Wine Tasmania launches scholarship

Wine Tasmania launched the Vaughn Dell Scholarship in 2026 with the backing of Linda Morice and the Dell family to honour Vaughn Dell, who died on 19 May 2020 at age 39. (winetasmania.com.au)) The scholarship provides Tasmanian-based wine sector professionals grants of up to $10,000 toward study-based travel, with funding able to be awarded to a single recipient or divided among multiple successful applicants and limited to one person per business. (winetasmania.com.au)) Expressions of interest for the 2026 round close on 30 May 2026, applications will be assessed during June with outcomes advised by 30 June 2026, and approved travel must take place between July 2026 and June 2027. (winetasmania.com.au)) Wine Tasmania framed the program on the earlier Dr Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Fellowship, noting that the Don Martin fellowship supported eight Tasmanian wine professionals for self-directed study travel between 2011 and 2018. (winetasmania.com.au)) CEO Sheralee Davies said the scholarship is intended to help the Tasmanian wine sector “keep innovating, learning, adapting and excelling,” language used in the launch statement to link the award to sector development. (winetasmania.com.au)) The launch coincided with Wine Tasmania’s Tasmanian Wine Workforce Development Discussion Paper—published after a late‑2025 survey—which specifically identifies demand for professional development, formal and peer learning across the sector. (winetasmania.com.au)) Inference: by funding study‑based travel up to $10,000 and encouraging multiple, smaller projects, the scholarship is designed to expand trade-facing skills and knowledge exchange among Tasmanian wine professionals, aligning with the discussion paper’s professional-development priorities. (winetasmania.com.au))