Gearing Up For The 2020 Tonnellerie De Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker Of The Year Competitions

The Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year regional competitions kick off on Friday 4th September with the North Island competition being held in Hawke’s Bay. The Central Otago and Marlborough competitions will also take place during September, with the winners going through to the National Final in November.

Next week’s competition will be run under Alert Level 2 at EIT where all systems are in place to ensure strict contact tracing, sanitization and social distancing is easily carried out. The Awards dinner has, however, been cancelled, so the winners will be announced at the end of the day.

It is hoped the other competitions can be run under Level 1, but again they will still go ahead under Level 2.

“We are so pleased these competitions can still go ahead,” says Nicky Grandorge, Leadership & Communities Manager at NZ Winegrowers. “They are a great focus for emerging young winemakers to study and upskill as well as giving them the opportunity to meet other passionate, future leaders and start making a name for themselves. Although the day is tough, it has a very positive vibe and in this very challenging year, the competitions will be a great boost for everyone involved.”

The competition dates are:

• North Island – 4th September, at EIT
• Central Otago – 10th September, at VinPro
• Marlborough – 16th September, at NMIT
• National Final in Hawke’s Bay – 6th November at EIT with the Awards Dinner being part of F.A.W.C

The contribution from sponsors is hugely appreciated. The 2020 national sponsors are: Tonnellerie de Mercurey, Crown Sheet Metal, Farmlands, Guala Enclosures, Laffort, O-I Glass, New World, Programmed Property Services and Winejobsonline.

Last year’s winner was Emily Gaspard-Clark from Spy Valley in Marlborough. Who will take out the title in 2020?

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