A TALENTED young sommelier from Western Australia has been named as the recipient of the Australian Organic Wine Awards Associate Scholarship and will join the judging panel of this year’s prestigious Australian Organic Wine Awards.
Applications are now open for the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards, set to showcase the highest quality organic and biodynamic wines in the country.
Hosted by peak industry body Australian Organic Limited (AOL), the competition is open to all commercially available certified organic wines across red, white and sparkling varieties.
Last year’s event drew a record number of entries, with 238 bottles submitted by 58 producers from around Australia, as Ngeringa’s 2019 Single Vineyard Iluma Syrah from the Adelaide Hills took out the coveted Cullen Trophy for Wine of Show.
Renowned wine expert Mike Bennie will return as Chief Judge for this year’s event, alongside Negociants Key Account Manager, Ramon Arnavas and Group Beverage Director at STK Group, Alexandra McPherson.
As the recipient of last year’s Australian Organic Wine Awards Associate Scholarship, sommelier and writer, Olivia Evans, will also reprise her role on the expert judging panel.
Sophia Gannon has been named the recipient of this year’s Scholarship, which aims to promote female talent and leadership in the organic wine industry.
The 23-year-old currently works as a sommelier at Vincent Wines in Perth’s vibrant inner-north and will fill the fifth and final spot on the judging panel.
Ms Gannon will also receive mentoring sessions from industry leaders on the Australian organic and wine industries, wine tasting and judging.
“I have a deep passion for organic and sustainable practices, both in my personal and professional life,” Ms Gannon said.
“This scholarship will provide me further exposure and opportunities in the wine industry to help build my leadership potential.
“I believe working with such a diverse range of mentors will help mould me into a talented force who hopefully can inspire other women to get into the industry.”
AOL Chief Executive Officer, Niki Ford, said the Awards are a chance to celebrate the rich array of talent across the industry.
“The robust quality of entrants in previous years highlights the quality and wide variety of home-grown organic wines our thriving industry is producing,” Ms Ford said.
“Organic wines are highly sought after around the world and this competition allows our hard-working producers to benchmark their best drops in competition.”
Applications for the 2023 Awards close on Friday, June 9, with the winners announced in September.
For more information on the competition and how to apply, visit the AOL website.
Media enquiries:
Matt Wordsworth
matt.wordsworth@bluehillpr.com.au
0404 029 241
Tim Vetter
tim.vetter@bluehillpr.com.au
0439 681 793
