The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year 2009 Finalists

The Wine Society is proud to announce the top 10 finalists for 2009:

Ryan Aggiss

The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year 2009
Flying Fish Cove, WA



Born in the South West of WA, be it surfing, fishing or diving, Ryan knew from a young age he could never spend too much time away from the beach. He spent his first vintage at Ferngrove, where he began to appreciate the wonder of grapes and the thrill of wine being created. 3 more vintages followed, each time a passion for being part of this process was growing. Ryan then underwent a 7 year stint with the Hardy wine company, working in Margaret River, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale. After an internship in California with Constellation, Ryan decided the call of home was great and accepted a position within Flying Fish Cove. Starting out in the Assistant position, he quickly grasped the vineyard and winery operation, progressing to Winemaker and the rest as they say, is history.

Peter Kelly

Members Choice Award Winner 2009
Thorn-Clarke, SA



Peter’s involvement with wine began when he moved to South Australia from Queensland to complete the Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Oenology) at the University of Adelaide. Since then he has worked in wineries in McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley in South Australia with brands such as Haselgrove and d’Arenberg. After graduating Peter has worked as a Winemaker in the Barossa with Rolf Binder Wines, and, his current role, as Assistant Winemaker at Thorn-Clarke. Working with Thorn-Clarke has allowed Peter to work with diverse vineyard sites in the Barossa Valley, Eden Valley and the broader Barossa Zone and to utilise different varieties to craft wine that is distinct and exceptional.

Jen Pfeiffer

Sommeliers Choice Award Winer 2009
Pfeiffer Wines, VIC



Jen is a passionate Riesling producer (and drinker), striving for the dry, minerally Austrian style.  She loves Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon – aiming for wines that are richly flavoured, with an elegance of style.  She does differ from her father in that she likes a bit more new oak in her red wines, and is keen to experiment with different things like wild ferments and new and different handling techniques for the various wines. Like her father she is very much committed to working with unusual varieties, such as Gamay and the Portuguese varieties of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, Tinta Barocca.


Jo Marsh

Seppelt, VIC



Seppelt Winemaker Jo Marsh is one of those people who strive for perfection and the environment at Seppelt gives her the tools to achieve it. After such a wide and diverse training program, Jo was eager to work for Seppelt, starting there in 2004. “I have always loved cool climate wines,” Jo says, “and at Great Western we have access to some of the best cool climate fruit in Australia.” Jo says she loves the interest and challenge of her job, using a wide range of vineyards from different areas to create Seppelt’s graceful and regionally expressive red, white and sparkling wines.

Julian Langworthy

Knappstein, SA



Knappstein winery and brewery, nestled in the heart of the Clare Valley in South Australia, is a long way from Julian’s childhood home of Margaret River in Western Australia. It is however a fitting region to end up in for a winemaker whose career has been spurred on by his fascination with making wine in the new and old world from the “noble” varieties of riesling, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz – varieties which have come to be synonymous with Knappstein and Clare. Julian believes strongly that a winery’s heart is its vineyard. Knappstein’s Ackland and Enterprise Vineyards provide Julian with wonderful parcels of premium fruit, essential for crafting benchmark regionally distinctive wines.

Liam McElhinney

The Ned, NZ



At the age of 19, Liam followed his family into the wholesale liquor trade, where his passion for all things vinous quickly led to a deeper desire to pursue a career in winemaking. His international winemaking experience includes vintages in the Rhone Valley, Burgundy and Alsace in France, as well as consulting throughout California, Washington State and Canada. In 2008, Liam returned to his roots in the Marlborough wine industry as winemaker for The Ned, working alongside friend and mentor Brent Marris to produce classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

Luke Watson

Pepper Tree, NSW



A Hunter Valley boy through and through. After completing his studies in 1999 and a trip through the wine growing regions of France and Germany, Luke commenced his first winery role at McWilliams’s Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley. For the 2002 vintage Luke worked alongside our very own Jim Chatto at First Creek Wines. At First Creek Luke was able to further consolidate his Hunter knowledge as well as gain valuable experience working with fruit from cooler regions such as: Orange, Tumbarumba and Tasmania -experience that would become a great asset to Pepper Tree, with its vineyards in Orange, Coonawarra and Wrattonbully.

Nick Glaetzer

Glaetzer Dixon, TAS



Nick Glaetzer began his winemaking journey in the Barossa Valley, following with vintages in the Languedoc, the Pfalz, Margaret River, the Riverland, Sunraysia, the Hunter Valley and Burgundy. In 2005 Nick landed in Tasmania, searching for cool-climate, super premium vineyards, fit for crafting fresh and inspired wines for people who enjoy drinking wine. Winemaking with local industry veterans at Frogmore Creek has given Nick access to a select group of high quality Tasmanian vineyards, ensuring each GDF wine has a layered depth of flavour and structure over the vintages.

Steven Oliver

Harrington Glen, QLD



In 1998 he started a casual job working in a cellar door which he kept until moving over to the other side of the winery in 2000. He started as a cellar hand and stayed there until 2004 when he began dividing his time between Harrington Glen as vineyard manager and another winery where he was fine honing his skills as an independent winemaker. Since then, Stephen has had considerable success with a number of his wines, most notably his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon which won him Best Qld Red at the 2008 Australian Small Winemakers and a Gold Medal at the Queensland Wine Awards.

Stu Marfell

Vavasour Wines, NZ



Born and raised in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, not far from the original Vavasour vineyard, Stu’s involvement with wine kicked off when he took part in the first harvest for Vavasour at age nine. Stu went on to complete a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University and joined Vavasour Wines as assistant winemaker in 2003. A rising star, Stu was appointed Marlborough winemaker in 2007 and named one of the top 10 young winemakers in the 2008 Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year Awards. Stu has created award winning wines over many vintages and whilst having enthusiasm for all wine styles, has shown particular strengths in Marlborough’s iconic Sauvignon Blanc.