We were excited to continue our collaboration with the Young Gun of Wine Awards, a celebration of the best young wine labels and emerging winemaking talent in Australia. Now in its 14th year, YGOW had to mix it up a little in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The Top 50 winemakers and labels for 2020 were announced in mid-March (over half appearing on the list for the first time) right at the beginning of restriction being put in place, but we thought creatively and turned what would have been the IRL Top 50 tasting events into a virtual wine series.
Featuring the Top 50 winemakers, there were seven interactive online tastings throughout May that allowed people from across the country to ask questions during the sessions which were all focussed on either a specific wine region or category. There were dedicated sessions on Adelaide Hills and Yarra Valley wines and others on Pinot Noir, Pet-Nats and Alternative Varieties.
This year’s winners announcement on 1 June also took place online, with all 50 winemakers tuning in to find out who the took home the trophy for 2020 Young Gun of Wine. Chris Dilworth and Loique Allain from Dillworth & Allain won both the Young Gun of Wine award and the gong for Best New Act – this is only the second time in the history of the event that a maker has taken two trophies home.
KDPO contacted some of Australia’s best chefs, comedians, media personalities, sporting heroes and wine legends to share a video message of support and congratulations at the virtual trophy presentation. These were played throughout the live-streamed awards ceremony and included people like wine royalty Jancis Robertson, Vanya Cullen and Prue Henschke, personalities like Eddie McGuire, Merrick Watts and Ricky Ponting and food celebrities like Adam Liaw and Ben Shewry.
Despite so much media focused on the pandemic, we were able to rise about the noise and secure great coverage nationally including in AFR Life & Leisure, Broadsheet, The Age, Herald Sun, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Time Out, The Advertiser, local ABC radio stations and more.
