Matt Wilkin has travelled the globe for over 30 years immersing himself in all facets of the industry; from humble beginnings in McLaren Vale before venturing further afield to the UK (1998) following a number of years working in hospitality & wineries throughout Australia & France.

He is South Australia’s 1st Master Sommelier (one of 274 globally), along with Australia’s only Sommelier to win UK ASI Sommelier of the Year Title (2005). He’s held a variety of prestigious roles including Executive Sommelier Capital Hotel (** Michelin), where he oversaw purchasing, training, tastings & cellar management for 6 operations. He jointly owns London-based H2Vin specialising in Loire, Burgundy, Rhône, Spain & Sth Africa. Matt also consults several restaurants, educates & adjudicates for the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Worldwide, assists as a regular Judge for Sommelier Competitions, TEXSOM IWA, IWSC and DWWA.

His dedication has been recognised through high profile Awards & Achievements: Gosset Trophée Cèlébris UK 2002, Wine Intl. Sommelier of Year 2002, Harpers & Queen/Moët & Chandon UK Sommelier of Year 2002, Hunters & Frankau Cigar Travel Award Scholarship 2002, Habanos Cuba Intl. Concurso Cigar Sommelier 2003 (2nd Place Internationally), WSET Diploma, Dom Perignon Award of Excellence 2004 and Young Australian Achiever of the Year UK 2009.

DWWA Judge Profile

TEXSOM Judge Profile

matt@h2vin.co.uk

Hailing from the Rhône Valley in France Christian Honorez was no doubt destined for a career in quality wine, one which took him from the roots of the catering industry as a chef at Lou Miradou (Cavaillon, 2 Michelin forks) which he bought in 1978 and cooked until 1983.

Christian then went on to study wine in 1984 before moving to the UK in May 85 where he started working in the wine trade. In 1988 he created H&H wines which sold to Bancroft in late 99 where he continued on in his capacity as head wine buyer. To this day Christian has more than 25 years’ experience in bringing quality wines to top restaurants and hotels across the UK.

Such is his recognition for skill in sourcing quality wines that he judged for many years at the IWC, and has been requested on the Decanter World Wine Awards judging panels annually since 2005 as a consistent reference due to his tasting capabilities.

DWWA Judge Profile

IWSC Judge Profile

christian@h2vin.co.uk

Having been introduced to wine from a young age through both her Uncle and time spent at the family house near Chablis, Georgie quickly fell in love with the world of wine. Fast forward a few years she joined Oakman Inns to learn about all aspects of the hospitality business and completed their ‘Graduate Management Scheme’. In 2019 she joined Bibendum Wine where she spent over 4 years in the London Sales Team. Near to completing her WSET Diploma, Georgie joins H2Vin as our National Trade Sales Manager.

georgie@h2vin.co.uk

First introduced to fine wine during a university year working in the Jurançon region of south-west France, Jo Burns returned to London keen to turn his sweet wine dissertation into a full-time career.
Having followed the tried-and-tested Oddbins apprenticeship at several flagship fine wine stores, he progressed from cellar to retail manager for the award-winning La Réserve independent chain (now part of the Jeroboams group), where he bought his first bottle of burgundy from Christian Honorez (H2Vin), then moving into wine broking at Fine & Rare Wines, before an extended time at Ten-Acre Wines Limited organising all aspects of the selection, purchase and delivery of high-quality estates from across Europe and beyond. His twenty years’ experience of high-level customer service to private clients, brokers and independent retail are now put to good use at H2Vin, having joined the team in summer 2021.
He holds the WSET Diploma and tries to improve his pruning skills as a regular volunteer at London’s Forty Hall Vineyard.

A change of career from finance to wine was a big challenge for Sujia after she realised her life passion is wine. First, she took a Diploma in Wine and Gastronomy at Le Cordon Bleu in London, researching the many wine regions and styles from around the world. H2Vin was Sujia’s first wine industry job following an internship role in H2Vin. After a short time in H2Vin, she moved back to China to set up her own distribution & trade wine company. She specialised in hosting wine events, designing wine menus for restaurants, training staff in wine for restaurants, and serviced private clients as a wine consultant. During her 2 years in China, Sujia rapidly built good relationships with many wine contacts. She was also a shareholder in an iconic independent wine shop in central Shanghai. For family reasons she moved back to London, and as her past internship experience was at in H2Vin, where she valued the company’s core values and team, she’s re-joined the company as our Sales Support Coordinator. She holds a WSET Level 3 qualification and plans to study the WSET Diploma further!