By Rebecca Harris
Omni sparkling wine has crowned its most recent Bar and Bottleshop Bachelor of the Year at the 2010 Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA) last Wednesday (Oct 20).
Four months of intense voting saw New South Wales bottleshop attendant Ben Yates take out the title, beating fellow finalists David Goudie (London Tavern Bottleshop, Caufield South, VIC) and Mitchell Peacock (Engadine Tavern, Engadine, NSW).
Along with the title, Yates has also won $10,000, which he says he plans to use to travel to Europe, where he will continue his graphic design studies in Berlin, Germany.
“It was fantastic to win the Bachelor of the Year title, I’m honoured,” said Yates. “I had an amazing time on the night and I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me and helped me win the Bachelor of the Year title.”
Now in its second year, the Omni Bar and Bottleshop Bachelor of the Year competition differed slightly in that the winner was decided entirely by the public vote.
“This year’s competition was an absolute hoot!” said Omni brand manager Louise Thiele. “It was terrific to see the trade engage again with the campaign.”
Ben Yates was crowned 2010 Omni Bar and Bottleshop Bachelor of the Year at last week’s ALIAs