.  She has been involved with the ICCWS now since 2004.  Caroline has filled many roles within the ICCWS, including being a Committee Member, Treasurer, Secretary, Social Media Manager and now Website Manager,  

Caroline has enjoyed being involved with many of the sub-committees and helps plan and run the public events.  She has even found a new skill in drying glasses!

Along with holding a Marketing Degree, and running her own business for over 20 years, Caroline's current experience with social media / information systems, and her past involvement as a Treasurer, not only with the Red Hill Show, but also for the local Bendigo Bank Board (where she was also a Director and Company Secretary) means she is able to bring many different skills to the COM.

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Caroline was awarded Life Membership to the ICCWS in June 2019.

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Caroline is self-employed, working in Social Media & Business Management for several private clients.

In 1999, a group of visionary members of the Red Hill Agricultural & Horticultural Society, the MPVA and other like minded people, established the Cool Climate Wine Show on the Mornington Peninsula, with the stated aims to raise the profile of cool climate wines; compare “like with like” in an open, fair competition format and emphasise the styles predominantly produced from grapes grown in cool climates.

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Involved from the initial planning of the event, Liz was the President of the first Committee which also included experienced wine interests and the expertise of professional event managers.

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Liz has continued her association with the Wine Show to this day as a Committee Member, Chairman, current Secretary and, equally importantly, behind the scenes washing glasses at the event.  Her formal qualifications are in Advertising Art and Journalism.

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Liz has had a lifetime of involvement with local community organisations concerned with care for the environment; social welfare; pre-school and school Councils; local events, the Show Horse Council of Victoria and the Red Hill Show.

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She has worked for Public Relations companies; the Royal Children’s Hospital; as the Development Officer for St Paul’s School “Minimbah” and “Woodleigh” and in the Electorate Office of the local MP.

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Liz is proud of the solid contribution the ICCWS has made to the Mornington Peninsula wine industry, visitation to the Peninsula and the broader wine loving community.

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Liz was awarded Life Membership to the ICCWS in September 2018. 

Neil is a passionate wine student of over 40 years. He has a significant collection of wine from around Australia and is the producer and co-host of RPPFM radio show Wine O’Clock which is part of the Tuesday breakfast radio show.

Wine O'Clock has been running for four years now and sees Neil interview wine makers and prominent members of the wine industry. Recently, Neil has written and produced some of the stations video productions on the local wine industry.

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He is a researcher into the wine industry that follows several decades of leadership in education.  He is looking forward to getting involved with the International Cool Climate Wine Show. 

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Frank has had experience across many differing areas.  However the experience he brings to our committee of management steams from his 28 years being the owner/manager of delicatessens & restaurants, numerous years across other areas of the hospitality field, including bars, hotels and reception centres.  

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Frank has also been a valuable steward for our event for numerous years now, and his involvement with the ICCWS goes back further, when he would host our judges dinners in his wonderful local restaurant "La Monica's" and even provided private catering for different ICCWS functions.  Frank is fluent in Italian and is hoping to assist with bring more Italian wine entries into our event.

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Frank is looking forward to his involvement on the COM.

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Originally from France, Daniel’s connection to the wine industry began at an early age with regular trips to wineries with his Dad. He has 35 yr’s experience with the Hospitality Industry, working closely with Australia’s top chefs as a gourmet produce supplier. He has 30 years’ experience in organic farming as a certified Biodynamic producer (Grade A Demeter) between 1988 and 2018. 

Daniel has been recognised as a contributor to Australia’s fine food revolution. His dedication and enthusiasm to showcase the quality of Australian produce has been praised by visiting French Chefs. He is treasurer of the SPW&FS, and has been actively involved with the ICCWS for the last 2 years.  After 40 years in Australia, he fully appreciates the quality of the wine produced here, especially on the Mornington Peninsula. He is looking forward to contributing to the further development of the ICCWS image in Australia and internationally.

Paramdeep and his wife, Nirmal, own Nazaaray Estate, here on the Mornington Peninsula.  They started their Australian journey in 1981. Paramdeep was 30 years old when he tasted his first glass of French Champagne on the flight over to Australia from India.  His  interest was immediately piqued, but at that stage he never dreamt that one day his own wines would be served at some of Australia's best restaurant tables.  They bought 50 acres of cattle farming land on the Mornington Peninsula in 1991.

In 1996 Paramdeep planted 10 rows of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris (he was one of the pioneers of this variety in Australia), Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling. He tried different trellising methods and vine spacing, and buried himself in research about cool climate varieties.

Paramdeep is one of only a handful of Indian winemakers in Australia, and one of the few winemakers on the Mornington Peninsula who make their own wine on their own premises.

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As a past and current entrant in the International Cool Climate Wine Show, and the winner of our People's Choice Award 2 years running, he brings a fantastic wealth of knowledge and an "entrant's perspective" to our discussions, that is greatly valued.  

David Stuart started his wine career at Majestic wine in the UK as an assistant manger. This experience lead to study trips in Champagne and Rioja whilst completing WSET 2 & 3. Whilst in the UK David completed a “Principles of Vineyard Management” at Plumpton Agricultural College. Over the last ten years worked alongside some of Victoria’s greatest winemakers. He brings a wealth of wine & retail knowledge to lead a passionate cellar door team focused on a delivering an exceptional experience. David and his team provide a relaxed environment for every customer to experience the estate grown, hand-picked wines Pt. Leo Estate produces.

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He has led cellar door teams at notable Victorian wineries including Taltani, Scotchmans Hill and Domaine Chandon. David has studied with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and in 2009 completed the Advanced Wine Assessment Course at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide.

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In 2019, David was one of our judges and we now welcome him to our Committee of Management.

Darren Wilcock plunged into the world of wine because of a fascination with its unending complexity. He quickly gained valuable experience with Mornington Peninsula’s Elgee Park and Baillieu vineyards.

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Now conducting tastings at the Merricks General Wine Store as their creative and charismatic cellar door manager, Darren is actively pursuing further study and attending wine-related events such as the AWRI Sparkling Wine Symposium.

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His knowledge of the industry is also being further nurtured through continual dialogue and hands-on experience with many regional vineyards and winemakers.

Originating from hotel management and contemporary fine dining, Darren has acquired experience with boutique businesses including the Drake Hotel, Toronto, Canada and Montalto Vineyard Mornington Peninsula. 

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Bilingual in Spanish and English, Darren has traveled to 36 countries, spanning 20 years. This exposure to different cultures means he finds it easy to connect with people, both on a personal level and during his various public-speaking engagements.

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Darren is looking forward to contributing to the International Cool Climate Wine Show in any way that he can, seeing it as a great way to both benchmark and promote our regional wines as well as continue to put Australian wine producers on the map.

Will has been working in hospitality for over thirty-five years.  Starting at the Greater Union Russell street cinemas in the early 1980's, ending up as Candy Bar/Merchandising Manager. This led to becoming the Duty Manager Cinema Nova for three years.  Will was then approached by the management from the Frankston RSL to assist with the relaunch of the bistro in 2006 and then Cracked Pepper in 2012.  During this time with the RSL he was promoted to Beverage Manager, where his true passion for wine began. 

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Paul White was a terrific mentor and suggested that Will experience wine making from the ground up. Will went to wineries and got his “hands dirty” learning as much as he could about viticulture and to explore all aspects of wine making. This included Master Classes with Sommeliers Australia, The Wine Society, Armadale Cellars and various wine courses.

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Travel is also one of his great passions - this of course includes wine. One of the highlights of his last European trip was a visit to Budapest where he did a course on Hungarian wine.

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Will is currently working at the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery Café, which sees him cover many different areas within the café which is wonderful.  

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Will has enjoyed being a wine steward for the International Cool Climate Wine Show for a few years now, and was thrilled to be invited to make the move into the ICCWS Inc COM.  He is looking forward to what this role will give him and what he can bring to it.