There is a maverick energy running through the finalists in the 20th annual Young Gun of Wine Awards, says the founder, Rory Kent.
“Wine sits in an interesting place right now,” he says.
“It is a pleasure, not a necessity, and pleasures are the first thing to go when household budgets are under strain – and they have been under strain for a long time.
“The cost of living, global uncertainty, changing consumption habits – none of it makes this an easy moment to be launching a wine label.
“And yet here we are, with one of the strongest and most diverse groups of emerging makers we have ever seen.
“As Billy Ocean said, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
“What’s most striking about this year’s group is the sheer ingenuity.
“These are makers who have looked at every obstacle – the cost of equipment, the price of fruit, the difficulty of getting a foothold in an industry with high barriers to entry – and found a creative way around it.
“Suburban garages turned into micro-wineries.
“Neglected vineyards coaxed back to life.
“Varieties planted that nobody in the region had tried before.
“Shared facilities, borrowed utes, bottling days with friends.
“There is a maverick energy running through this pack that is genuinely thrilling.
“Constraint is a remarkable catalyst for creativity.”
Alisdair and Kenisha Tulloch from Aeon Wines.
Transformation complete
Rory says that when Young Gun of Wine launched in 2007, the premise was simple: make wine more relevant to young adults.
“At the time, confidence in wine among young Australians sat at just 19 percent. Wine had an image problem,” he says.
“We wanted to change that, and the way to change it was to find young winemakers, tell their stories and make them the face of wine.
“Since then, confidence in wine among young Australians has more than doubled, rising to 50 percent, and bucking the international trends.
“A generation of passionate, creative, fearless winemakers showed up, made remarkable wine, and refused to make it intimidating.
“They are the ones who moved the needle.”
“Twenty years is a long time in any industry, but in Australian wine it represents a transformation so complete it is almost unrecognisable from where we started.
“The varieties being grown, the techniques being used, the regions being explored, the conversations being had – none of it looks like 2007.
“And yet the mission is exactly the same: find the people who are moving the needle, tell their stories and invite everyone to the table.
“We are still doing it. And if this year’s group is any indication, the best is absolutely still to come.”
Rory Kent was joined on the 2026 judging panel by Isabelle Szyman of Rathdowne Cellars, Master of Wine Meg Brodtmann, wine critic Nick Stock, Zoe Ladyman of Primavera Selections and Owen Latta who was the 2025 Young Gun of Wine Award winner.
Tim Fearon from Fearon Wines.
Every background imaginable
A marine engineer, a human rights lawyer, a specialty coffee professional, a former hairdresser, a student who switched from physics to oenology mid-degree, a civil engineer, a graphic design student, a hospitality veteran – the paths into wine this year are as diverse as the wines themselves.
“We have fifth-generation winemakers taking the baton from storied families, and first-generation makers with no industry connection at all who simply showed up and started knocking on doors,” Rory says.
“We have winemakers who are still studying, winemakers who abandoned corporate careers, and winemakers who built their first vintage in a suburban garage and have never looked back.”
Less-familiar varieties are making a bigger impact than ever – and for reasons that go beyond fashion.
“Fiano, Vermentino, Sangiovese, Negroamaro, Primitivo, Albariño, Touriga Nacional, Graciano, Aglianico, Lambrusco, Nero d’Avola – these are varieties chosen not because they are trendy but because they handle heat, retain natural acidity, require less water and thrive where Shiraz and Chardonnay are increasingly struggling,” Rory says.
“The 2026 group is making a coherent, compelling argument that the future of Australian wine will be grown in varieties we are only just beginning to understand.”
Rory says small producers finding creative ways to make wine without infrastructure is not new — but the community spirit around it feels more pronounced than ever.
“Shared wineries, cooperative facilities, contract arrangements and mutual support networks run through the stories of this year’s finalists,” he says.
“One maker describes the daily exchange of ideas – and occasional disagreement – with the four other winemakers she shares a facility with as essential to the project.
“The best small wine labels in Australia do not exist in isolation. They exist because of community.”
The finalists
NSW/ACT
Aeon Wines (Kenisha & Alisdair Tulloch)
Carillion Wines (Andrew Ling)
Cupitt’s Estate (Wally Cupitt)
Frankly This Wine Was Made By Bob (Thomas Colman)
Front Left Wines (Nick Tinant)
Glover Wines (Emily & Hugh Spinaze)
Grape Pirates (Aaron Onegin-Ward & Rebecca Milne)
Krinklewood Estate Pty Ltd (Valentina Moresco)
M&J Becker Wines (Meagan & James Becker)
Majama Wines (Rojer Rathod & Millie Shorter)
Meredith (Mem Hemmings)
Noman (Samuel Rumpit)
Sabi Wabi (Peta Kotz)
Tampopo (Scott Cosgriff)
Via Pola Wines (Peter Valeri)
Vinden Wines (Angus Vinden)
South Australia
Bloomfield (Lauren Hansen)
By Fabiano (Fabiano Minchella)
Charles Melton & Domaine Sophie Claire (Sophie Melton)
Cloudbreak Wines & Tomich Wines (Jack Tomich)
Dear Zahra (Glynn Thoman)
Grant Burge / Croser (Ella Hoban)
L’Anima Wines (Michael Williams)
Maekawa (Jin Maekawa)
Mordrelle Wines (Martin Moran)
Muto Wine (Waldo Smit)
Parea Estate (Ollie Bevan)
Praeter (Matt Large)
Silent Noise (Charlie O’Brien)
Vino Selvatico (Ashleigh Seymour)
Whispers of Chaos (Marcus Torzi)
Yalumba (Alexey Doumbouya)
Victoria
Alexander Direen & Little Brunswick Wine Co (Alex Croker)
Alkimi Wines (Stuart Dudine)
Black & Ginger Wines (Hadyn Black)
Kerri Greens (Lucas Blanck)
Kyneton Ridge & Harbinger Wines (Patrick Wood & Greta Darling-Filby)
Meredith Wines (Ben Luker)
Nacre (Meg Wallace)
Pachamama / Cloak & Dagger (Callie Jemmeson)
Passage Wines (Kaden Boekhoorn)
Patch Wines (Matt Talbot)
Rongo Wines (Ray Chen)
Vino Intrepido (James Scarcebrook)
Wilkie Wines (Tom Morrison)
Tasmania
Rush Wines (Sam Rush)
Sisu Wines (Jake Sheedy)
Small Wonder (Andrew Trio)
Utzinger (Lauren & Matthias Utzinger)
Western Australia
Fearon (Tim Fearon)
Sittella Wines (Yuri Berns)
The winners of the six trophies – the Young Gun of Wine, Best New Act, People’s Choice, Winemaker’s Choice, Danger Zone, and the Vigneron – will be announced on Tuesday 9 June.
The 2026 finalists can also be seen as a group via this page.
Young Gun of Wine is supported by Amorim Cork, DJs Growers Services and WBM – Australia’s Wine Business Magazine.
Main photo: Sophie Melton.