New Zealand Winegrowers, in partnership with Sommeliers Australia, are excited to announce that the New Zealand Wine Sommelier Scholarship initiative will take place again in February 2025. Applications for the scholarship will be open to Australian applicants from 1 July until 16 August 2024. Only two scholarships will be awarded in the Australian market.
First launched in association with Sommeliers Australia in 2015, the scholarship is now a global initiative with sommeliers from Asia, Canada, UK, and USA set to join the Australian scholars in 2025.
The Sommelier Scholarship provides engaged wine professionals from all over the world with the opportunity to take part in an unforgettable wine experience, discovering the regions, varieties, landscapes, and personalities that make New Zealand wine so distinctly New Zealand.
As part of the two week New Zealand immersion programme, scholarship recipients will attend the 2025 Sommit™ to be held in Gisborne on 17 and 18 February 2025, and are invited to attend Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 in Christchurch from 11 to 13 February.
Applicants must be:
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- A working sommelier*
- A member of Sommeliers Australia from 1 July 2024
- Able to travel to New Zealand from 7 February 2025 to 22 February 2025
The scholarship includes:
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- Attendance at the Sommit™ in Gisborne (17-18 February 2025)
- Attendance at Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 in Christchurch (11-13 February 2025)
- Wine experiences and tastings in regions across New Zealand
- International and domestic flights, accommodation, meals, transfers, event registrations and all event inclusions
About Sommit™
Held in Gisborne on 17 and 18 February, Sommit™ will be hosted by New Zealand wine and on-premise authorities Cameron Douglas MS and Stephen Wong MW. Attended exclusively by the 2025 Sommelier Scholarship recipients and targeted exclusively to their interests, the Sommit™ event is an all-encompassing celebration of the lesser known aspects of New Zealand wine.
To apply
Applications will be open from 1 July until 16 August 2024.
For more information and to submit your application please visit:
New Zealand Wine Sommelier Scholarship Applications – Australia | New Zealand Wine (nzwine.com)
Candidates are expected to have a strong passion for the wine industry and a keen interest in developing their knowledge of New Zealand wine.
* For the purpose of this scholarship and Sommit™, a working sommelier is defined as:
- A person with contribution to/responsibility for/management of on-premise wine lists, either at their place of employment or on a consultant basis and/or
- A person who works the floor as a sommelier
- Having roles in other areas of the wine trade or media is acceptable
