Stuart Hordern, senior winemaker at Brokenwood Wines in the Hunter Valley, has been named the Len Evans Tutorial Dux for 2016.
This year, the Tutorial was held in the Hunter Valley from 31 October to 4 November.
Hordern is only the second Hunter Valley-based attendee to dux the week-long tutorial, following Liz Silkman (nee Jackson) in 2006.
As dux, Hordern has been guaranteed judging positions at two of Australia’s most respected wine shows, the Sydney Royal Wine Show and the National Wine Show in Canberra. He will also be flown Business Class to Europe with invitations to some of the world’s best wine houses.
Len Evans Tutorial trustee, James Halliday said Hordern judged exceedingly well across the four varietal sections and was the highest placed scholar on the Shiraz Dissertation.
The judging process, which took one week, saw 12 Australian wine professionals – from the fields of winemaking, viticulture, liquor retailing, restaurant, marketing and journalism -compete for the crown.
The tutors for the 2016 Len Evans Tutorial were James Halliday, Ian McKenzie, Iain Riggs, Gary Steel, Vanya Cullen, Tom Carson, Tyson Stelzer and Michael Hill Smith.
Riggs said “These are the people at the forefront of grape growing, winemaking and selling premium wine. The dramatic increase in sales of imported wine shows a sophisticated consumer. A better awareness of premium Australian wine and where it sits in relation to imported wine, is essential to the industry getting its message out to the world.”
