Twelve talented winemakers have been listed as finalists in the 2019 Young Gun of Wine Awards and – for the first time ever – a Queenslander has made the cut. Andrew Scott from La Petit Mort in the Granite Belt Region was included in the Final 12 earlier this month, and will soon go head to head in the battle for the top award of 2019 Riedel Young Gun of Wine, as well as Best New Act, People’s Choice, The Winemakers’ Choice and the First Drop Danger Zone. Chief judge Nick Stock said the judging panel (which this year included previous winners, wine critics, sommeliers and distributors) looked for authenticity, confidence, capability and of course taste to decide the 12 best new-generation winemakers of the year.

La Petite Mort is known for its small batch, experimental wines produced with minimal wine-making intervention and bottled without filtering or fining to allow the raw essence of experimentation to shine through. As part of the Bent Road Wine family in Ballandean on the western reaches of the Great Dividing Range, the boutique wine producer enjoys full creative licence, which encourages innovation in its winemaking. Oenophiles are welcome to join the People’s Choice events held in Sydney on Thursday May 30 and Melbourne on Saturday June 1, while the final 2019 Young Gun of Wine awards announcement will be an invitation-only affair in Adelaide on Monday June 3. Browse La Petite Mort’s online store, check out the Final 12 and Top 50lists for the 2019 Young Gun of Wine, and secure your ticket to the Sydney or Melbourne People’s Choice events online.

Image: Young Gun of Wine