2017 Scholars
Tessa Brown ○ Vignerons Schmolzer & Brown ○ Proprietor / Vigneron
Adam Carnaby ○ Seppelt Wines ○ Senior Winemaker
Sandrine Gimon ○ Rymill Coonawarra ○ Senior Winemaker
Jeremy Prideaux ○ City Wine Shop ○ Restaurant Manager
Kavita Faiella ○ Voyageur Selections ○ Founder & Director
Adrian Sparks ○ McWilliams Wines ○ Senior Winemaker
Paul Hotker ○ Bleasdale Vineyards ○ Senior Winemaker
Natalie Cleghorn ○ Yalumba ○ Winemaker
Julian Grounds (Dux) ○ McHenry Hohnen Vintners ○ Head Winemaker / GM
Pablo Theodorus ○ Stanley Bridge Tavern ○ GM, Publican, Co-Director
Justin Purser ○ Best’s Wines ○ Chief Winemaker
Ben Portet ○ Dominique Portet Winery ○ Winemaker
2017 Len Evans Tutorial
The 17th Len Evans Tutorial was held recently in the Hunter Valley from 6th November to 10th November 2017. The Basil Sellers Prize for Dux went to Julian Grounds, Head Winemaker/General Manager at Margaret River Winery McHenry Hohnen.
As Dux of the 2017 course, Julian has been guaranteed judging positions at two of Australia’s premier wine shows: the Sydney Royal Wine Show and the National Wine Show in Canberra.
Len Evans Tutorial Trustee James Halliday noted that Julian judged exceedingly well across the four varietal sections and was the equal highest placed scholar on the Riesling Dissertation.
Julian will be flown business class to 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. Rarities included two wines from legendary winemaker Maurice O’Shea; a 1954 Mount Pleasant Light Dry White Riesling L54/15, a 1947 Mount Pleasant Henry 111 Dry Red and a 1917 Seppeltsfield Para Liqueur Tawny drawn from cask.
Len Evans Tutorial Convener and Tutor Iain Riggs said: “The Trustees recognise the ongoing need for high-calibre Australian wine show judges and agree that the industry needs, now more than ever, highly-trained professionals to take the premium Australian wine message to a great audience.
“These are the people at the forefront of grape growing, winemaking, and selling premium wine. The dramatic increase in imported wine sales 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 2017/18, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Hobart will all be Chaired by Len Evans Tutorial scholars, who will also lead a number of state and regional wine shows. Scholars come from the fields of winemaking, viticulture, liquor retailing, restaurant, marketing, and journalism.
In a new collaboration, the Len Evans Tutorial works with the Institute of Masters of Wine to promote the MW Introductory Course in Adelaide. The Institute has generously provided flights and accommodation and covered the cost of attending. The inaugural recipient is Kavita Faiella, brand ambassador for Shaw and Smith, who impressed the Tutors throughout the week with her tasting ability and participation.
The Tutors for the 2017 Len Evans Tutorial were:
James Halliday, Ian McKenzie, Iain Riggs, Gary Steel, Samantha Connew, Randall Pollard and Tyson Stelzer.
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“Hard to qualify what the Tutorial meant to me. Life changing. Challenged my assessment of my knowledge of the world of fine wine, which reset my internal benchmark of the aspirational quality of the wines I help to produce.
It also gave me perspective on my place in the large history of Australian wine, something I found very grounding and again motivating. The collegiate nature of the week was greater than I could have predicted and the friendships born from one week seem eternal.
Highlight wine: Tie between the 1947 Mount Pleasant Henry 111 Dry Red or the Canepa Finisimo cabernet sauvignon – weren’t the greatest wines of the week but definitely the most memorable narratives as to how they came to be.”
