Young Winemaker of the Year Finalists
Courtesy of the Augusta-Margaret River Mail
Two young local winemakers are among the 10 young winemakers who will vie
for two of the most highly regarded awards in the Australian wine industry;
The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year Award and The Wine Society
Members Choice Award.
Kym Eyres of Deep Woods Estate and Andrew Gaman of
Rockfield Estate are hoping to emulate the achievement of Amanda Kramer of
Wise Wine. She is the current holder of the title as the 2005 Young Winemaker of the Year.
"It's great to receive recognition for our wines, and not just on a
personal level, because we put a lot of time and effort into getting things
right as a team," Ms Eyres said.
"
I think it¹s also great for Deep Woods,
being a smaller winery, to be recognised at this level."
General manager and
senior winemaker Travis Clydesdale said they were proud of Ms Eyres.
Some
of Australia¹s finest wine judges preside over the selection of the
finalists so the nomination is not something to be taken lightly," he said.
"We all wish Kym success for the remainder of the competition."
It is the
second time in two years that a Deep Woods winemaker has been nominated.
Ben Gould was a finalist in 2004 and now heads up exports in Europe and the
United States for the Fogarty Wine Group.
The other eight finalists for
these awards are: Daren Owers of Nugan Estate in the Riverina, NSW; Bryan
Currie of Westend Estate in the Riverina, NSW; Usher Tinkler of Pooles Rock
Wines in the Hunter Valley, NSW; Daniel Binet of Capercaille in the Hunter
Valley, NSW; Loic Le Calvez of Taltarni Vineyards, Vic; Emma Wood of
Seppelt’s Great Western Winery, Victoria; Jen Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Wines in
Rutherglen, Vic and Justin Coates of Step Road Winery in Langhorne Creek,
SA.
Each of the finalists' best wines will be judged again under strict show
judging conditions by a panel of wine industry icons to determine the winner
of The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year Award for 2006.
The winner
of The Wine Society Young Winemaker Award for 2006 will be announced in
Sydney on Saturday, November 25. All 10 finalists for this award will also
be in the running to win the Members Choice Award to be presented on the
same night.
John Winstanley, the CEO of The Wine Society, paid tribute to
the finalists, saying the awards aim to recognise and reward the passion and
the talent of the best and brightest of the young winemakers in this
country.
"It is fantastic to see such an impressive West Australian
contingent amongst the 2006 award finalists," he said.
"This is a testament
not only to the calibre of young talent making wines in WA, but also to the
wineries for giving the younger guard an opportunity to shine."
The Wine
Society Young Winemaker of the Year Award is open to winemakers aged 30
years or less.
