Just a few years ago, pretty much all Ben Jones knew about wine was that came in two colours - white and red.
The American, a second-year wine science and viticulture degree student at EIT, is now being feted as the Hawke's Bay A & P Bayleys Wine Awards' Young Vintner of the Year.
The prestigious title is a significant kick-start to any young winemaker's career. Ben also benefits from a prize package that will see the Hawke's Bay A & P Society, sponsor of the Young Vintner award, helping with his study fees, and he will be offered valuable work experience at Craggy Range.
Born in Ohio, Ben's hometown is Bedford, Indiana although family moves have taken him to many other parts of the USA.
He chose New Zealand as his introduction to international travel after encountering his first Kiwi while working at a YMCA camp. What kept him here was meeting his partner, Helen Waterworth from Hawke's Bay, when he was on a job exchange at a similar camp on Banks Peninsula.