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Winemaker of the Year Awards 2009
A diverse array of unique talent defines the first four of this year’s eight finalists.
It’s year 12 of the Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the Year Awards and all of us at the magazine shake our heads asking: “Who knows where the time goes?” The judges – Peter Forrestal (chairman), Peter Bourne, Nick Bulleid MW, Andrew Caillard MW, Huon Hooke and Sophie Otton – are a long-established group, contributing to the magazine and serving on its tasting panel. Next year will see the number honoured as finalists in the Awards pass the 100 mark.
One of this year’s finalists, Larry Cherubino, was chief winemaker for Houghton when he was a finalist in 2003. He is one of several outstanding winemakers who are re-inventing themselves away from the corporate world and rejoicing in the freedom and hard work involved in creating a family enterprise. It is the quality of the wines Cherubino makes for his own labels that is primarily responsible for his nomination.
Julian Alcorso, on the other hand, leads Winemaking Tasmania that specialises in contract winemaking. The impact he has made on the quality of the wines they produce for their clients is responsible for his deserved nomination.
Our first tranche of finalists is made complete by Ray Nadeson and Maree Collis from Lethbridge Wines and Peter Schell of Spinifex – two newer, small family wineries that have impressed the judges with the sheer quality of their wines over the past year or so.
Each of the following overviews touches on the centrality of collaboration and co-operation as vital elements of the winemaking process and celebrates the creativity, intellect, attention to detail, determination, and sheer hard work of those men and women who toil in our vineyards and wineries.
The Awards focus attention on the pursuit of excellence in winemaking – with the key criteria that informs the judges’ discussions being the quality of the wines released by the finalists in the immediate past.
TEXT PETER FORRESTAL PHOTOGRAPHY GRANT HARVEY