Red Blends: Classic and Contemporary

Born in London and raised in Sydney, Mark has over 35 years of experience in the hotel, restaurant and wine business. During his 15 years as a sommelier, he was named Sommelier of the Year at the Vancouver Wine Festival in 2001 and won the Spirited Industry Professional in 2014. Following his experience as a sommelier, Mark has produced numerous wine education and restaurant etiquette courses. As a Department Head and Instructor with the International Sommelier Guild, he was instrumental in the on-going development of the curriculum and has taught classes in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. Mark joined Wine Australia in 2009 and he has been in the Education team since 2013. Outside of his day-to-day role, he is also an annual judge at Texsom International Wine Awards, Sunset Magazine and LA International wine competitions.

Born in Toronto, Canada and raised in the Northwest Territories, Paul followed the Bay City Rollers on tour in 1976. First wine experience was at the Wedding at Cana...wine tasted thin. Slept with a 2" X 4" for 2 years to better understand oak. Just exited scream therapy so that I could relearn all there is to know about wine.

Certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Tonya is known for catapulting wineries into the mainstream throughout her extensive career. As Sommelier & Wine Director for One Market Restaurant, Tonya’s wine program has received numerous Wine Spectator awards. Tonya is a philanthropist, mentor and leader for diversity and inclusion; she established Women in Wine, serves as advisory board member for Wine Unify and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International. She is a core committee member of Batonnage Forum Mentorship Program. Tonya is a board member for United Sommelier Foundation. Her appearances include judging the San Francisco International Wine Competition, speaking at Culinary Institute of America Summit and many media features.

James Tidwell MS is co-founder of the world’s leading wine education conference, TEXSOM, and owner of one of the United States’s most prestigious wine competitions, the TEXSOM International Wine Awards. He is a member of the editorial committee of the Classic Wine Library, speaker, freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The World of Fine Wine, Lonely Planet, and others, and is a former Beverage Director with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. In 2019, he was nominated for the Person of the Year in Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s Wine Star Awards.