2019 Scholars
Pip Anderson ○ MONA, TAS ○ Hospitality Operations Manager
Shannon Burgess-Moore ○ De Iuliis Wines, NSW ○ Winemaker
Joshua Cooper ○ Joshua Cooper Wines, VIC ○ Director
Sebastian Crowther ○ Real Wines & Wine Theory ○ Director & Head Wine Selector
Rob Mack ○ Aphelion Wine Co., SA ○ Winemaker & Director
Ben Marx ○ Jim Barry Wines, SA ○ Senior Winemaker
Emma Norbiato ○ Calabria Family Wines, NSW ○ Chief Winemaker
Timothy Perrin ○ Oakridge Wines, VIC ○ Winemaker
Glenn Thompson ○ Domain Chandon, VIC ○ Winemaker
Tom Wallace ○ Brown Family Wine Group, VIC ○ Winemaker & Winery Manager
Adam Walls (Dux) ○ Wine Selectors, NSW ○ Wine Buyer
Shanteh Wong ○ Quay Restaurant, NSW ○ Head Sommelier
2019 Len Evans Tutorial
A long-time follower of what is now considered the world’s most exclusive wine school is Adam Walls and in 2019 he was awarded Dux at the 2019 LET.
“You hear from all the ex-scholars about how amazing the week is. The quality, the age, the rarity and the expense of the wines. You’ll never ever in a week do anything like it again.”
The week starts with a morning tasting of 30 of the world’s greatest Chardonnays from up to five countries. The next three mornings follow the same format, covering Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and Cabernet/Cabernet blends. Each scholar gives a score for every wine, following the Australian wine show judging system, with their points compared to those of the tutors.
The afternoons are spent in masterclasses taught by specialist tutors and focusing on red and white Burgundy, Bordeaux, Riesling, and Champagne. Then, at dinner, they blind taste five or more brackets of wines dating back over 40 years, with the scholars challenged to identify each wine.
Finally, on Friday morning, the quality of the wines reaches its peak with a focus on six red Burgundies from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Again, the scholars are asked to pinpoint the vintage and vineyard for each wine.
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“You hear from all the ex-scholars about how amazing the week is. The quality, the age, the rarity and the expense of the wines. You’ll never ever in a week do anything like it again.
You spend weekends reading about these wines you never get to taste. For example, I read for months about the 1855 classification of Bordeaux and then in the Bordeaux masterclass, we got to taste four of the five First Growths from the same vintage.
The Dux comes second to the fact that I actually got a chance to go and experience the week. You don’t win or lose at the Tutorial, you win because you made it there. It’s like a reward for all your hard work.“
