Australia’s regionally distinct and fine wines
Landmark Tutorial Reflects Eastern Promise
This year’s Landmark Australia Tutorial in the Yarra Valley will build on the inaugural success with an expanded group of 14 participants.
The applications for the September 2010 experience were as keenly contested as the previous year, and reflected an increased awareness and interest from North and South-East Asia. China provides two participants from the mainland, plus one from Hong Kong, and there are two from Singapore and one from Japan. Add to these two Australians, and just over half the participants are representative of the Asia-Pacific region.
New and emerging markets are not the only benefactors, however, with exciting representation from Canada, the US, UK, Germany and Denmark. The 14 successful applicants are:
• Ms Sarah Ahmed, freelance wine writer and educator, United Kingdom
• Ms Kim Bickley, sommelier, Hilton Hotel, Australia
• Ms Jessica Harnois, wine buyer/sommelier, SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec), Canada
• Mr Tony Love, wine writer, News Ltd. metropolitan newspapers, Australia
• Ms Karen MacNeil, chairman, Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, United States
• Mr Kenichi Ohashi, president, Yamajin Co. Ltd., Utsunomiya, Japan
• Ms Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Asian wine correspondent and reviewer, eRobertParker.com and The Wine Advocate, Singapore
• Ms Diwen Qiu, managing editor, “Wine in China” magazine, Singapore
• Dr Edward Ragg, wine writer, educator and consultant, Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting, China
• Mr Thomas Rydberg, wine writer and editor, Ekstra Bladet, Denmark
• Mr Joerg Sievers, editor, Weinwirtschaft, Meininger Publications, Germany
• Mr Simon Tam, wine journalist, educator and consultant, Independent Wine Centre, Hong Kong
• Ms Fongyee Walker, wine writer, educator and consultant, Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting, China
• Mr Thomas Woolrych, buying manager, Direct Wines, United Kingdom
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, on discovering she had been selected, said: “The Landmark Australia Tutorial is one of the best educational tools ever to be developed by any wine organisation in the world and I’m very excited to be accepted to participate. Ever a wine student as much as a wine educator and commentator myself, I’m looking forward to this valuable opportunity to better understand the development of traditional versus new wine styles from Australia’s wide range of regions and the levels of quality and ageability that have been and are now being achieved.”
Wine Australia’s general manager market development, Paul Henry added: “The focus of the Tutorial remains to capture the interest and support of the next wave of international wine opinion leaders. The importance of addressing the image of Australian wine as a whole is well served by this program, and while it is delivered with a relatively small number of carefully selected wines (around 250), it capably displays the depth and range of Australia’s quality winemaking. Once again, a collaborative but uncompromised approach will demonstrate that Australia produces some of the best wines in the world.”
The Landmark Australia Tutorial 2010 will take place in the Yarra Valley from the 20 - 24 September. Click here to download the schedule for the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial.
Congratulations to the 2010 Participants
Posted by Lucy in Participants on March 16th, 2010
The applications for the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial were as keenly contested as 2009, perhaps reflecting an increased awareness and interest from North and South-East Asia. New and emerging markets are not the only benefactors, however, with exciting representation from Canada, the US, UK, Germany and Denmark. The 14 successful participants of the 2010 Tutorial are:
- Ms Sarah Ahmed, freelance wine writer and educator, United Kingdom
Sarah runs her own website The Wine Detective as well as contributing to a number of publications including The World of Fine Wine, Decanter, Wine & Spirit, The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine & Spirit Weekly, Imbibe/Square Meal, Off Licence News, and The Wine Society Newsletter. Sarah has extensive experience in wine tastings, courses and presentations as well as international wine judging experience. - Ms Kim Bickley, sommelier, Hilton Hotel, Australia
Kim Bickley is a Certified Sommelier with over 15 years’ experience in fine dining and the hospitality industry. She is currently Head Sommelier of Hilton Sydney and Luke Mangan’s Glass Brasserie and has judged at several wine shows in Australia. - Ms Jessica Harnois, wine buyer/sommelier, SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec), Canada
Jessica manages the Courier Vinicole magazine and the private SAQ wine cellar. She is the President of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and also a wine journalist with various publications as well as filming wine reviews on the web. Jessica has been a Sommelier at leading restaurants including Charlie Trotter’s, Tetsuya’s and Toqué! - Mr Tony Love, wine writer, News Ltd. metropolitan newspapers, Australia
Tony writes for News Ltd’s metropolitan newspapers’ weekly food and wine publication, Taste, which appears in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and associated websites. He also edits and writes an annual Top 100 Australian Wine Guide and has broad wine judging experience. - Ms Karen MacNeil, chairman, Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, United States
Karen is the author of the US best-selling wine book, The Wine Bible, which is used in the US by the Guild of Master Sommeliers as their primary teaching text. Karen hosted and wrote for the Emmy-award winning Wine, Food & Friends with Karen MacNeil, a 13-part series which ran on US national television from 2005 to 2008. She has been published in more than 50 US magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, and Town & Country. Karen has received many prestigious industry awards, the most recent being the IWSC’s 2008 Trophy for Communicator of the Year. - Mr Kenichi Ohashi, president, Yamajin Co. Ltd., Utsunomiya, Japan
Kenichi is a director and chief consultant about wine and sake education in premium product development consulting company, SomerSault Co. Ltd. He is also a wine columnist for Yomiuri Online, a certified sommelier with the Japan Sommelier Association and has published a book called “Natural Wine” featuring sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines. He is a Senior Judge at the IWC and is an experienced lecturer on wine, providing education and commercial advice to wine buyers at other wine wholesale firms across Japan. - Ms Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Asian wine correspondent and reviewer, eRobertParker.com and The Wine Advocate, Singapore
Singapore’s only MW, Lisa has been working in the wine trade for more than 17 years. She currently writes for Robert Parker’s website, as the Asian wine correspondent and reviewer for The Wine Advocate covering the wines of Australia. She is also the Contributing Wine editor for Cuisine & Wine Asia Magazine. Lisa’s extensive career in the wine trade has spanned three countries (UK, Japan, and Singapore) in sales, marketing, purchasing and wine education. As one of the world’s leading experts on Fine Wines and Asian Wine Markets, she frequently lectures upon these topics at conferences around the world. - Ms Diwen Qiu, managing editor, “Wine in China” magazine, Singapore
Diwen is a Singapore-based wine writer with extensive work ties to mainland China. She is currently the Managing Editor for “Wine in China” magazine, and a wine columnist and wine consultant with Xibao Trading Company. Diwen is also the guest host and editor of “Enjoying wine” series on the Shanghai educational television station. She has published more than 100 articles over the last four years in wine and food related magazines in China, such as Vino Vogue, Wine in China and Food Report. Diwen’s “Handbook of Wine”, written in Chinese, will be published this year and she has judged at the Hong Kong Wine and Spirits Competition and Tower Club American Express wine competition in Singapore. - Dr Edward Ragg, wine writer, educator and consultant, Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting, China
Edward is a wine writer, educator and columnist for The World of Fine Wine Magazine and recently Decanter magazine, as well as, within China, for The Financial Times’ Rui, Drink Magazine (Shanghai), The Robb Report China and Caijing Ribao, among others. He has also served as the ‘China Correspondent’ for wine sites Catavino and Enobytes and has international wine judging experience. - Mr Thomas Rydberg, wine writer, Ekstra Bladet, Denmark
Thomas is a wine educator and wine writer for Ekstra Bladet which is among the largest print newspapers and the largest online news site in Denmark. Thomas is also editor and CEO of AltomSpanskVin Aps. He teaches at a private wine school in Copenhagen, has international and domestic wine judging experience, and plans to begin his MW this year. - Mr Joerg Sievers, editor, Weinwirtschaft, Meininger Publications, Germany
Joerg is a wine editor at Meininger Publications and has written articles for Weinwelt, Sommelier Magazine and Weinwirtschaft. In 2008 Joerg published a 64 page buyer’s guide for Shiraz Wines from Australia, the first of its kind in Germany, which was circulated into Meininger’s wine publications. - Mr Simon Tam, wine journalist, educator and consultant, Independent Wine Centre, Hong Kong
Simon is the founding director of Independent Wine Centre in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Macao as well as Hong Kong IWSC, the Hong Kong partner of the prestigious UK-based IWSC. Simon has more than 20 years’ experience in the wine industry, has judged at more than 70 international wine competitions around the world, and in 2007 was voted “The Best Wine Consultant” in the UK’s Wine Business International magazine. He is a contributing editor to 23 publications and websites including The South China Morning Post, Prestige, Macau Closer and Wine in China, among many more. Simon is the chairman elect of Greater China Wine Critics Association, whose role is to promote and nurture knowledge exchange between wine producers and association members in Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei. - Ms Fongyee Walker, wine writer, educator and consultant, Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting, China
Fongyee is a WSET recommended tutor and assesor and is a second year candidate of the MW Program. Fongyee is also wine writer for Hong Kong Tatler, Financial Times Rui Magazine, Caijing Ribao (China’s top financial newspaper), Fine Wine & Liquor (China), Wine in China, and co-writer of Dragon Phoenix Wine blog. Her extensive judging experience includes regular participation on tasting panels of Wine in China, Savour, and Food and Wine China, the Hong Kong IWC and team captain, member and coach of the Cambridge University Varsity Wine-Tasting Team. - Mr Thomas Woolrych, buying manager, Direct Wines, United Kingdom
Thomas is the buying manager for Direct Wines – the world’s largest direct to customer independent and family-owned wine business with approximately one million regular customers. They operate in the UK, US, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Hong Kong and trading names include Laithwaites and The Sunday Times Wine Club in the UK. Thomas has worked for Direct Wines since 1997 and is responsible for purchasing from Australia. He is a Senior Judge at the IWC.
Definitions
IWC – International Wine Challenge
IWSC – International Wine & Spirit Competition
MW – Master of Wine
WSET – Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Applications Closed
Applications for the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial have closed. Please email landmark@wineaustralia.com if you would like to be notified when applications open for the 2011 Tutorial.
USA Court of Master Sommeliers Symposium
Landmark Australia Shiraz Masterclass - Drawing a Line in the Sand!
If you were looking to make an impression and to build some serious currency into an important new relationship, then perhaps the world’s most exclusive golf resort is not a bad place to be. Pebble Beach, California welcomed Wine Australia to its hallowed greens for the inaugural Court of Master Sommeliers National Conference on January 20th 2010, and while the weather was biblical in its profile, the Wine Australia team was in equally storming form. A Landmark Australia masterclass of 18 Shiraz, led by guest presenter and winemaker Stephen Pannell, and moderated by Wine Australia’s own Mark Davidson, was presented to 72 master sommeliers with a view to challenging assumptions about the range, style and evolution of Australia’s signature variety. At stake was the reputation and credibility of the category’s most recognized wine style in the eyes of the world’s most assiduously informed gatekeepers – the official, professional coterie of sommeliers.
The masterclass comprised three chapters: an opening round of celebrated releases drawn from the decade of the 90s; a following flight of exemplary regional estates; and a closing round that questioned whether region or variety should be the dominant signature in Australian Shiraz’s best expressions. It would be fair to say that the expectation was to see an impressive but perhaps stylistically limited range of wines that were familiar rather than remarkable in their reach and ambition. What the Court discovered, however, under Pannell’s compelling narrative and challenging insight, was a range of stylistic excellence and diversity that was as unexpected as it was hitherto unexplored. Heathcote, Grampians and McLaren Vale all shone; the older wines dazzled with their apparent youth and delicacy, and a trinity of idiosyncratic stars from Clare, Canberra and Eden Valley threatened to steal the show. After two hours of examination and robust questioning of both the panel and the audience, the response was as emphatic: a unanimous and spontaneous standing ovation from the floor!
Fred Dame, Chairman Emeritus, Court of Master Sommeliers and Director of Icon Estates, Constellation Wines US summed up the event as follows: ”You have achieved more in one day than any trade campaign has achieved in a decade. We are in the business of shaping the future of the wine and that is what you have successfully invested in today. No-one has reached deeper, harder or more thoughtfully than Wine Australia in making this happen. Congratulations!”
Paul Henry of Wine Australia commented: “This was a tough and searching audience, and one that is not going to do you any favours just because you have gone to the effort of presenting. What was fascinating was to see the dawning realisation that Australian Shiraz can actually be a signature and not a caricature, as it has been portrayed in some markets. I sincerely believe that we have turned a corner with regards to a better understanding and appreciation of our potential with Shiraz and Shiraz blends.”
Last call for applications
The 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial promises to again deliver an unrivalled opportunity to taste Australia’s finest wines, and learn about regional differences and current developments from some of the country’s most awarded winemakers.
Participant, Mr Lim Hwee Peng from Singapore, offered his reflection on the inaugural Landmark Australia Tutorial earlier this year: “Just when you thought you knew all about Australian wines, here is one program that smacks your assumption flat on the wall, with its diversity, finesse, huge potentials in fine winemaking, and watch this space pronouncement. It is hard to continue enjoying, talking or even buying Australian wines without looking at it from a new angle.”
How to Apply
Who should apply: The Tutorial is open to individuals with extensive experience in wine education, buying, selling or writing. Applicants must possess an excellent knowledge of international wine styles and be fluent in English. Previous experience judging at wine shows will also be viewed favourably.
What you need to do: Write a detailed letter of application, addressed to the Tutorial executive committee, accompanied by your résumé and contact details of three industry referees. The letter of application should answer the following:
- How will the Tutorial benefit you in your current role?
- If successful, how could your participation in the Tutorial benefit the Australian wine sector?
All applications should be emailed to landmark@wineaustralia.com on or before Thursday 31 December 2009.
Successful candidates will be notified in February 2010 and must be available to travel to Australia and participate in the Tutorial from Monday 20 to Friday 24 September 2010.
Executive Committee:
Marc Allgrove, chief executive Chapel Hill Wines
Lucy Anderson, manager – International Marketing and Communications, Wine Australia
Andrew Caillard, MW, Fine Wine Principal, Langton’s Wine Auctions Pty. Ltd.
Ben Edwards, consultant Sommelier, The Wine Guide and President, Sommeliers Australia
Peter Gago, chief winemaker, Penfolds
Paul Henry, general manager Market Development, Wine Australia
Robert Hill Smith, proprietor and vigneron, The Yalumba Wine Company
Dr Tony Jordan, Oenologist, Oenotec Pty Ltd
Landmark Tutorial 2009 alumni - thoughts from Rebecca Leung
Rebecca Leung from China was one of the participants in the original Landmark Australia Tutuorial held earlier this year. Here’s what she had to say about being chosen as a participant and what being involved in the tutorial meant to her.
Landmark Australia Tutorial 2010
A Landmark return for the Australian wine industry
Following the internationally acclaimed, inaugural 2009 Landmark Australia Tutorial, Wine Australia is today announcing the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial will take place in the Yarra Valley in September next year.
For the first time, Wine Australia is inviting applications from Australia’s leading wine professionals to join the best and brightest opinion leaders from around the world in the five-day tutorial.
The intensive course consists of a series of tastings and themed master classes charting the development of Australia’s fine wine credentials.
“We are searching for the next wave of leading wine professionals who will help shape an informed awareness and opportunity for Australia’s regionally distinct and fine wines in their respective markets,” Mr Henry says.
The first Landmark Australia Tutorial was held over five days in the Barossa Valley in June this year. More than 1,000 initial enquiries were received with 12 participants chosen from Australia’s key export markets including the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan and China.
Julia Harding MW, one of the UK participants from the first tutorial said, “The 2009 Landmark Australian Tutorial gave me more information to back up my belief that Australian wine is much more varied than most people think and also can be a lot more subtle than its stereotype.”
Some of the leading figures in the Australian wine industry have again confirmed their commitment and involvement in the tutorial such as Peter Gago, chief winemaker at Penfolds and Robert Hill Smith, proprietor and vigneron, the Yalumba Wine Company.
Next year’s tutorial will take place in the Yarra Valley which, like the Barossa Valley, is a renowned tourism destination and one of the key wine regions in Australia allowing Wine Australia to yet again showcase the regional diversity and ‘terroir’ of its wines to an international audience.
“Developing a shared understanding of Australian excellence in the fields of wine, food and tourism is critical to the evolution of our future success on the world stage,” Mr Henry said.
The Location: The Yarra Valley
The 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial will be held in the magnificent Yarra Valley in Victoria - considered one of the world’s finest cool climate wine producing regions.
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Apply
Here’s how to apply for the 2010 Landmark Australia Tutorial.
Tutorial: 20-24 September 2010
Applications Open: 18 September to 31 December 2009
Participants Announced: February 2010
Applications to the Landmark Australia Tutorial 2010 are invited from candidates with extensive wine experience in buying, selling or editorial decision making. Candidates must demonstrate how they have influenced their business across one or more of these decision making dimensions over the previous 2 years. Previous experience judging at wine shows will also be viewed favourably.
Applicants must also possess an excellent knowledge of international wine styles and be fluent in English.
To apply, please email your résumé accompanied by a detailed letter addressed to the Tutorial executive committee. The letter of application should answer the following:
- How will the Tutorial benefit you in your current role?
- If successful, how could your participation in the Tutorial benefit the Australian wine sector?
- Names and contact details of three industry referees must also be included, and sent to landmark@wineaustralia.com on or before Thursday 31 December 2009.
Successful candidates will be notified in February 2010 and must be available to travel to Australia and participate in the Tutorial from Monday 20 to Friday 24 September 2010.
Executive Committee 2010
We’re looking forward to recieving your applications.
Latest News
- @cherubinowines Great work, Larry, to you and all the team. Good news too for Great Southern #apluswine !
- 28/07/10 8:54pm - Love their Pinot noir! RT @KARimports: @winehero Ocean Eight just got rated 5-stars in Halliday's new 2011 Wine Companion #apluswine
- 28/07/10 9:17am - @ReserveEstate congrats for your #bpluswine - hope you enjoy sharing them with your mates!
- 28/07/10 3:29am - @ourmancanberra consider it done!
- 28/07/10 3:04am - $9:99 RT @chinewinelover: The price?RT @winehero: Just bought the 2011 edition of James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion iPhone app
- 28/07/10 3:04am - @winecompanion Love the new app! Are there plans to let us share our fav #apluswine via facebook and Twitter?
http://tiny.cc/0qg68
- 28/07/10 2:59am - @ourmancanberra how is canberra today? First look is promising - dissappointed I can't share my fav #apluswine via Twitter or facebook :(
- 28/07/10 2:43am - Just bought the 2011 edition of James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion as an iPhone app... Will it be as good as the book?
- 28/07/10 2:25am - Strange but true...seems like David Lynch has visited Keith... http://yfrog.com/0pne7jlj
- 27/07/10 2:08am - RT @winehero: In Coonawarra for the regional launch of A+ Australian Wine - http//www.australiaplus.com. /via @TheWineVault > Thanks!
- 26/07/10 10:49pm
Taken from @winehero- @cherubinowines Great work, Larry, to you and all the team. Good news too for Great Southern #apluswine !
