Other
Ned Goodwin
Master of Wine
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Commentary, buying, and service sit at the centre of Ned Goodwin’s work in wine. The trade value in his profile is breadth with discipline: restaurant floors, classrooms, criticism, and broadcast all drawing on the same set of skills. Born in London and raised in Australia, he was educated at Newington College from 1981 to 1987, as well as in Tokyo and Paris, a route that grounded his practice in both formal study and repeated exposure to different dining cultures.
Coming Up
Training across Newington College, Tokyo, and Paris gave Ned Goodwin an early span of reference points that later showed up in the range of his work. The next steps were in service, in dining rooms where judgment had to be immediate and exact. He worked as sommelier at Veritas in Manhattan, then as sommelier at Les Juveniles in Paris, and later as sommelier at Michael's in Los Angeles. Each room required its own pace and its own service code, and that sort of repetition tends to sharpen how a sommelier reads a table, handles a list, and makes a pairing land. After that, he became host at Vintage in Japan (2000), a short but clearly defined role that kept him moving between markets and formats. He later took on guest lecturer on wine marketing at Keio University in Tokyo (2002–2004), where the work shifted from service to explanation. Wine marketing asks for a different register: not just what a bottle tastes like, but how to frame it, place it, and speak about it with clarity. Later, he became chief critic at Halliday Wine Companion in Australia (until 2023), putting his palate into a public, evaluative role. Today, Ned is master of wine of Master of Wine (since 2010), host of Langton's TV, Champagne Ambassador of Champagne Ambassador, quality advisor of Biondi-Santi-Santi, owner of import company, and educator. Taken together, those roles point to a career built around selection, criticism, teaching, and representation, with wine treated as both product and shared language.
Where They Are Now
At Global Dining Japan, he works as a wine director, educator, and buyer, keeping selection and instruction tied to day-to-day service. He is also a guest lecturer on wine marketing at Keio in Japan, continuing the teaching work that has long sat alongside his commercial roles. In practice, that puts Ned Goodwin in the space between cellar, classroom, and table, where context matters as much as the glass itself.
Signature
Ned's signature dishes include MWCuvée, Vintage, and Taste with Langton’s. The titles read like working formats rather than flourishes: named platforms for presenting judgment, shaping taste, and translating wine for different audiences.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ned
What is Ned Goodwin's current role?
As of 2026, Ned Goodwin is A Master of Wine.
