Congratulations to Alexandra Harper, 2012 Young Wine Writer of the Year!

© Brett Jones, the Wine Maestro

The Award, now in its 12th year, is sponsored by Pavilion Books (publishers of Oz Clarke, Michael Broadbent MW and Margaret Rand) and the Circle of Wine Writers, together with Wine Australia. After much deliberation the judges short-listed (in alphabetical order): Amanda Barnes, Naomi Bedford,
Nik Byrne,
Lois Dongray Jones,
Barbara Drew,
Alexandra Harper,
Will Heslop,
Martin Klimmek
and Laura Vickers.

This year the judges decided to announce three runners-up as there were so many high quality entries: Amanda Barnes, Nik Byrne and Barbara Drew who each received wine presented by Yvonne May, of Wine Australia.

Yvonne May said: ‘It’s important to encourage the next generation of wine writers. With the rise in of amateur enthusiasts in the evolving online space we know that to stand out you have to be exceptional, and these writers certainly deliver. Our congratulations to Alexandra. We’ll enjoy reading her thoughts on Australia’s wine regions and the people who make the wine great. Australia as a land mass is not dissimilar to the whole of continental Europe and we have a breadth and depth of wines to match. There will be much for Alexandra to enjoy exploring.’

The Young Wine Writers Award winner 2012 was announced as Alexandra Harper for her entry

‘A Surprise Encounter with 007 – Tasting Wines with New Eyes’

This year’s winner, Alexandra Harper works at Bancroft Wines, a leading fine wine merchant based near London Bridge. Alex entered the wine trade after finishing her degree in History and is currently studying for her MW (she is the current holder of the Reh Kendermann scholarship for MW students).

The prizes for the winner include a £1000 cheque presented by Pavilion Books, a two-week trip of a lifetime to the wine regions of Australia, courtesy of Wine Australia and a year’s subscription to the Circle of Wine Writers.