From the gavel to the grape: Georgia’s journey to Young Winemaker of the Year

Now, Georgia has won a national award for her work — the Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year 2024. She spends her days among vines and barrels at Greystone Wines with passionate people and her dog Huey. But how did she get here?

Georgia entered the industry with a Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology — the study of grape growing and winemaking — but also holds a Bachelor of Laws. She was interested in winemaking from a young age, but thought law would be a safer option.

Four years of study later, Georgia decided to travel to Europe and see the world. She set forth on the El Camino de Santiago, a colossal series of walking routes across Spain historically travelled by pilgrims.

Georgia picked Camino Frances. 800km from the South-West of France, travelling across northern Spain and finishing in Santiago.

That pathway reignited her interest in wine and made her consider a change in career.

“We were having about 45° days while I was walking. In the heart of the day, we would take shade under the grapevines.

“I started talking to viticulturalists and winemakers in the areas. They were so passionate, it was infectious.”

She saw the attitudes of the growers and basked in the sunshine of the Rioja region. She was immersed in the world of wine.

“I probably would have come straight back to New Zealand and gone back to being a lawyer, but I got this idea that maybe winemaking could be a cool career.

“I came back and found out I could do a one-year postgraduate diploma at Lincoln University.”

Before committing to the programme, Georgia spoke to workers in the industry to get a sense of what she would be in for.

“I came to Greystone to see what it would be like to work in a winery. I asked everybody about what they thought of the career and if it was something they would choose again. Everybody said yes.”

“I thought I owed it to myself to give it a try. I’d been thinking about it for years.”

It was a daunting change for her, but her background in law proved valuable and she was able to explore her other interests, like science.

“I was really worried it wouldn’t work out, but I figured one year of my life for a post-graduate diploma is really not a big deal.

“If it didn’t work out or I didn’t enjoy it, then law was always going to be there for me.”

Now she has been at Greystone for two years. Georgia was recently named the Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year 2024, proving her skills in all aspects of winemaking.

She highly recommended anybody interested in winemaking to consider an education at Lincoln University, regardless of their background.

“You get a really good basis in becoming a winemaker.

“It’s a really renowned qualification. I’ve been to Australia and Canada and everybody knows about the Lincoln courses.”

If you’re considering a change of career like Georgia, you can check out our Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology here. 

If you’re interested in the world of wine and are just starting your studies, you can check out our Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology here.