Negociants Working with Wine winners off to Europe

Melissa Moore from Patrick Sullivan Wines in New South Wales and Samuele Sampirisi from Negociants Australia are joint winners of Working with Wine 2024.

Hosted by Negociants Australia, the wine trade educational program runs every two years.

It offers more than 200 of Australia’s most promising future wine professionals the opportunity to advance their wine education.

Melissa and Samuele will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe to visit some of the wine world’s most celebrated producers, including Poderi Aldo Conterno, Isole E Olena, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Dujac, Domaine Faiveley, Guigal, Champagne Pol Roger, Pierre Gimonnet & Fils and more.

Believing that education is the key to the Australian wine industry’s future success, Negociants Australia introduced the Working with Wine Fellowship in 1998.

The twelve-month program includes an initial entry examination, followed by two workshops and examinations, and a written assignment.

This year’s panel included Master of Wine Andrew Caillard, Nick Ryan, Legend of the Vine award winner Sally Evans, general manager of Negociants Australia Ken Withers, and imported wines manager of Negociants Australia Tim Evans.

Each finalist was asked to evaluate a specific wine blind and answer a series of questions determined by the panel.

Nick Ryan said, “After an extended break, Working with Wine has come back stronger than ever.

“The calibre of this year’s finalists, from emerging stars to well-established leaders in their fields, made choosing just one winner in each category exceedingly difficult.

“The Working with Wine Fellowship once again has reminded us of just how much brilliant talent is out there promoting the fine wine cause.”

Mark Smith from Queensland was awarded the Working with Wine Fellowship Wine Writing Award.

He will receive a Collector’s Autographed Leather Edition of The Australian Ark and will have his wine essay published in the Autumn 2025 issue of the Halliday magazine.

Finalists

NSW – Melissa Moore (Patrick Sullivan Wines)
NSW – Samuele Sampirisi (Negociants Australia)
Victoria/Tasmania – Joseph Durrant (The Recreation)
Victoria/Tasmania – Lieven Vanhoutte (Samuel Smith & Son and Negociants Australia)
Queensland – Tyler Austin (Pure Wine Co.)
Queensland – Ramon Arnavas (Negociants Australia)
Western Australia – Nina Throsby (Kailis Hospitality Group)
Western Australia – Ian Lambeck (Negociants Australia)
South Australia/NT – Patrick White (The Adelaide Club)
South Austraia/NT – Henry Holland (Longplay Bistro)
South Australia/NT – Rachel Sutter (Negociants Australia)
South Australia/NT – Carolyn Macleod (Hill-Smith Family Estates)