Young Gun of Wine 2017 at The Prince Bandroom
Young Gun of Wine, the world’s most rigorous young winemaker competition, has presented a Top 50 Event for the first time where 50 of Australia’s best young and emerging winemakers were revealed at an event in Melbourne at The Prince Band Room. Over 250 wine enthusiasts packed The Prince Band Room at Circa to enthusiastically cheer on the top 50.
Over the past 11 years, Young Gun of Wine has become the premier wine event to showcase the best up and coming winemakers in Australia and is recognized as the place to spot new talent and trends. The Young Gun of Wine Top 50 winemakers was revealed in a presentation hosted by the judges, who include Rory Kent (Executive Style), Nick Stock (Gourmet Traveller WINE, et al), Mike Bennie (Delicious, et al), Emma Farrelly (State Buildings), Philip Rich (The Lucas Group), Pip Anderson (MONA), Josh Elias (Alquimie), and Josephine Perry (Dormilona, 2016 Young Gun of Wine winner), at The Prince Band Room, followed by an after party at The Deck at Circa.
The First Drop DANGER ZONE award for the most adventurous wine was presented on the evening. With ever growing popularity and interest in wine (wine is poised to takeover beer consumption as Australia’s most preferred alcohol beverage), the event is open to the public and each Top 50 winemaker will showcase two wines for guests to try.
With 100 wines to try, it was a fantastic night for the wine aficionado to the wine novice. Rory Kent, Young Gun of Wine founder, described how the Top 50 list is a response to the increasing creativity in wine: “Over the last decade, we’ve seen an explosion across the wine scene, from the number of young independent producers, and the varieties and methods they use, through to the way consumers can engage with wine.
Thanks to the growing depth and quality of winemaking talent in Australia, we’ve felt the timing was right to assemble the judges and the field of candidates for a comparative tasting, and then present this Top 50 list to consumers as a snapshot of wine today and the products to seek out.” The Top 50 list was determined after a two-day tasting of multiple wines from 200 winemaker candidates.
Commenting about the winemakers that made it to the Top 50 list, Mike Bennie added, “Winemakers, and their wares, come in all shapes and sizes, creeds and colours, and indeed the Top 50 is a bold statement about the technicolour nature of Australian wine. It’s an affirmation that wine, of all types and styles, and the winemakers who produce it, are to be celebrated, and that the axis point for Australian wine culture’s near future, comes from youthful intent.”
Following the Top 50 Event in May will be the People’s Choice on June 19, where the public will get to vote for their favourite wine at Bellota and Prince Wine Store in South Melbourne, followed by the invite only Young Gun of Wine Award Ceremony on June 20 where the winners, voted by the judges, will be revealed. “The popularity of the Young Gun of Wine is a statement about the new generation of wine makers and consumers redefining wine enjoyment,” said Rory. “It’s an exciting time for the wine industry in Australia and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” added Rory.