Huon Hooke

Huon Hooke is one of Australia’s leading independent wine writers, earning his living solely from writing, judging, lecturing and educating about wine. A journalist first and wine professional second, he holds tertiary qualifications in both fields and has worked in wineries and wine retail.

Writing about wine since 1983, Huon is best known for his long-running columns in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Living section and his regular articles and tasting notes for Gourmet Traveller Wine, where he is contributing editor, columnist and tasting panellist. He also writes for major international publications including Decanter and The World of Fine Wine.

A highly regarded show judge, Huon judges around ten wine competitions each year in Australia and overseas. He has chaired the biennial Vin de Champagne Awards, contributed to SIPNOT (Stonier International Pinot Noir Tasting), served on the judging panel for Winemaker of the Year, and participated in numerous other significant wine competitions. His international judging experience spans New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Belgium, Japan, Slovenia, South Africa and the United States.

For more than 20 years, Huon contributed a weekly column to Good Weekend and chaired Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards for its first twelve years. He co-authored the Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide for fourteen years, with its final edition winning the Gold Ladle at the World Food Media Awards. His published works include Max Schubert, Winemaker (1996), the biography of the creator of Penfolds Grange, and Words on Wine (1997).

Huon has received eight major awards for wine writing, including Wine Communicator of the Year in 2008. In addition to his writing and judging, he is in demand as a speaker, presenting corporate tastings, dinners and wine appreciation courses.

When not immersed in wine, he enjoys food, travel, music, reading, fly-fishing, bushwalking, sailing, tennis and skiing.