June 25 date to decide Bay’s viticulture best

June 25 date to decide Bay’s viticulture best

Mission Estate Winery is the venue for two of the local viticulture’s toughest competitions; to find the snippiest with the secateurs and the most versatile young viticulturist.

The annual Markhams Young Viticulturist of the Year and the Hawke’s Bay Silver Secateur competitions are both hotly contested and organisers, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc. expect this year’s contests to be sizzling.

Eight viticulturists aged 30 years and under have entered this year’s Young Viticulturist competition which sees them working through a series of eight challenging practical and theoretical questions as well as competing in the popular HortySports at midday.

In the evening they compete in a general knowledge quiz and give speeches at a dinner at the winery in front of 120 guests.

The top three will receive cash prizes and Spiegelau glassware. The winner also receives $1000 in cash and goes on to represent the region in the national Markhams Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition held in Blenheim on 28 August as part of the 2010 Romeo Bragato conference.

The national winner receives a $7000 prize package and represents viticulture at the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition where $40,000 worth of prizes are on offer.

Hawke’s Bay has done well in this competition; in its four year history, Hawke’s Bay has produced two national viticulture champions and both these winners took out the overall title at the Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition. This is the best result for any wine region in New Zealand.

Caine Thompson from Mission Estate is the reigning titles holder and Emma Taylor from Villa Maria was champion of both in 2007.

This year’s entrants are Marj Hurley and Paul Robinson from Villa Maria, Nick Otto and Jeffery Farrell from Delegats, Jonny La Trobe and Katrina Allen from Sacred Hill, Matthew Fox representing Gisborne and Rowan Hoskins representing Wairarapa.

In the 2010 Hawke’s Bay Silver Secateurs pruning competition entrants vie for cash and product prizes in three categories: Tying, Pruning and the Team Event (pruning, stripping, trimming and tying).

The winners of each event will compete in the National Silver Secateurs Competition also being held in conjunction with Romeo Bragato conference on 28 August 28.

ENDS

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