Fiona McDonald is a trained news journalist who began her wine writing career when she helped a friend organise a wine show, which resulted in her writing a weekly wine column.
She spent eight years as editor of Wine magazine in Cape Town, playing a key role in documenting the changing face of South African wine – her tenure coincided with the industry’s post-apartheid era.
Fiona is the regional chair for South Africa at the Decanter World Wine Awards. She judges at global wine and spirits competitions and is also a member of the Platter’s South African wine guide tasting panel and writing team.
She judges at global wine competitions – like the International Wine Challenge, International Wine and Spirit Competition, and Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – and is also a member of the Platter’s South African Wine Guide tasting panel and writing team.
Fiona is the current editor of CHEERS, the TOPS at SPAR custom title. She also contributes to a number of other publications.