2019 Viticultural Society of Victoria scholarship

The Victorian Wine Show and the Viticultural Society of Victoria are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2019 Viticultural Society of Victoria scholar award.

This award, sponsored by the Viticultural Society of Victoria, offers:
1.  A pathway for aspiring wine show judges to enter the wine show judging system
2. An introduction to the Viticultural Society of Victoria and attendance at monthly functions of the Society, based in Melbourne.

The successful applicant will be given an associate judging position at the 2019 and 2020 Victorian Wine Shows with costs paid by the Society. Mentoring by senior wine show judges will be an important part of this experience.
In addition, attendance at monthly functions of the Society will be available. These functions are held in Melbourne and are attended by some of Victoria’s leading winemakers and industry figures.
They provide exposure to a wide range of Australian and international wines in a convivial setting drawing on the Society’s extensive cellar.

Previous scholars are Dylan McMahon (2015-2016) and Nicole Bilson (2017-2018). Nicole’s comments on the award can be read below:

“Receiving the Victorian Viticultural Society scholarship has been an incredible experience. As a young wine professional it can be quite difficult to access and taste older wines, especially from Australia. The opportunity to taste and discuss iconic wines at monthly meeting with society members (many of whom are icons of the Australian wine industry themselves) has helped me learn so much about our history. Associate judging at the Victorian Wine Show was a great entry point to the show system. The knowledge I have gained has been invaluable and has opened many doors both in the Australian Wine judging circuit and professionally. I will always be grateful to the Victorian Viticultural Society for its support.”

Applications are open to all members of the Victorian wine industry and should be sent to Robert Paul, Director of the Victorian Wine Show, email: director@vicwineshow.com.au. The closing date is May 31st, 2019.

Applications should include:
Employment history within the wine industry
Reasons for your interest in wine show judging
The names and contact details of two referees