Iain Riggs has taken home an Australian Women in Wine Award (AWIWA). Iain is renowned for mentoring at Brokenwood some of Australia’s finest young wine professionals, many of them women – like Yarra Yering’s Sarah Crowe, James Halliday’s 2016 winemaker of the year. And that is why Iain has been given the title of Workplace Champion of Change at the 2016 Australian Women in Wine Awards. The six 2016 AWIWA winners were announced on Tuesday night via a live-stream broadcast screened at functions in regional wine areas, including one in the Hunter at Brokenwood winery.

Australian vintners are beginning to recognize what went wrong between 2008 and 2013. In the late-1990s, Americans became obsessed with wines from the Land Down Under. For most of this millennium’s first decade, fruit bombs with quirky names and eye-catching labels flew off the shelves of U.S. retailers. But sales soon began free-falling. Between 2008 and 2013, the U.S. market for Australian wine declined by more than 20 percent.

Coolangatta Estate’s success at major wine shows continues with the Shoalhaven Heads vineyard run by the Bishop family winning Best Wine at the 2017 Sydney International Wine Competition. Cellar door manager Ben Wallis sad Coolangatta Estate’s 2009 Wollstonecraft Semillon has won three trophies this week including the Joy Lake Memorial Perpetual Trophy for Best Wine of Competition. He said it was great achievement for his father-in-law and viticulturist Greg Bishop who nurtured the vines to produce the highest quality wine possible.

Winegrape growers are urged to continue to lodge damage reports to trigger additional support under Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). Following last Friday night’s destructive hail and gale-force winds, growers have been lodging damage reports with Murray Valley Winegrowers (MVW). These have been passed on to government assessors, and as at Wednesday afternoon (November 16), damage to wine grapes covered more than 1100 hectares, with probable losses of around 25,000 tonnes.

Yealands Wine Group Founder and Principal, Peter Yealands, has been recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Drinks Business Green Awards 2016 for his continued innovation and commitment to sustainable practices. His company, Yealands Wine Group (Yealands), on the same night received a Renewable Energy Implementation runner-up award for the installation of the largest solar array in New Zealand on their winery roof. The Drinks Business Lifetime Achievement Award looks for an individual who has “excelled throughout their career in furthering environmental, sustainable or ethical practices in the drinks industry to the benefit and education of others.”

Californian wine producer Jackson Family Wines has renewed its sponsorship of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW), the institute has confirmed. Jackson Family Wines became a ‘Supporter of the Institute’ in 2013 and joins a host of key industry players, including Constellation, Riedel and Santa Rita Estates, who act as major supporters. The family-owned Jackson Family Wines crafts award-winning wines with a focus on sustainable viticulture, and responsible vineyard and natural resource management. The family’s portfolio comprises more than 40 wineries.

The winners of the 2016 Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) were announced last night, 15th November, via a web broadcast that was streamed to celebration events taking place all over Australia. Seven award winners were named in six categories. “On behalf of the entire Board of the AWIWA I want to extend our sincere congratulations to all the winners,” said AWIWA Chair, Jane Thomson. “It is truly a delight to see the breadth of talent and dedication recognized. We know these awards are having a positive impact on the conversation around gender equality in our wine community, and we know that the winners of the 2016 AWIWA powerfully demonstrate the contribution that women make.”

Barossa Valley estate Seppeltsfield has been crowned Global Best of Wine Tourism at the 2017 Great Wine Capitals awards, announced in Portugal last week. Seppeltsfield is the first Global Wine Tourism Winner to represent Adelaide, South Australia – a new member to the Great Wine Capitals network this year. The award of excellence graces Seppeltsfield as Australia’s leading property for wine tourism services. Representatives from Seppeltsfield joined South Australian government primary industry and tourism delegates in Porto, Portugal to accept the award.

WFA announced today that Mr Sandy Clark, former Chairman of Brown Brothers Group and Mitchelton Wines, has been appointed by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) as its new President. Mr Clark will succeed Mr Tony D’Aloisio AM, whose second and final permitted term as President concludes at the close of today’s AGM. Mr D’Aloisio congratulated Mr Clark on behalf of the Board and said “I am delighted that such a qualified and experienced individual as Mr Clark is taking over as President. He brings an xtraordinary wealth of business acumen spanning various sectors. I wish him well.’

Jacob’s Creek Chief Winemaker Ben Bryant today announced the appointment of Trina Smith to the position of Group White & Sparkling Winemaker, based out of the brand’s home in the Barossa Valley. With over 20 years of winemaking experience and completion of international vintages in California, Italy and South Africa, Trina’s vision for Jacob’s Creek will be driven by her diverse background and specialist winemaking expertise. “Jacob’s Creek is a proudly Australian brand of world-class standards, with a strong heritage of some of the finest winemakers in the country, who continually inject their passion and knowledge into building the brand into what it is today.