It was shocking to learn the other day that Nick Dugmore of Stoke Wines, the ‘Vigneron’ trophy winner at the 2023 Young Gun of Wine Awards, was recently diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. Nick is just 38, and he has two young children with his wife, Bec.
Nick is one of the nicest people in the wine game, generous of spirit and well loved. He is also a seriously talented grower and maker who has set his sights on championing his beloved region of Kangaroo Island, which rarely gets due attention.
All of that is now paused, but we can all help.
“It has been a serious curveball for us and was a tough wait to find out what the deal is,” wrote Nick on sharing the diagnosis. “It is not in our family, and I have been told it was just really bad luck…
“I want to talk about this, and I want people to ask me about it. I want to get educated and help to educate with what I learn. In the last two weeks I have spoken to a heap of cancer survivors, and they are my new heroes. …I’m going to write about my experience as it makes me feel better. Will share it soon.”
The road ahead is a tough one, and it’s a long one. With a young family and wine business that is built around tireless work amongst the vines, Nick and Bec need all the help they can get. The hard physical labour will simply not be possible during some stages of treatment and recovery. While their friends are many, they really need our support, too.
Thankfully, there’s more than one way to help.
As Nick wrote, “…my health and family have become my number one priority. We have postponed our Spring Release party but have put the new wines up on the website. If you’re keen to support, a purchase would mean a huge amount right now. I swear the wines are good.”
The wines are excellent, of course.
The other way is through a GoFundMe set up by fellow Young Gun alum Lauren Langfield and viticulturist Anton Groffen, who are both close friends of Nick and Bec.
“With all the doctors and hospital visits ahead, all we want to see is Duggie focusing on his health and his family, his beautiful wife Bec and their two young kids. We want to leave the hard slog in the vineyard and winery to the contract labourers… but this takes money!” says Langfield.
The path involves chemotherapy and radiotherapy, possibly followed by surgery, and that process will continue deep into 2024.
“I know so many of us want to help, so let’s dig deep and help keep the Australian Young Gun of Wine 2023 Vigneron of the Year’s Kangaroo Island vineyard going without him for the year while he puts in the big fight!” continues Langfield.
The money will help. The goodwill, too. Please help if you can, whether by buying wine or donating, or both. Let’s all try and get this precious young family through this.
When your passion leads you to change your job description again and again, as you delve deeper and deeper into your pursuit… Adam Foster of Syrahmi was a chef who became a sommelier, and then a winemaker. Ten years into his journey with his wine label, he’s now growing vines in Heathcote. This is his…
Last Wednesday was a very sad day. A sad day for the wine industry, and an indescribably tragic day for the family and friends of Vaughn Dell, vigneron of Sinapius vineyard in Pipers Brook, Tasmania. Vaughn died of a suspected heart condition on the 20th of May 2020. He was 39. Vaughn and his wife…
Today we can reveal the top 12 finalists for the coveted 2017 Young Gun of Wine trophies. The 12 finalists consist of six winemakers from South Australia, two from Western Australia and Tasmania respectively, and one from both Victoria and NSW/ACT. This year, amongst the Final 12 are four female winemakers, including one in a…
Subscribe to our newsletter
Young Gun of Wine is your shortcut to cutting edge wines, the places to go, and the people behind it all.
Subscribe to be amongst the first to know of our latest discoveries in wine.
We'll bring you the inside running from the growers, the makers, the wholesalers, the retailers and the sommeliers, too.