WineWise Trainers

After her studies at the hotel school 'Spermalie', Sybille traveled to Bordeaux to further perfect her passion for wine. She passed the studies 'Commerce des Vins et Spiritueux' and 'Diplôme Universitaire d'Aptitiude à la Dégustation' and then traveled around the world for a year. The route passed through the vineyards of the so-called 'New World'.
This was not only an ideal preparation to complete the Wine & Spirit Education Trust journey, but also to subsequently provide the WSET training courses in the BeNeLux with her company WineWise.
Wine and education are Sybille's passions.

Piet Vannieuwenhuyse studied Masters in Commercial and Consular Sciences, followed by a Masters in European Economics.
He worked for 25 years as manager of Dock's Café in Antwerp, where he optimally coached his team.
In 2016 it was time for a change; he passed all WineWise courses with flying colors and went to Japan to better understand the wonderful drink sake. He then became a WSET-certified wine and sake educator at WineWise, a wine education center specializing in wine education with international certification.
Piet is known for his drive, hospitality experience, and passion for gastronomy, wine and Japan.

Frank Smulders started his career in the wine-business in 1985 and became a ‘Master of Wine’ in 1992. He played various roles in the wine industry, including sales, marketing, buying and general management. For three years he is now also a wine producer, with his Liskar wines based on old Garnacha vines in Navarra, Spain.
Frank started teaching WSET Level 4 in Austria in 1994, since then he became one of the leading wine teachers in Europe. Currently he devotes more than half his time to teaching WSET Levels 3 and 4, in 15 countries in Europe. He specializes in Spain, Bordeaux and sparkling wines.
Frank set up the ‘Benelux Diploma Course’ together with Sybille in 2003, and is the ‘head teacher’ today, lecturing Spain, Bordeaux, Loire, Rhône valley, Languedoc-Roussillon and fortified wines, as well as giving examination trainings.
Frank favors drinking white wine over red wine, he particularly enjoys Champagne, Mosel Riesling and the great sweet wines of the world (Sauternes, Tokaji etc).
He does not indulge in food and wine pairing, but believes in people and wine pairing. A great wine is best enjoyed with good company, like his family (wife, three children and partners) and best friends.

Fiona Morrison is a British Master of Wine, wine author, winemaker and wine merchant who lives in Belgium and Bordeaux.
She loves that her career has spanned so many facets of the wine trade both in Europe and the United States.
She is married to Jacques Thienpont of Le Pin fame and manages the Thienpont family négociant business. Together, they manage the three Jacques Thienpont estates named, Le Pin (Pomerol), L’IF (St Emilion) et L’Hêtre (Castillon).
Winner of several awards for her writing, including the ‘James Beard Award’, her latest book, “10 Great Wine Families” has recently been published internationally.
She is the only woman in Belgium to qualify for the celebrated title of Master of Wine.
When she is not involved in wine, Fiona can be found in Verbier skiing and hiking, enjoying Opera and Theatre worldwide, travelling and riding her bike around the hills of the Flemish Ardennes.

Romana used to work as Chef Sommelière in top gastronomy. To name a few: restaurant ‘Quadriga’ in Berlin -their wine list features only German wines- and restaurant ‘Vendôme’ near Cologne, which was awarded 3 stars in the Guide Michelin.
Since 2015 Romana is Master of Wine and self-employed; she writes books and focuses on biodynamic viticulture. Romana also write columns and articles for various magazines and newspapers. In addition, she is also active in education, events and consulting.
Besides her job, Romana loves to spend time with her family. From sledding, to going to the zoo, to cooking together. Everything that is fun for their 2 and 4-year-old boys, brings great joy to Romana and her husband.
When the children are older and she hopefully will have more time, she would like to play the piano more often. Her dream: to be able to play all Beethoven sonatas.

He graduated in 2005 with a degree in ‘International Business Administration’ from Maastricht University, but wine has always been a major interest in his life.
Job studied at the ‘Dutch Wine Academy’ and did an internship at the Faculty of Viticulture and Oenology of UC Davis. He also worked as a cellar hand at ‘Château Giscours’ in Margaux and ‘De Toren’ in Stellenbosch.
In 2010, he earned his WSET Diploma via ‘WineWise’ and became ‘Weinakademiker’ in 2011.
Currently, Job works as a wine buyer and marketer for ‘Les Généreux’ – an association of 40 independent fine wine shops in The Netherlands.
For his research paper, he co-founded ‘Grape Compass’, an online decision support system that forecasts fungal disease pressures in vineyards.
Job also teaches, supervises wine tastings and writes for professionals and enthusiasts.
He not only enjoys wine, but also loves to cook, dine with family and friends and listen to jazz music.


LinkedIn profile Job de Swart : linkedin.com/in/job-de-swart

Rod is a wine educator, marketer and journalist based in the South of France. Rod has a client list that includes the wealthiest and most demanding customers in the world, and he is owner/director of the Riviera Wine Academy.
Before that, Rod worked for Vins Sans Frontières - the leading wine supplier to the superyacht industry in the South of France - and before that in the United Kingdom for several importers and retailers of fine wines. Rod is also a much sought-after WSET educator.

Rod has been extensively involved in judging wine competitions in London (panel chair, Decanter World Wine Awards, IWC), Shanghai (SIWC, Wine100), Guangzhou (Golden Bottle Awards), Dallas (TexSom), Sofia (Balkans International Wine Challenge), Moscow (Russian Wine Fair) and Sydney (Sydney Royal Wine Show).
He has travelled widely and given presentations on wine, including many trips to China and the Far East.

Rod's personal interests are cycling, running, travel, literature, card magic and film.

Anja Vondenhoff is a wine teacher, vinologist at the Wine Academy and co-author of the SommelierOorkonde course. She also founded www.wijncampus.nl, where interested parties and wine professionals can gain professional knowledge.
After studying a Master of Science in Hospitality Management in Miami, and having worked in several hotels in France, the United States and Germany, Anja started teaching wine courses. She has not only been teaching at the Hotel School in Apeldoorn for about 30 years, she also teaches the module 'Sparkling Wines of the World' for the 'WSET Diploma Course'.
Anja won the European Champagne Ambassador competition in 2011. As of 2017 she is president of the Club of Weinakademiker (Benelux) andas per 2018 she is Certified Sommelier of The Court of Master Sommeliers.
In addition to her love for champagne, Anja enjoys any wine that has the option of further maturing in the bottle and/or that can be combined with a variety of dishes. Anja therefore advises restaurants in the field of wine purchasing, with the composition of the wine list, or to spar about drink/food combinations.

Antoine is a French-born sommelier who has worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants for the past 20 years.
He started his journey at WSET while starting his career in London and graduated a few years back in Belgium.
In addition, Antoine won the title of Best Sommelier of Belgium 2014 and represented Belgium at international competitions in 2016 (Mendoza), 2017 (Vienna) and 2019 (Antwerp).
He ended his career as a floor sommelier in early 2022, and since then has been working for Le Wine in Belgium, allowing him to deepen his knowledge of the wine world...
Antoine enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and cycling.

As co-owner of Puro Wijnen and founder of Charly’s Tastings, she shares her passion for wine with a wide audience.
Her classes are hands-on: the wine in the glass serves as the example and the region as the starting point.
With her practical approach and in-depth knowledge, Charlotte inspires students not only to understand wine, but to truly experience it.
As a WSET Diploma holder, she is convinced that WineWise guarantees wine education and certification of the highest level.

Ief started his career as a waiter and quickly progressed to sommelier in several renowned restaurants. He later decided to pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation and started teaching at the hotel school.
His dedication to the profession earned him numerous accolades: he was named 1st Maître d'hôtel of Belgium 2017 by Prosper Montagné and in 2019 he won the title Champion du Monde des Maîtres d'hôtel in Auxerre.

After many years of experience in hospitality, including in a trendy bistro in Antwerp, my passion for wine grew into a professional career. Since 2010 I have combined my expertise as a sommelier, winegrower and consultant to support wine businesses in trade, events and training. As a Weinakademiker and lecturer at WineWise, I share my knowledge with both professionals and enthusiasts, while running our company IMSELL together with my husband. My varied field of work—from wine shop to events—gives me insight into every facet of the wine sector, both nationally and internationally. Besides wine, I also have a passion for sake and obtained the WSET Level 3 in Sake.

Jeroen Tackx is currently 20 years active in the beverage industry.
He started out as a waiter, then he climbed the ranks from sommelier to cocktail bartender and headwaiter in different restaurants and bars. In Bar ‘SIPS’, Manuel Wouters taught him everything about the art of spirits and mixing.
Jeroen’s next step was wholesale for ‘Metro Cash & Carry Belgium’ as product specialist in wines, with a professional interest in mocktails and cocktails. This way he could free up time to graduate from the WSET in London with Diploma as well as ‘Weinakademiker’ from the ‘Akademie Österreich’
Besides his interest in wines and spirits, Jeroen is fond of his wife and two kids, and loves travelling, cooking, reading and occasionally streaming sci-fi series.
Jeroen’s advice for students: With every exam you take, always read the question 3 times !

Kris Lismont is ‘Best Sommelier of Belgium 2010’, President of the ‘Belgian Sommeliers Guild’ and owner of wine business ‘Mondevino’.
After 20 years of owning a restaurant and working as sommelier, Kris recently has been focusing on wine. Kris is not only WineWise educator WSET Level 2, he also curates and sells wine, he advises how to manage your wine cellar and acts as a wine consultant for the hotel and catering industry. Kris reaches out to the hospitality industry, to companies and private individuals.
Besides his passion for wine, Kris likes to travel and eat. Basically he likes to use all senses. He is fond of watching sports, especially football and cycling. And he likes to run his weekly necessary kilometres since he believes in the motto ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’.

With a Master’s degree in Germanic Languages (English/German), Kristel started her career in an independent bookshop, before moving into teaching – and later to more organisational responsibilities – in higher education.
She got bitten by the wine bug about 15 years ago, which lead her to study Sommelier-Conseil in Suze-la-Rousse, followed by WSET Level 3.
In 2015 she started her own wine business, Wine and Words, focusing on wine writing, education and consultancy. The business got a sudden boost in 2017-18, when Kristel won the Belgian Champagne Ambassador competition, gained second place in the European Champagne Ambassador finals, and was elected Wine Lady of the Year.
Her WSET Level 4 adventure started in 2021, and she obtained the Diploma in 2022 with an overall distinction grade. She also won the Peter Hampson Memorial Prize and the IWSC Trophy for the highest overall grade in the EMEA region.
Kristel now works for a wide range of companies, organisations and private customers. Alongside WSET Level 3 classes at WineWise, she also teaches at Syntra Ghent, is a regular contributor to different wine publications, creates content for professional trade bodies and on- and off-trade businesses, and is writing her first book on food and wine pairing (publication: October 2023).

What began with evening wine classes and a language course in Ghent grew into a deep passion. In 2021 he founded ENÙ, a specialised wine import business, together with his partner. To broaden his knowledge he took courses at WineWise: after obtaining the WSET Level 3 certificate in 2023, he immediately moved on to the next step. Since April 2025 Mattias is also DipWSET. And it does not stop there: today Mattias shares his knowledge and passion through workshops, masterclasses and wine tastings, both accessible for beginners and in-depth for advanced wine lovers. As a WineWise trainer he now also teaches WSET Level 2. His mission? Helping people better understand what is in their glass, so they can enjoy wine with even more awareness, pleasure and appreciation. Mattias not only loves music in the glass, but also plays music (drums), and whenever possible you will find him touring the vineyards of Italy with his family.

A linguist by training, Stijn received his PhD in French and General Linguistics from KU Leuven in 2005.
After an introductory wine course, he was bitten by the wine bug and trained as a sommelier, which he completed in 2014.
He then obtained the WSET Level 3 Certificate in 2015 and the WSET Diploma in 2018, for which he was awarded the prestigious Royal Tokaj Award.
Since 2014, Stijn has been active as a wine educator, teaching both basic and advanced courses.
Together with Peter Arijs, he founded Mystery Tasting, through which they organise interactive and enjoyable wine tastings-both online and physical-for students and wine lovers.
Since 2019, Stijn has also been a valued lecturer at WineWise.

WSET Diploma & Weinakademiker Sylvain has been working for 16 years in the Belgian wine industry, directly with ‘horeca’ & gastronomy, and currently distributes wines from ‘The Portugal Collection’ & ‘Sapinot’.
Sylvain was born in Corsica -he knows how to make a good selection- and imports 9 of the best producers of his island
He is passionate about working with Sommeliers and dealing with Vignerons.
In addition to his expertise and passion for wine, he enjoys cooking, traveling and playing tennis.

Beer and life: If you have to eat and drink anyway, you'd better enjoy it. That's an important rule of life Luc learned at home. Born and raised in Brussels, he was soon able to appreciate the offerings from our Zenne Valley: Geuze and Lambic.
He acquired his taste for beer as an apprentice barman. And just as any young beer needs to mature, the budding connoisseur's expertise grew during his training in Belgium and around the world.
He is now a lecturer in zythology and editor-in-chief of Beer Grand Cru. His debut book ‘The Belgian Beer Book’ was hailed as the perfect guide to Belgian beer and beer culture.
He regularly speaks at food and beer festivals around the world.
Luc is also co-founder and director of the ‘Brussels Beer Challenge’, a prestigious international beer competition.