It was his final test after a day-long competition involving pruning, first aid, wine tasting, vineyard budgeting and other aspects of the viticulture industry.
Dave Sutton, from VinPro, took second place and Mike Winter, from Amisfield, was third in the eighth annual contest.
Organiser Nick Paulin, who had previously won the Central Otago and national competitions, said Mr Gourley was strong in all the practical sections and was ''pretty consistent'' throughout the day against seven other competitors.
After a gruelling Hortsports section, in which competitors had to saw a barrel in half, tie wire off to a post, nail wire clips into a post, join irrigation, taste three beers and put a gas gun together, many were heard cursing Mr Paulin.
Central Otago Winegrowers Association president James Dicey even called the barrel-sawing aspect ''absolutely brutal''.
However, Mr Paulin said it was all about preparing the winner for the national competition in Blenheim at the end of August.
Though ''stoked'' with his win, Mr Gourley said he was nervous about the national competition and he would be studying hard.
Mr Paulin is the only Central Otago viticulturist to have brought home the national trophy and Mr Gourley said there was a lot of pressure on him to do the same.
An assistant manager at Two Paddocks vineyard in Earnscleugh, he was a first-time competitor and said the wine tasting was the hardest aspect.
Each competitor had to taste 10 wines from around the world and identify the variety, the wine-making techniques and where they were from.
Mr Paulin said this was the first year organisers had not had to shoulder-tap people to enter.
There were 13 entrants, five more than they could take, so strict entry criteria were enforced.
