The Talented 2012 Len Evans Tutorial Scholars

Tutor Iain Riggs, introduces an extraordinary caliber of scholars including a Master of Wine, a Master Sommelier and the 2011 Jimmy Watson Trophy winner.

Each year, the Len Evans Tutorial welcomes some of the most elite wine professionals from across Australia and the world to develop their wine appreciation with the nation's top wine experts at Tower Lodge in the Hunter Valley

Many of the greatest, rarest and oldest wines are opened, tasted and scrutinised in one extraordinary week when 12 young(ish) wine makers, writers, retailers, sommeliers, journalists and enthusiasts are put to the sternest and most rewarding wine course of their lives.


Welcome. I'm Iain Riggs and this is the 2012 Len Evans Tutorial. I thought I'd just run you through who our scholars are this year; 12 very, very capable personnel from the wine industry.

Let's start with someone who isn't actually Australian but based offshore. That would be 'Ned Goodwin' who lives in Tokyo, does a lot of judging here in Australia. In fact, his father was born just here locally in Cessnock. He's wine director for Global Dining.

'Anna Pooley' is also one of our winemakers and she is from Tasmania, the Pooley Estate Winery.

We have 'Nick Glaetzer' from Tasmania. He's also probably more famous recently for winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy last year at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show.

We have 'Fi Donald' from the Barossa, winemaker, and Fi is in charge of the fortified wines at Seppeltsfields nowadays and has been in the industry for a long time.

We have 'Stuart Knox' from Fix St James Restaurant in Sydney and he is a great supporter of the Australian wine industry, and a very, very capable and up-and-coming wine show judge.

We have 'Tom Ward' from Swinging Bridge Winery in Orange/Canowindra and he is very much involved in the wine industry in New South Wales.

We have 'Elizabeth Reed' who is a trained winemaker and currently working in sales for the Yalumba Wine Company or Samuel Smith & Son.

We have 'Sarah Pidgeon' from Wynns Coonawarra, a district well known to everyone and home of some of our most famous Cabernet Sauvignon.

One of our sommeliers that we have this year is 'Michael Engelmann' and he was Australia's first Master Sommelier, coming out of the exams of the Quartermaster Sommeliers, and he is chief sommelier, I suppose you'd say, at Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney.

Another sommelier is 'Thomas Hogan' from Lake House at Daylesford. Knows his stuff, knows his wine and a great supporter of the industry.
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The local this year was 'Chris Tyrrell' from the very famous winemaking family name. Tyrrell's Vineyards started here in the Hunter. Chris has been part of the industry for many, many years.

One of our media scholars this year is 'Amanda Regan' She is from Mornington and one of the great contributors and commentators on wine in Australia.

So, those are our scholars for the 2012 Tutorial, 12 great up-and-coming participants in the wine industry. For more information, for more videos, just go to our YouTube Channel and you can look in on what happened in this week of wine here in the Hunter Valley.


2012 Scholarship Sponsors:

Brokenwood Wines, Hunter Valley, NSW

Lehmann Wines, Tanunda, SA

Leeuwin Estate, Fremantle, WA

Australian Vintage Ltd., Hunter Valley, NSW

McWilliam's Mt Pleasant, Hunter Valley, NSW

Petaluma, Crafers, SA,

Scarborough Wines, Hunter Valley, NSW

Shaw and Smith, Balhannah SA

Tahbilk, Nagambie, VIC

Tyrrell's Vineyards, Hunter Valley, NSW

Vintage Cellars, Glen Iris, VIC

Yalumba Wine Company, Angaston, SA


Other Major Sponsors:

Basil Sellers - Sellers Group Sydney, NSW

Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show, Sydney, NSW

Qantas Airways Ltd, Sydney, NSW

Riedel The Wine Glass Company, Australia

Peppers Guest House Hunter Valley, Pokolbin, NSW

The 2012 Len Evans Tutorial wishes to acknowledge the ongoing support of Tower Lodge, Hunter Valley, NSW