New Zealand

Diana Hawkins

Diana is a Wine Consultant for D+F Wines Limited in New Zealand. Diana’s experience in the wine industry has been developed over a decade of “robust, hands-on experience in production, retail, and restaurants.” She has attained many wine qualifications, including the CMS Certified Sommelier, the WSET Level 3 with Distinction and also a First-Class Honours for her Master’s Degree in Wine Science, in which she investigated microbial terroir. She is engaged in mentorship, having guided three BIPOC individuals interested in the production side of wine in the past year, as well as mentoring twelve women from a range of backgrounds through the Bâtonnage Forum’s mentorship programme. She is also in the process of fulfilling her lifelong dream of creating her own wine brand, “Responsible Hedonist”, which has just completed its first vintage, and is already showing great promise. All of these achievements have come during the especially difficult time of the pandemic, a testament to Diana’s tenacity and capability.