Ben McNab named Young Winemaker 2021

Ben McNab from Palliser Estate in Wairarapa has been named the 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker after a National Final that had been delayed several times last year due to COVID.

The event finally went ahead last week at Amisfield Winery in the Pisa Ranges near Cromwell in Central Otago.

McNab competed against fellow finalists Jordan Moores from Valli in Central Otago and Peter Russell from Matua in Marlborough.

The National Final challenged the finalists in a wide range of skills needed to be a top winemaker. This included laboratory skills, wine industry knowledge, CAPEX, wine judging and an interview. They also had to prepare and deliver a presentation entitled “What can the wine industry do to reach carbon zero by 2050?”

Russell won the Fruitfed Supplies Speeches section of the competition and Moores won the Villa Maria-Indevin Wine Judging section

As well as receiving the title of 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year, Ben McNab’s prize package also included a travel grant to visit the Tonnellerie de Mercurey (cooperage) in Burgundy, the experience of being an associate judge in the New World Wine Awards and the oportunity to review wines in a future issue of Drinksbiz magazine.

The 2022 Young Winemaker competitions will run throughout September with the 2022 National Final set for November.