Meet our Tastebuds ...
Our Tastebuds are a team of wine professionals with many years wine experience and expertise. Our Tastebuds make sure you get the best quality and value, every time.
All wines are tasted and judged using Australian Wine Show criteria, and only those that achieve points equivalent to a Bronze medal score or higher make it through the selection process. It’s with pleasure and passion that our Tastebuds bring these wines to you.
Mark Robertson - Tastebuds Chairman, Winemaker & Wine Judge
With more than 25 years of winemaking experience, Mark has crafted scores of trophy and award-winning wines in Australia and New Zealand, and even France.
As Chief Winemaker for Matua Valley Wines in New Zealand he collected many prestigious awards, including Australasian Winestate Magazine NZ Winemaker of the Year and World’s Best Chardonnay at the 2002 London International Wine and Spirit Competition.
It’s not surprising, then, to learn Mark is also a respected International and Australian Wine Show Judge.
Meg Brodtmann - Master of Wine
Meg holds the ultimate wine industry qualification: a Master of Wine. It’s a distinction so rare
and difficult to achieve that in its 55-year history there have been less than 289 Masters of Wine worldwide, and of those, only 18 in Australia. In fact, Meg is one of only two Australian female Masters of Wine.
If that isn’t impressive enough, Meg is also a trophy-winning winemaker and an International and Australian Wine Show Judge. She brings a world of experience to the panel – her passion for wine has flourished thanks to stints in France, Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Hungary, Romania and of course, Australia.
Jo Gear - Trophy-winning winemaker
Following an early passion for wine, Jo worked as a cellar hand in Hawkes Bay with Corbans in the 1990s, then went on to complete a postgraduate diploma in Viticulture and Oeneology.
Jo worked a vintage in California before returning to work for Matua Valley Wines from 2001–2005. Jo is currently responsible for crafting wines from premier regions such as Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne. Highlight awards include a trophy for Matua Valley Shingle Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2005 and a 93-point Wine Spectator score for Matua Valley Paretai Sauvignon Blanc 2005.
Mike DeGaris - Winemaker, Wine Judge, Wine Consultant
After graduating from Roseworthy College in 1980 with a B.Sc (Oenology), Mike DeGaris began his career as Assistant Winemaker at Tyrrell’s in the Hunter Valley, eventually moving to the position of Senior Winemaker.
This was followed by chief winemaker positions in Australia (eventually as General Manager and Winemaker at Rothbury Estate) and NZ, where Mike was a regular panellist for Cuisine magazine. He has also judged at the Hunter Valley Wine Show, Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Royal Easter Show Wine Awards and Liquorland Top 100 (NZ).