Following a tough national final against four well-trained contestants, Cameron Price from Villa Maria, Hawke’s Bay, was named as the Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2016, with Central Otago’s Mike Winter as his runner-up. Twenty-six-year-old Price is the vineyard supervisor on three different Villa Maria’s vineyards, and this was his first-ever national final. “All that hard work paid off,” he said in receiving the award.
Tests included giving a vineyard tour to some ‘international visitors’ and answering questions about the NZ wine industry, water theory, biosecurity, health & safety and irrigation systems, to mention a few. The prize package featured a $5,000 AGMARDT travel scholarship, a Hyundai Santa Fe for a year, $2,000 cash, wine glasses and a leadership week. Click here to learn more about the five finalists.
