PLW Wine Mentor Trip of a Lifetime to Australia Winner Announced

VANCOUVER, Feb. 27, 2014 /CNW/ - Peter Lehmann Wines announced the first recipient of their bi-annual Mentor Award at the International Vancouver Wine Festival today. Niagara-on-the-Lake native Britnie Bazylewski will be traveling to the Barossa wine region in Southern Australia with mentor Anthony Gismondi in mid-March.

"Britnie is an important part of the next generation of the Canadian wine industry," said Matthew Lane, Peter Lehmann Wines Vice-President - Americas. "She's dynamic, smart and is helping build the Canadian industry through her work with her students. We have no doubt that she will continue to grow through this once-in-a-lifetime trip to experience winemaking in Australia firsthand."

While in the Barossa Valley, Bazylewski join reknown wine writer, Anthony Gismondi, on a week-long adventure where they will participate in hands-on wine harvesting, vineyard tours, experience the history and culture of the region, and finish with a night in Melbourne's dynamic food and wine scene. Bazylewski is the Wine Program Student Liaison and Part-Time Instructor at The Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College as well as Guest Relations Coordinator for The International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration.

"While it was a tough decision amongst the mentees, we were won over by Britnie's overwhelming enthusiasm on creating great wine culture in Canada," added Lane. "Her presentation confirmed what we saw in Kelowna - her pledge to engage Canadians of all types on social media platforms to spurn a nation-wide movement to embrace the wine world."

The Canadian Wine Mentor Award was announced last year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. It is a program aimed at building bridges between Canada's thriving wine trade, industry professionals, wine enthusiasts and South Australia's famed Barossa Valley. This first-of-its-kind mentorship program provides an opportunity for rising stars in Canada's wine trade to learn and further develop their knowledge at a three-day retreat lead by noteworthy author, wine expert and program mentor, Anthony Gismondi. Hosted in Kelowna, the retreat saw five rising stars undergo an intensive mentorship program that provided them with an opportunity to learn and further develop their knowledge.

SOURCE: Peter Lehmann Wines

Anya Spethmann, Trade Market Manager 416-826-7920 [email protected]