Lauren is Bay’s best young winemaker

There were raised glasses at Ash Ridge Wines at Bridge Pa this week as the crew toasted Lauren Swift who has taken out the inaugural Hawke’s Bay Young Winemaker of the Year title – although she was pretty relaxed about what was coming next. By taking the title, from five other young winemakers she described as “really top people”, she will now take part in the New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year competition set to be staged as part of the 2015 Romeo Bragato conference being held at the Pettigrew Green Arena later this month.