Dr Edward Ragg MW is the newly appointed Regional Chair for Asia at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
Dr Edward Ragg MW
Edward is the co-founder of Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting, mainland China’s leading independent wine education and consultancy business, which he established in Beijing in 2007 with his wife and partner Fongyee Walker MW. Together, they have played a pivotal role in developing formal wine education and appreciation across China.
Originally from the UK, Edward studied English at Oxford University before completing his M.Phil. and Ph.D. at Cambridge University, where he began blind-tasting and later captained and coached the Cambridge Blind-Tasting Team. He is also co-author and ongoing editor of The Cambridge University Guide to Blind-Tasting (2004–present).
Before entering the wine industry full-time, Edward pursued an academic career as a Research Fellow at Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute and later as a Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing (2007–2017). He completed the WSET Diploma in 2012 and became a Master of Wine in 2019, earning both the Robert Mondavi Award for best overall theory performance and the Quinta do Noval Award for best research paper.
Edward’s expertise is wide-ranging, spanning education, writing and judging. He has published extensively in international wine magazines and literary journals, and is the author of several poetry collections and the academic study Wallace Stevens and the Aesthetics of Abstraction (Cambridge University Press, 2010). From 2019 to 2024, he served as reviewer of Chinese wines for The Robert Parker Wine Advocate.
An experienced international judge, Edward has evaluated wines at numerous shows including the McLaren Vale Wine Show, Royal Perth Wine Show, Wine Show of Western Australia, and the Hunter Valley Wine Show, as well as multiple Chinese competitions. He joined the Decanter World Wine Awards judging panel in 2025.
2026 marks his first year serving as Regional Chair for Asia, where he brings his deep understanding of Asian wine markets, extensive judging experience, and leadership in wine education to this important role.
See Edward’s website here.
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