Yesterday a hardy bunch of future industry leaders put their everyday work skills to the test in a different environment — the Central Otago Young Viticulturist of the Year competition.
The annual event is one of six regional finals in the search for the industry’s finest.
Seven vineyard workers of varying experience from Bannockburn through to Wanaka took part in the event which involved a round-robin of industry-related tasks, a quiz, horti-sports race and interviews.
Nina Downer (24), of Felton Road Wines, was crowned the 2023 Central Otago Young Viticulturist of the Year and will represent the region at the national final in Hawke’s Bay next month.
New Zealand Winegrowers leadership and communities manager Nicky Grandorge said the quality of the contestants showed the industry was in good hands.
"There’s obviously been some challenging times but it’s just promising to see we have got, in all regions, more young people coming through.
"And they’re big thinkers — they’re passionate, they’re aware of climate change, of labour shortages — they’re aware of all our challenges and they’re coming up with ideas to address those."
