Young Gun of Wine Awards - and the winner is….

Michael (Mike) Aylward of Ocean Eight on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, is the 2011 Young Gun of Wine, announced at Madame Brussels in Melbourne last night.

Mike was ecstatic with the announcement and said the award was a huge boost for Ocean Eight and thank all the winery’s supporters and his family and friends.

Also announced at the event, which closed the Young Guns of Wine Festival, was the winner of the People’s Choice Award with Rory Lane of The Story taking out the popularly voted accolade.

“It's very humbling and gratifying to see people parting with their hard earned for our wines, and for small, independent producers in general,” Rory said

Judge Max Allen described his Syrahs as “just awesome. I love Rory's blend of youthful enthusiasm and deep respect for an old, traditional Australian wine region like the Grampians. And I'm obviously not the only one!”

Chief Judge of the award Nick Stock said Mike and Rory won the title amid a competitive field of Young Guns.

“It is a very difficult competition to judge because there are so many people doing such great things. It’s is a tough task to narrow down to 11 finalists and even more challenging to find one winner of the Award. All the Young Gun of Wine finalists are winners in a sense as the festival presents opportunity for them to get among restaurants, retailers and new consumers via the events,” Nick said.

“The face of Australian wine has changed dramatically in the past few years and we are heading into very exciting territory. In the past five years this Award has championed and encouraged the most exciting collection of winemaking talent in this country.”

Fellow judge Philip Rich was enthused by work of the finalists, claiming that 2011 was “The best Young Gun of Wine Awards yet.

“This year there was a diverse and vibrant lineup of wines from off-dry Tassie and Great Western Riesling to the minerally, refined Mornington Chardonnay and the best Barossa Shiraz Viognier I have tasted for some time. I take my hat off to all these young winemakers whose get up and go belies the tough times we are facing,” he said.

Founder of the Young Guns of Wine Festival, Rory Kent said the Young Gun of Wine Awards recognise the best of young winemaking talent in Australia.

“The interesting thing about Mike Aylward’s and Rory Lane’s wine projects are that they are both honoring and evolving the traditional – inspiring people with wine is not necessarily about innovation,” he said.

For taking out the Young Gun of Wine, Mike is rewarded with an opportunity to sit on the judging panel to choose the 2012 Young Gun of Wine, and both Mike Aylward and Rory Lane receive a magnificent gold plated wine-bottle-cum-gun-barrel trophy created by Charlwood Design.

Mike joins past Young Guns of Wine, Matt Gant, Pete Schell, Colin McBryde, and Rollo Crittenden.

This year’s 11 finalists hailed from Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. The judging panel included Chief Judge Nick Stock, Young Gun of Wine Founder Rory Kent, Max Allen, Phillip Rich and last year’s winner, Rollo Crittenden of Los Hermanos.

Find out more information about Young Guns of Wine Festival, nominees and the events that tookplace by visiting: younggunofwine.com

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Editor’s Notes:

About the Young Gun of Wine Awards and Young Guns of Wine Festival

The 2011 festival includes the fifth annual Young Gun of Wine Awards, a search for the best and most visionary Australian winemakers that celebrates and pays tribute to the creativity and leadership of these mavericks.

To exhibit these craftsmen and women, the festival combines events with some of Melbourne's most iconic and idiosyncratic places to eat and drink.

Within the Awards, there is a People's Choice determined according to consumer’s purchase decisions whilst The Young Gun of Wine is chosen by a panel of industry leaders.

The eleven young winemakers presented as the top finalists of the Awards have won their place based on a number of criteria including what that individual represents to consumers, how they represent the wine industry, their vision, originality and leadership, and naturally the quality of wine they put in the glass.

About The Winners

Mike Aylward

Mornington Peninsula-based Mike Aylward is back yet again as a finalist in the Young Gun of Wine and the wines continue to surge from strength to strength. Through dedicated and studious visits to the great Domaines of Burgundy, and a solid understanding of where he is and what it takes, Aylward has developed a respect for vineyard typicity and subtle winemaking style that few amass in a lifetime. Thankfully, his beloved Carlton football team is also improving with him this year.

Rory Lane

It's a great story of modern Australian wine and one that many are pursuing. Young man has vision for great wine, wants to work with quality vineyard but the only option is to buy grapes and make it in a small winery. The Grampians come to Melbourne each vintage under Rory Lane's careful watch and he works some handy magic in the shed. The story unfolds in slightly different fashion each year, as the project develops, gathers momentum, switches tack or simply rolls on. And just like any good story, there's a plot, a few interesting characters and, we predict, a happy ending.

For more information and the festival program visit www.younggunofwine.com