MEET DAN!

HEAD OF REVEL

Chair of Wine Victoria and founder/CEO of Melbourne-based events company Revel, Dan Sims has been selling, judging, writing about, and promoting wine for over two decades.

A respected, award-winning wine industry figure, Dan started his career in the late 1990s, working as a sommelier in some of Melbourne’s top restaurants, and has steadily established himself as a clear voice and unique personality in the Australian community.

An outspoken advocate for the democratisation of wine, Dan has used his professional platform to unshackle the industry from any outdated traces of smug pretentiousness and make the world of wine engaging, accessible, inclusive, and experience led.

Over the years, he has worked with events and organisations such as Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and Good Food & Wine Show and contributed to multiple publications including Gourmet Traveller Wine, Halliday’s Wine Companion magazine, Broadsheet and Taste to name a handful.

Dan’s industry accolades include being named the inaugural Sommelier of the Year by The Age Good Food Guide in 2008, a Len Evans Scholar in 2011, and being awarded Best Digital Wine Communicator by Wine Communicators of Australia in 2018 and with his company, Revel, twice receiving the Marketing and Communications award at the WISA Wine Industry Impact Awards.
He has also contributed to many industry associations including Sommeliers Australia.

As Head of Revel, Dan has delivered wine and food events in fourteen cities and six countries around the world, with flagship event Pinot Palooza drawing sold-out crowds across since 2012. Running a host of other wine fuelled events throughout the years – including on behalf of wine regions – he also co-founded MOULD A Cheese Festival in 2017 which the largest celebration of Australian cheese in the country.

Forever curious, he continues to enthusiastically celebrate and champion, and now advocate, for the best of Australia and, in particular, Victorian wine.