On Friday, 8 November, Lauren Hansen was announced as the recipient of the Basil Sellers Prize for Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial 2024 (LET) at a presentation lunch at Spicers Guesthouse in the Hunter Valley.

Lauren Hansen, Winemaker at Penley Estate, will fly Business Class to Europe with Len Evans Tutorial Principal Sponsor Singapore Airlines, to visit some of the world’s most famous wine-producing regions and producers.  

Lauren has completed vintages in Bordeaux, New Zealand, and Austria, working with super-premium producers Balnaves, Brokenwood, and Bannockburn. Graduating from the University of Adelaide in 2012 as the Dux of Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology, Lauren has learnt the subtleties and nuances of climate and soil as part of her journey to becoming one of Australia’s emerging winemaker talents.

Lauren said: “Such an incredible learning journey, and so many truly epic wines during the week – it’s difficult to unpack the magic of the Len Evans Tutorial into words. I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite wine, variety to judge, dinner bracket, or masterclass. The awe- inspiring wines, words of wisdom from tutors, and a-ha moments of learning just kept coming through the week.”

Sam Connew, LET Tutor & LET Trustee, said: “Lauren’s performance across the week was remarkably consistent as has been par for the course for all LET previous duxes. She was in the top three scholars in all of the judging brackets, using her golds sparingly but precisely. Her language when talking about the wines was concise and succinct, focussing in on all of the wine’s aspects that needed to be covered. In addition, she was one of the top two performers in the written exercise.”

Each year, 12 Australian wine professionals, including sommeliers, educators, trade professionals, and winemakers, are chosen to attend the Tutorial, which has been coined the ‘greatest wine school in the world’. Over 160 people applied to the 22nd rendition of the LET, which began in 2001.

This year’s 2024 Tutorial Masterclasses included the historical Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Australian Fortified Wines, Super Tuscans, A Tour through Burgundy, Prestige Champagne, and Domaine de la Romanée‐Conti. A core component of the program involves five judging workshops, each featuring 30 wines served blind. The judging sessions focus on grape varieties and styles relevant to the Australian wine industry, covering Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon blends, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Each evening features curated dinners with tastings and discussions on the world’s greatest wines. These are often extremely rare and expensive wines, offering Scholars a unique opportunity to experience exceptional vintages that may not be readily available elsewhere.

The focus isn’t solely on aged wines; some of the world’s most esteemed wines hail from recent vintages and are chosen to represent benchmarks of the modern wine industry.

Monday is a highlight for the program, as the focus is on the history, heritage, and innovation of the Australian wine industry. Scholars received a copy of The Australian Ark by Andrew Caillard MW to solidify their knowledge of the history of the Australian wine landscape.

According to Chair Sally Evans, “The Len Evans Tutorial is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our 12 scholars. It has proved to be an invaluable training ground for our 264 alumni, many of whom have gone on to become influential industry leaders, wine show chairs, and senior wine judges. Whilst sharing, tasting and talking about wine quality is a key focus of the LET, it has also become a vital hub for sharing Australia’s wine stories and rich wine history. It contributes to the industry in many ways, improving the calibre of Australian wine professionals and, ultimately, the quality of Australian wine. My father achieved many things in his life, but the LET is perhaps his most meaningful legacy.”

The 2024 Tutorial included an expanded group of national tutors including Deputy Chair Sarah Crowe, Michael Hill-Smith AM MW, Iain Riggs AM, Adam Wadewitz, Amanda Yallop, Ben Harris, David Morris, Fiona Donald, Ian McKenzie, Jim Chatto, Julian Grounds, Liz Silkman, Louisa Rose, Michael Trembath, Mike De Iuliis, Nick Paterson, Patrick Walsh, Philip Rich, PJ Charteris, Randall Pollard, Samantha Connew, Sarah Pidgeon, Steve Pannell, Stuart Hordern, Tim James, & Tom Carson.