2015 Scholars
Marie Clay ○ Wolf Blass ○ Winemaker
Adam Cotterell (Dux) ○ City Wine Shop ○ Retail Sales & Events Manager
Matt Dunne ○ MorSul ○ Group Sommelier
Patrick Haddock ○ Reserve Wine Bar ○ Owner/Wine Writer-Blogger
Peter Kelly ○ Peter Lehmann Wines ○ Senior Winemaker
Gwyneth Olsen ○ Briar Ridge Vineyard ○ Chief Winemaker/General Manager
Simon Osicka ○ Paul Osicka Wines ○ Winemaker/Viticulturist
Luke Skeer ○ Devil’s Lair Vineyard ○ Senior Winemaker/Winery Manager
Simon Steele ○ Medhurst Wines ○ Winemaker
Liam Van Pelt ○ Chapel Hill Winery ○ Assistant Winemaker
Daniel Swincer ○ Pernod Ricard Winemakers ○ Red Winemaker
James Welsh ○ Stillwater Restaurant/ Black Cow Bistro/Mill Providore ○ Sommelier/Co-owner
2015 Len Evans Tutorial
The Len Evans Tutorial Qantas Dux for 2015 is Adam Cotterell from Melbourne.
Adam is the Retail Sales and Events Manager at City Wine Shop Melbourne which is obviously a training ground for the LET with a previous Dux and two scholars coming from City Wine Shop.
As Dux of the 2015 course, Adam has now been guaranteed judging positions at two of Australia’s most premier wine shows, the Sydney Royal Wine Show and the National Wine Show in Canberra.
Adam will be flown business class to London and then onto Europe with invitations to the greatest wine houses.
Many of the rarest, oldest, and greatest wines were opened in one extraordinary week when 12 young(ish) Australian wine personnel were put through the sternest and most rewarding tastings of their lives.
Len Evans Tutorial convener and tutor, Iain Riggs said; “This group highlighted the fact that the Trustees recognise the ongoing need for high caliber wine show judges and that the industry now needs professionals that can take the premium Australian wine message to a greater audience.
“These are the guys at the forefront of grape growing, winemaking and selling premium wine. The dramatic increase in sales of imported wine shows a sophisticated consumer. A better awareness of premium Australian wine and where it sits in relation to imported wine, is essential to the industry getting its message out to the world.”
Scholars from past Tutorials are now gracing the judging benches at all major wine shows across Australia. In the year 2015/16; Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne will be Chaired by Len Evans Tutorial scholars as well as Chairs of a number of state and regional wine shows.
Scholars come from the fields of winemaking, viticulture, liquor retailing, restaurants, marketing and journalism.
Twelve fully paid scholarships are offered, each with wine, food and accommodation valued at $10,000. The only cost incurred by the scholars is physically getting to the Hunter Valley.
The Tutors for the 2015 Len Evans Tutorial were: James Halliday, Ian McKenzie, Iain Riggs, Gary Steel and Michael Hill Smith.
The 2015 Len Evans Tutorial was held in the Hunter Valley from the 2 to 6 November.
