Emily Gaspard-Clark from Spy Valley has been named the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year 2019.
The Marlborough competition was held at NMIT on August 7 and this is the second of the three regional competitions. There were eight contestants who came predominantly from Marlborough, but also one from Nelson.
Peter Russell from Matua came second and Michael Hearn from VinLink, third.
The NZ Young Winemaker of the Year Competition is open to anyone under 30 years of age working in wine production – including cellarhands, laboratory technicians, assistant winemakers and winemakers.
The eight contestants in this competition were an even mix of men and women, including: Kelly Stuart from Cloudy Bay, Mary-Ann Kuhn from Waimea in Nelson, Kathleen Zelter from Constellation, Tom Hindmarsh from La Coterie and Alun Kirby from Marisco.
Emily will represent Marlborough at the national final, competing against the winners from the Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago. The national final will take place at NMIT on September 17, in Marlborough.
The winner of the National Final wins an amazing trip to Burgundy to visit Tonnellerie de Mercurey, not only learning how barrels are made, but visiting the forests where the oak is grown. They also win a $2000 Programmed Property Services Education Scholarship, a bespoke trophy, a Riedel decanter and money. They will also be an Associate Judge at the NZ Wine of the Year competition, receive a personal tasting experience with a Villa Maria senior winemaker and attend the NZ Wine Awards in November.
