And alongside our dedicated vineyard and viticulture awards, in the Young Gun of Wine Awards we have a trophy to recognise a vigneron – a winemaker who grows the grapes from which the wines come – as part of our ongoing pursuit to provide a platform for dedicated professionals and to educate wine consumers about the connections between the place grapes are grown and how wine tastes in the glass.
But we don’t just applaud the trophy winners. As a celebration of the diversity of Australian wine culture, and to spread the word about the young winemakers who inspire us, we write in-depth profiles of all of the featured producers.
“The Australian wine industry has changed significantly over the past twenty years, and we are proud to have played a part in that change,” said Young Gun of Wine founder Rory Kent in calling for winemakers and vignerons to step forward. “As Young Gun of Wine enters its twentieth year of existence, we remain dedicated to the cause of discovering exciting new products, championing emerging winemakers, connecting wine professionals, and offering a platform for in-depth, nuanced discussions about Australian wine.”
We want to see familiar faces, too. Owen Latta of Latta Vino and Eastern Peake will join the Young Gun of Wine Award judging panel in 2026. Uniquely among Australian wine awards, the Young Gun of Wine Awards are not judged blind – the judges assess not only the quality of the wines, but also label designs, packaging, marketing, and how each entrant communicates their story to the wine-buying public.
“Entering the Young Gun of Wine Awards is an opportunity to take stock of your career journey, your values as a winemaker, and to examine how you go about telling the wine-buying public about your work,” said Latta. “Winemakers are often so busy thinking about the nitty-gritty of winemaking and the mundane realities of running our businesses that we often don’t take time for this important reflection.”
“Entering the Young Gun of Wine Awards is an opportunity to take stock of your career journey, your values as a winemaker, and to examine how you go about telling the wine-buying public about your work.”
The program of trade events and editorial publications provides an opportunity for winemakers to showcase their work to buyers and engaged consumers who wouldn’t otherwise discover your product. As former Young Gun of Wine Award winner Lauren Langfield points out: “The trade tastings are highly valuable. The Young Gun of Wine team bring together wine buyers and sommeliers from some of the best restaurants, wine bars and retail stores in each city. It’s a bit like a speed-dating tour. You’ll be really good as succinctly defining your brand and wines by the end of the tour – and have made some great introductions for selling wines, too!”
The awards also provide an opportunity for winemakers to get out of their regions and develop relationships with fellow winemakers from around Australia.
“As a winemaker it’s easy to become isolated,” said Latta. “We mostly work in rural or remote areas, and we often only network with our regional peers. The Young Gun of Wine Awards offers a unique opportunity to meet other passionate, hard-working winemakers from across the country – and in turn to talk shop, share information, and learn from each others’ experiences. I was inspired by the cohort of fellow finalists I met during last year’s Awards process, and I’m happy to have forged many lasting connections.”
While the trophies aren’t the most important thing about the Awards, if you have ever eyed off one of our signature Young Gun trophies for the pool room, all we can say is – you need to be in it to win it! There are six winemaker trophies up for grabs: Best New Act, People’s Choice, Winemaker’s Choice, Young Gun of Wine, the Danger Zone (which goes to the most adventurous wine) and the Vigneron.
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