The 19th annual Young Gun of Wine Awards list of the best young and emerging Australian winemakers has just landed.
Since 2007, Young Gun of Wine has searched the length and breadth of Australia looking for the best emerging winemaking talent – the young winemakers who breathe fresh life into this ancient craft. Our annual Top 50 list of winemakers has become an industry-leading resource for adventurous drinkers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, and wine insiders looking for cutting-edge drops. Whether they’re starting their own labels to express their unique philosophies, or reinvigorating existing wine brands with exciting new interpretations of tradition, our Top 50 winemakers for 2025 represent the future of Australian wine – and the future’s bright.
“Australian wine has evolved significantly since the Young Gun of Wine Award launched in 2007, and we’re proud of the role we have played in championing the emerging winemakers who have lead that evolution,” said Rory Kent, YGOW founder. “Australian winemakers have access to a broader array of winemaking techniques, grape varieties and ageing vessels than ever before, and their wines are being consumed by an audience that’s more informed and engaged than ever before. The Top 50 list for our 19th Awards is a testament to brilliant diversity and vibrancy of Australia’s wine culture.”
The Top 50 finalists in this year’s awards were selected from a long list of entrants. Over two days of intensive judging, a panel of leading industry figures from across the country tasted their way through the wines to select who was in the running for the six trophies: Young Gun of Wine, Best New Act, People’s Choice, Winemaker’s Choice, Danger Zone, and the Vigneron.
“Unlike other wine awards, and since day one, we have not judged wines blind, because these awards are about so much more than what’s in the glass,” said Kent. “Our winemakers are emerging thought leaders who inspire their peers with their adventurousness, and who seek innovative ways to cut through the noise to engage directly with both wine consumers and industry professionals. We champion winemakers who are not only crafting compelling wines, but who also demonstrate creative vision and daring.”
The panel gathered Melbourne at the Bleakhouse Hotel (Albert Park). Above: Nick Stock.
“We champion winemakers who are not only crafting compelling wines, but who also demonstrate creative vision and daring.”
Rory Kent was joined on the 2025 judging panel by Adeline Zimmermann, Pacific area export manager, Barton & Guestier; Angela Strickland, owner, Independent Wine Store; Lyndon Kubis, owner, Diggin’ in the Cellars; Marco Lubiana, winemaker, Stefano Lubiana Wines; Nick Stock, wine critic and educator.
Each applicant submitted two wines that were tasted and discussed at length – but their winemaking project and its ambitions and achievements, as well as their place in their home region and the broader landscape of contemporary Australian wine, were equally discussed.
2024 Young Gun of Wine winner Marco Lubiana joined the panel for this year’s awards. “Seeing the judging process from the other side has been an informative experience,” he said. “It’s great to discover the diversity of different wine styles being made across the breadth of Australia’s different wine regions, and to be able to track the popularity of different styles and grape varieties. I was impressed by the number of young winemakers working with alternative varieties – cabernet franc, aligoté, and chenin blanc in particular seemed to be popular choices – as well as how many high-quality examples of wines made from traditional varieties we saw. It was heartening to see that many winemakers had very high-quality wines at higher price points, as it’s not at all easy to break into the fine wine market as a young winemaker.”
“It’s important that these awards are not judged blind, and that winemakers’ label designs, packaging, and marketing are all considered by the judges. During the process, we had the opportunity to discuss a winemaker’s journey and how they’re communicating their story to the wider public – something that’s hugely important for winemakers, and something that’s incredibly difficult to nail. It was wonderful to see that so many of the finalists were able to clearly communicate their focus and direction as winemakers to the panel, and we could see the results in the glass.”
“So many of the finalists were able to clearly communicate their focus and direction as winemakers to the panel, and we could see the results in the glass.”
Above: Angela Strickland and Lyndon Kubis. Opposite: Adeline Zimmermann and Marco Lubiana.
Adeline Zimmermann, Pacific area export manager for French winery Barton & Guestier, and formerly of Wine Australia’s London office, brought an international perspective to the judging process. “I was astonished by the number of entries the panel received, and pleased to see that the entrants came from all of Australia’s states and winemaking regions,” she said. “The quality and diversity of the entries across the board demonstrates just how far Australian wine has come – the conversation is no longer only about a small number of well-known Australian regions, or a handful of grape varieties. I was particularly pleased to see wines that seemed entirely original – not modelled on old-world regions or well-known Australian styles, but wines made in a way that best expresses where and how the grapes were grown. There was no wine in the lineup that I wouldn’t be happy to drink a glass of.”
“The current Australian wine market is incredibly competitive and tough. Young Australian winemakers have to compete not only with international imports, but also with their Australian peers. We’ve seen significant headwinds in Australia’s major export markets, with new tariffs on imported wines in the USA, the long-term effects of tariffs in the Chinese market, and a global trend towards people drinking less wine and better wine. With their focus on quality, alongside innovative packaging, branding, and marketing, the young winemakers in this year’s Top 50 are all leading the industry in how best to respond to these challenges.”
After two days of tasting, swirling, spitting, and vigorous debate, the panel reached a consensus about the Top 50. As with prior shortlists, this year’s cohort is a wonderfully diverse bunch.
Makers are reinterpreting tradition – or jettisoning it completely
Our winemakers all think deeply about their place in the Australian wine landscape and its bigger history. Whether they’re looking Australia’s past to bring back more subtle and fresher styles of wine that have been nearly forgotten, modelling their work on old-world regions or techniques, or simply jettisoning the mantle of tradition in search of the shock of the new, our makers are in a dialogue with the past, while keeping their eyes on the future.
They’ve come to winemaking from varied walks of life
What do a former stonemason, a practising textile designer, a former Wall Street financier, and a wannabe safari guide who ran out of luck in east Tanzania have in common? They’ve all ended up as winemakers, and they’re all in this year’s Top 50. Many of our winemakers have learnt on the job, and those with formal education have had to un-learn a thing or two to grow as makers. The winemakers who come from wine families aren’t resting on their laurels, either, bringing fresh new perspectives and radical changes to the way their estates do business.
They’ve overcome difficulties to get where they are
Our Top 50 haven’t always had it easy. One suffered life-threatening injuries in a workplace accident. Another leapt into winemaking after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Another had to pick of the reins of his family’s winery at age 15 after his father was injured on the job. Others still have started their wine businesses without the safety net of large reserves of capital, and have pushed themselves hard in order to succeed. This year’s Top 50 is an inspiringly resilient bunch.
They’re honing in on their strengths – without forgetting to have fun
We have makers who focus solely on one grape variety, while others champion a diversity of varieties from a singular region. We have makers whose wines run a gamut of styles, but whose winemaking philosophy is as concise and deep as a zen koan. We have perfectionists whose own-label wines are elegant and poised – and who run sub-labels or special product lines for their untamed wild-child experiments, too.
They’re focused on the vineyard as much as the winery
Even though many of our winemakers don’t own or manage their own vineyards, all of them care deeply about where and how their grapes are grown. The winemakers that purchase their fruit work hand-in-hand with their growers to ensure that their fruit meets their needs without costing the earth, eschewing harmful vineyard practices in favour of organic, biodynamic, or regenerative viticulture. The winemakers who own or manage vineyards are shifting their practices, too, always looking to be more responsible stewards of the land. After all, good wine is made in the vineyard first and foremost.
They’re not into additions or winemaking artifice
While very few of our winemakers self-consciously identify as ‘natural’ wine producers, nearly all of them subscribe to a less-is-more doctrine in the winery. Additives beyond small amounts of sulphur are out; vessels for ageing are more likely to be concrete tanks, amphorae, or large-format old oak than they are to be brand-spanking-new French barriques. Our winemakers are a largely self-effacing bunch who search for purity of terroir or varietal expression over virtuosic displays of their chops in the cellar.
People’s Choice voting and prizes
We’d love to hear who you think is Australia’s best young winemaker. People’s Choice voting is live online via this link. Everyone that votes will go into a draw to win a year’s supply of wines (52 bottles) from Young Gun of Wine.
People’s Choice voting will be open until Tuesday 17th June. Go to this link.
In 2025, over half of the finalists are new to the Top 50 winemakers list. Here is the complete list:
The winners of the six trophies – the Young Gun of Wine, Best New Act, People’s Choice, Winemaker’s Choice, Danger Zone, and the Vigneron – will be announced on Tuesday 17th June.
The 2025 finalists can also be seen as a group via this page.
Young Gun of Wine is supported by Amorim Cork, Antipodes water, DJs Growers Services, Locke Logstics, WBM magazine.
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