Young Wine Writer of the Year 2012

Yesterday I finished judging the 33 entries for this year's Young Wine Writer of the Year Award. 33 is a record number for the award now in its 12th year.

I was impressed by the overall standard of the entries and choosing a shortlist of eight candidates was a hard task as there were some very fine pieces of writing from writers of natural talent. The best were those who wrote concisely and amde you want to read on. There is always a temptation to try too hard and some of the entrants fell into this trap. But it is encouraging that there is a pool of talent coming through. 

And the winner is....? I don't know yet. I have sent my list of suggestions in. We will have to see how far they accord with the views of the other judges: 

Circle of Wine Writers: Stuart Walton (chair of CWW0, Charles Metcalfe and Oz Clarke. 

Anova Books (publishers of Oz Clarke): Polly Powell (CEO) and Fiona Holman (editorial director).

Wine Australia.

The winner and the runners up will be announced on the evening of Monday 19th November at Australia House.

The Young Wine Writer Award has been sponsored since 2007 by Pavilion Books – the publishers of Oz Clarke and Michael Broadbent, in association with The Circle of Wine Writers and Wine Australia. The aim of the award is to help develop promising young wine writers.

 Barley Blyton: 2011 Young Wine Writer of the Year

 

Young Wine Writer of the Year 2012 + DWWA tasting

30 or under 30 by the end of this year and fancy a career* as a wine writer? The Young Wine Writer Award has been the launching pad for some successful writers in particular Peter Richards MW, the first winner of the award back in 2001. Prizes include a cheque for £1000 from sponsor Anova Books, who publish Oz Clarke and Michael Broadbent MW, a 14-day all expenses paid trip to the wine regions of Australia from sponsor Wine Australia and a year's membership of the Circle of Wine Writers. 

To win you have to write a 1500 word article on an aspect of wine.  

We had record entry last year with many of a very high quality. The worthy winner of the 2011 award was Barley Blyton. Hopefully the entries will be equally good this year.   

Applications for the Young Wine Writer of the Year Award are now open with a closing date of 30th September 2012. The award is sponsored by Anova Books, the Circle of Wine Writers and Wine Australia. 

Full details on www.youngwinewriter.com   

Barley Blyton (Young Wine Writer of 2011) and Yvonne May (regional director of Wine Australia: UK, Ireland and EU)

* Although writing about wine can be endlessly fascinating, be warned that only a few earn a good living. This should not, however, stop you entering!    

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Wednesday 27th June 6pm-9pm

An opportunity to taste over 300 award winning wines from the 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards. The tasting will be held@Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU. 

Tickets are £18 per person and can be purchased at www.decanter.com/events