Australian sommeliers selected to receive New Zealand Wine scholarship

New Zealand Winegrowers and Sommeliers Australia have announced Alexander Jacques of New South Wales and Russ Wilcox of Victoria as the Australian recipients of the 2027 New Zealand Wine Sommelier Scholarship. The selected scholars will join an international cohort of wine professionals from New Zealand, Asia, Canada, the UK and the USA for an “immersive exploration of New Zealand wine”, beginning with Sommit in the Waitaki Valley on 22–23 January 2027 hosted by New Zealand wine experts Cameron Douglas MS and Stephen Wong MW. The New Zealand Wine Sommelier Scholarship, first launched in association with Sommeliers Australia in 2015, has since grown into a global initiative. It is designed to allow passionate wine professionals to connect with the landscapes, varieties and personalities that make New Zealand wine distinctively unique.