The successful candidates will engage with and learn from some of the great minds in the New Zealand wine business. They will taste a range of premium wines from New Zealand and the rest of the world on an intensive seven-day programme incorporating flagship events on the New Zealand wine industry’s national calendar.

The first event in the scholarship programme is the Sommelier Summit, hosted by local sommeliers Cameron Douglas MS and Stephen Wong, said Catherine Wansink, Market Manager Australia at New Zealand Winegrowers.  “Cameron and Stephen will be presenting their own ‘hidden gems’ of New Zealand wine and will lead discussions on growing trends such as natural wines and organic and biodynamic production.”

The successful sommeliers will also attend the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration in Marlborough, the Chardonnay and Sparkling Wine Symposium in Gisborne, and the Forage event in North Canterbury.

“This is a great opportunity for Australia’s emerging and top sommeliers to immerse themselves in the New Zealand wine industry and gain a greater understanding of the diverse range of premium wines we produce” Wansink said. “It will be an unforgettable experience.”

The successful sommeliers are:

• Liam O’Brien, Sommelier, Cutler & Co, Melbourne;
• Jared Hill, Sommelier, The European & City Wine Shop, Melbourne;
• Leanne Altmann, Sommelier / Wine Buyer, Supernormal, Melbourne;
• Matthew Lamb, formerly Head Sommelier of Vue de Monde, Melbourne;
• Pip Anderson, Head Sommelier, Merivale, Sydney;
• Amanda Yallop, Head Sommelier, Quay Restaurant, Sydney;
• David Stevens-Castro, Sommelier, InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Gold Coast;
• Sarah Hagan, Head Sommelier, The Urbane Group, Brisbane.

For more information, visit: www.nzwine.com/sommelierscholarship