Who will be the next 2026 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year?
Who will be the next 2026 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year?
The Young Winemaker Competition provides a fantastic opportunity for future winemakers 30 years or under to upskill, grow in confidence, widen their network and start making a name for themselves within the industry. The winner of the regional competition will compete in the National competition against other regions. We are pleased to introduce you to the contestants competing in the Marlborough competition taking place on Wednesday 15th July
Aoibheann O’Callaghan, Marisco Vineyards
Aoibheann O’Callaghan is a Cellarhand at Marisco Vineyards in Marlborough, working in wine since Vintage 2023. Since entering the industry, she has completed four Marlborough vintages, a vintage in Saint-Émilion, and a small but memorable stint in Wexford helping produce Ireland’s only white wine. She is passionate about people, fast learning, and making seriously good wine. Her goal is simple: to keep growing, keep learning, and become a key part of the future of New Zealand wine.
Briahna Adams, Constellation Brands
Briahna Adams is a Cellar Hand at Constellation Brands in Marlborough and is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking through NMIT. She began in the wine industry in 2022 as a Laboratory Technician and has since completed five harvests across both lab and cellar roles. In 2023, she joined Constellation Brands as a cadet, gaining experience in both vineyard and winery operations across multiple sites. Briahna is passionate about continuing to grow her knowledge within the wine industry and challenging herself to keep learning and developing. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and being outdoors.
Erina Lim, Framingham
Escaping the corporate world, Erina switched to a career in winemaking after travelling to many wine regions around New Zealand and realising there’s more to life than working in the city. Since then, she has earned a Masters of Wine Science degree from the University of Auckland in 2023 and has worked in Margaret River, California, Martinborough, and Marlborough. Currently working as a cellar hand at Framingham; Erina is passionate about nurturing microvinifications to ensure each parcel of fruit is able to show its true expression from the vineyard and vintage. In her spare time, Erina likes to tend to her veggie garden, go paddle boarding and snowboarding with her partner, painting, and knitting wee jumpers for her dog.
Jamie Howe, Nautilus Estate Wines
Jamie Howe is 23 years old. She is the assistant winemaker at Nautilus Estate Wines. She grew up in Wellington. She began her wine career in 2021 when she met a 28 year old American Girl in Wellington who got stuck during covid. Her American friends visa got an extension with terms of working in viticulture or horticulture. It was 2021, and 18 year old Jamie had just graduated college and said she would ‘come give viticulture a try… whatever that was’. She and her friend took the ferry down to Picton, googling what a ‘cellar hand does’. After the first day of working cleaning tanks they were unsure of what they had gotten themselves into. One harvest later, they had both enrolled themselves in the Bachelor’s degree of Winemaking and Viticulture at NMIT.
Four harvests later, Jamie finished her degree, gaining a scholarship. She ventured out to Niagara, Canada, for the V24 and V25 harvests. Until she found her home as an assistant winemaker at Nautilus. She loves her job and is excited for where the opportunity will take her.
Outside of work, she loves pilates, spending time with her friends and flying to Wellington every other week to see her family.
Juan Bautista Fernandez, te Pā Vineyards
Juan Bautista is a 28 year old and winemaker in training from Chilecito, a small town in La Rioja, Argentina. He discovered his passion for the wine industry during a high school viticulture class, which led him to pursue his studies in Oenology in Mendoza, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Oenology. Driven by a desire to explore the world, he traveled to California, where he realized that the wine industry has no borders. After gaining experience at Silverado Vineyards, he was encouraged to move to New Zealand, particularly Marlborough. Impressed by the scale and potential of the industry, he decided to continue growing his career there and is currently working as Cellar Master at Tepa Family Vineyards, where he has also been given the opportunity to produce his own wine, “The Hills”. Outside of work, he enjoys sharing good food with friends and playing team sports such as basketball.
Katasha Pearce, Saint Clair Family Estate
Katasha Pearce took a leap into the wine industry after initially studying communications and working as a journalist and press officer in Auckland and the UK. After five years overseas she moved home to NZ to see if she could turn her love of wine into a career. She studied a postgraduate diploma in wine science, followed by a Master of Science researching Pinot noir. Katasha started working full time in the wine industry as a Cellar Hand in 2022 and is now the Laboratory & Quality Manager at Saint Clair Family Estate. Outside of work she enjoys running with her spaniels, reading and drinking craft beer in the Marlborough sunshine.
Michael Hix, Yealands
Micheal Hix is a 30-year-old Assistant Winemaker at Yealands, based in Marlborough, where he was born and raised. He is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking at NMIT. Micheal's journey in the wine industry began in 2016, when he took on a vintage role to fund a trip around Europe. What started as a temporary job quickly turned into a passion, inspired by the generosity of winemakers in sharing their knowledge and the dynamic, enjoyable nature of the industry.
Now focused on developing his skills, Micheal is committed to growing as a winemaker under the guidance of the talented team at Yealands. Outside of work, he enjoys playing golf and hockey, and spending quality time with his family.
Nick Lamain, Isabel Estate
It makes total sense that Nick’s wine journey kicked off in Marlborough - it’s where he grew up, where he calls home, and the one place he’s most passionate about. After finishing university and facing uncertainty about his future, he kept returning to his passion for wine. On a whim, he moved back to Marlborough, where he became captivated by the thrill and excitement of harvest. With a new sense of direction, he set off oversees as a travelling winemaker, got a winemaking degree under his belt at Lincoln, and eventually wound back up in Marlborough. Now at Isabel Estate, he's thriving and eager to get amongst the challenges of what will be his 4th year competing in the competition!
Paiqi Cao, Indevin
Paiqi grew up in a small town in rural China and came to New Zealand in 2018. Graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor degree in Viticulture and Winemaking in 2021. He has worked in Marlborough, Central Otago, Oregon, Germany and now at Indevin. He is now a part of the permanent winery team and has been a valuable experience for him. Outside of work, Paiqi can be found hiking, running, rock skipping, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Zoe Holcroft, Rose Family Estate
Zoe Holcroft is a 25 year-old Assistant Winemaker at Rose Family Estate. Her love for science lead to studying a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology straight after high school. After graduating in 2021, she moved to Blenheim where she started off in the Lab and fell in love with Marlborough. She loves the variety her current role offers, combining more technical tasks with hands-on work in the cellar. The lab remains one of her favourite parts of the job and continues to shape the detail-oriented approach she brings to her winemaking. She recently travelled to Burgundy for a harvest which opened her eyes to smaller scale production and great cheese.
Secure your tickets now to the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year 2026 celebration dinner. Support the contestants as they deliver their speeches and go head-to-head in a quick-fire quiz. Secure your tickets to the Celebration dinner now.