NEW Zealand ultrafine wool grower Tim Davis of Long Acre Station has won the prestigious Zegna Vellus Aureum award with a 2.4 kilogram 11.6 micron fleece. New South Wales growers David and Angie Waters from Tarrangower Merinos at Hillgrove placed second with a 2.55kg 12.5 micron fleece, and third place went to W.I & J.A Harris ‘Moss Rose’, Uralla, NSW, with a 2kg 11.6 micron fleece. The awards are run annually by the leading Italian luxury fashion house, that specializes in high-end menswear. The winning wool bales and fleeces are judged according to a strict set of criteria, including fineness, style, strength, colour and evenness. The Vellus Aureum judging criteria this year was adjusted to effectively encourage heavier fleeces under the micron upper limit of 12.9 microns. The minimum weight for entries was increased from 750 grams to a kilogram. The 2026 Wool Trophy for a bale of wool was won by the Waters’ Tarrangower Merinos flock with a 14.9 micron entry weighing about ...