Who will be the Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year?

The Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker Competition provides a fantastic opportunity for future winemakers 30 years or under to upskill, grow in confidence, widen their network and start making a name for themselves within the industry. The winner of the regional competition will compete in the National competition against other regions. We are pleased to introduce you to the contestants competing in the Marlborough competition taking place on Wednesday 31st July.

Alessandro Carraro, Spy Valley Wines

Alessandro Carraro, 27, is an Assistant Winemaker at Spy Valley. Born in Italy, he graduated with a Bachelor in Winemaking and Viticulture from the University of Udine/Trento in 2019. Alessandro discovered his passion for winemaking while working in hotels during school holidays and decided to pursue it at his hometown university, quickly becoming hooked. His first vintage was in 2017 in Friuli Venezia Giulia, and he went on to work two more vintages in Italy before gaining international experience in Australia, New Zealand, France, and California. Alessandro aims to become a renowned winemaker and produce high-quality, high-end wines. He is also passionate about outdoor activities like fishing, spearfishing, and hiking, and enjoys cooking when the weather is bad.

Dingying Jiang, Cloudy Bay Vineyards

Dingying Jiang, aged 28, discovered her passion for the wine industry early, pursuing a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University in 2015. After graduating, she undertook various technical roles in cellars, including assistant winemaker positions across the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Alongside her winemaking degrees, Dingying earned a WSET level 3 certificate with distinction. Beyond harvest seasons, she ventured into wine sales, serving as a sommelier at a fine dining restaurant. These experiences helped her quickly learn to discuss wines with customers, understand their preferences, and track market trends. Outside of wine, Dingying is a music enthusiast, particularly fond of techno, and has pursued a beginner DJ course in Brisbane. She enjoys wine tasting, discussing wines, and sharing her passion with friends.

Ellie Hobbs, Rose Family Estate

Ellie Hobbs, originally hailing from Auckland, graduated with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology from Lincoln University in 2017. Since then, she has gone on to complete vintages in New Zealand, France, Australia, and Austria. She returned to Marlborough in 2019 to take up the role of Cellar and Lab Assistant, now Assistant Winemaker, at Rose Family Estate. Ellie enjoys the diversity of her role, which allows her to gain a deeper understanding of all aspects of wine production and continues to build on the skills she has gained through her overseas harvests. Ellie loves spending her spare time mastering the art of breadmaking and is easy to spot in the winery as she is often wearing brightly coloured leggings.

Lan Zhang, Pernod Ricard

Lan Zhang, currently works as Assistant Winemaker at Pernod Ricard Winemakers in Marlborough. Originally from China, Lan graduated in 2019 from Lincoln University with a bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Winemaking. During her studies, she spent time working in many areas of the industry including in the vineyard, winery and cellar door both in Marlborough and Central Otago. Lan has also studied the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) & has completed WSET level 3. After initially spending her time exploring the many facets of the industry, she decided that winemaking is something she would like to pursue, she took on a cellar hand role and is now an Assistant winemaker at Pernod Ricard. Outside of work, she loves snowboarding.

Lewis Davidson, Cloudy Bay Vineyards

Lewis Davidson is 28 years old and is a Cellar Hand at Cloudy Bay Vineyards. He is originally from Christchurch and graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelors in Viticulture and Oenology. He entered the wine industry straight out of high school and fell in love with the culture around winemaking. After studying, he travelled to do harvests in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as a few around New Zealand. Outside of work, Lewis enjoys playing and coaching volleyball in the Marlborough area.

Michael Hix, Yealands Wine Group

Micheal Hix is 28 years old and works as an Assistant Winemaker at Yealands. He grew up in Marlborough and is currently studying for a Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking at NMIT. His career in the wine industry began at Wither Hills in 2016 working a vintage to fund a trip around Europe. He quickly became interested in wine because of Winemakers willingness to share their knowledge and how much fun the industry is. His goal is to develop as a Winemaker learning from the great team at Yealands. Outside of work he enjoys playing golf, hockey and spending time with his family.

Nick Lamain, VinLink Marlborough

It makes total sense that Nick’s wine journey kicked off in Marlborough - it’s where he grew up, where he calls home, and the one place he’s most passionate about. After finishing university and facing uncertainty about his future, he kept returning to his passion for wine. On a whim, he moved back to Marlborough, where he became captivated by the thrill and excitement of harvest. With a new sense of direction, he set off overseas as a travelling winemaker, got a winemaking degree under his belt at Lincoln, and eventually wound back up in Marlborough. Now, as a Production Winemaker at VinLink, he's thriving and eager to get amongst the challenges of what will be his 3rd year competing in the competition!

Ruby McManaway, Yealands Wine Group

Ruby is a 26-year-old Winemaker at Yealands Estate. As a born and bred Marlborough local, Ruby has been surrounded by grapevines from an early age. Her journey in the wine industry began straight out of high school as a cadet at Constellation Brands where she was inspired by the wine industry. Nine years into her career, she has experienced aspects from vineyard and cellar to her current role as Production Winemaker at Yealands. After completing a Harvest in France last year, Ruby is excited to be entering the Tonnellerie De Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year competition for 2024.

Zack Andrews, Hunter’s Wines

Zack Andrews is 28 years old and is Assistant Winemaker at Hunter’s Wines. He grew up in Marlborough and studied part-time at NMIT in Winemaking. His wine career began doing his 1st two harvests locally straight after high school and he has worked vintages in Clare Valley, and Marlborough. He became interested in winemaking when learnt more on the job, tasting exciting wines and doing lab analysis. He is passionate about quality wine and being hands-on through the whole process of winemaking. Outside of work, he enjoys hanging out with friends, going to bars, eating good food and beaches.