Wine whizzes gun for the prize

TASMANIAN contenders will find out today who is Australia’s 2018 Young Gun of Wine.

Jonathan Hughes from Mewstone, Gilli and Paul Lipscombe from Sailor Seeks Horse, and Ricky Evans from Two Tonne Tasmania in the Tamar Valley are hot prospects for this year’s top award, which will be presented at the 12th annual Young Gun of Wine awards ceremony at MONA.

“There are a lot of similarities between us as winemakers,” Mr Hughes said of the 12 finalists who met in Hobart yesterday.

“There’s a lot of experimentation with new styles and the pushing of boundaries within our own areas of winemaking.”

Award founder Rory Kent described the finalists as “risktakers and disrupters who were adding to the colour palette and dynamism of the industry”.

“These guys are wine producers who are all in their infancy [as businesses]. They are wide-eyed and embracing new ideas and taking risks,” Mr Kent said.

“What’s really exciting is the tremendous diversity in terms of geography and their approaches to winemaking.

“The Tasmanian finalists are really championing the move to define sub-regionality within the state.”

Mr Evans, a former Young Guns finalist who specialises in making pinot noir, said his profile had benefited from the exposure.

“The recognition from the awards makes you feel like you’re on the right track. It’s an ongoing process and it’s wonderful brand recognition, especially interstate, which is a pretty important market for my business.”