The first of the regional finals of the Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year 2019 was held this week.
This year there will be three regional finals in Marlborough, Central Otago and Hawke’s Bay, with the winner from each representing their region in the national final in September.
The North Island regional competition took place on Thursday, 1 August, at EIT in Hawke’s Bay and was open to all emerging young winemakers in the North Island.
The Marlborough competition will take place on Wednesday, 7 August, at NMIT. And the Central Otago competition is on Thursday, 15 August, at VinPro in Cromwell.
The national final will be on Tuesday, 17 September, at NMIT in Marlborough. The national winner will be announced on the same evening at the awards dinner at Wither Hills.
The competition is open to under 30-year-olds involved in wine production (including cellarhands, laboratory technicians, assistant winemakers and winemakers) and tests many of the key skills and knowledge required to become a top quality winemaker. It is aimed at stretching the contestants, increasing their confidence, widening their networks and supporting them to grow and develop into New Zealand’s future leaders and winemakers.
Last year’s winner was Greg Lane from Foley Family Wines in Marlborough.
For more information, head to https://www.nzwine.com/en/initiatives/young-winemaker/
