Australian producers of chardonnay and shiraz were extremely pleased during the announcement of the 2015 Royal Queensland Wine Show Awards on Friday, 3 July. Topping a total 2,186 entries, the two varietals, received the show’s most prestigious accolades, including the Courier-Mail Grand Champion Wine of Show and the historic Stodart Trophy. First Creek Wines Winemaker’s Reserve 2014 Hunter Valley Chardonnay and Houghton Wines 2014 Bandit Shiraz from Western Australia were ...

Distributor of Angostura, island2island Beverage Company has announced the State Finalists of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge in Australia. After entries closed to the competition last Monday (June 15), island2island counted entries and whittled down the total to just eight from each state. State Finalists will now go on to compete in July and August for AU$10,000 and the title of Angostura Australian Brand Ambassador, plus a trip to Trinidad ...

Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is renowned for being the largest and most influential wine competition globally, results providing a trusted and comprehensive list of wine recommendations and international stockists from around the world. This year the awards received a record number of 15,929 entries from 48 countries, and out of the 35 international trophies awarded, Australia took home an impressive five. Praised for being the best in their varietal categories, the ...

This week, Damien Neylon was announced as winner of the 2015 Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship supported by Melbourne Food and Wine (MFW). Damien, Sous Chef at ‘Brae’ in Victoria – a modern restaurant celebrating local food sourced from the land – astonished judges with his finesse and dedication. On announcing the winner, Natalia O’Brien, CEO of Melbourne Food and Wine summarised why Damien was selected above the other first-rate applicants from ...

DrinkWise Australia has been awarded its third international accolade for the ‘How to Drink Properly’ campaign, launched last year. The campaign picked up silver at the prestigious Asian Marketing Effectiveness (AME) Awards last Thursday. How to Drink Properly was recognised for its multi-channel digital strategy in the Digital Integrated Campaign category. Research conducted on the campaign’s effectiveness found that its message has successfully resonated with the target audience, with those who saw ...

This week, the latest graduates of Sydney Wine Academy’s WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits were announced. The course is the most recognised and well respected in Australia, taught by the industry’s leading experts, providing students with an in-depth understanding and sound knowledge of both categories. Held at Fix St James in Sydney, the graduation ceremony was attended by industry titans and teachers, including Course Director Clive Hartley, Ms. Lyndey ...

Hosted at Brokenwood Wines’ estate in the south of the Hunter last night, Ken Bray became the newest inductee into the Hunter Valley Hall of Fame; inducted before a room of the region’s greatest winemakers, viticulturists and industry professionals, media and guests. The most esteemed and anticipated award, the Living Legend is an honour only granted to a select few – to a Hunter Valley winemaker or grape grower who ...

During the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) Presentation Dinner last week, the winners of Champion Australian Beer and Champion International Beer were announced. Mountain Goat Beer (Champion Australian Beer) from Victoria was awarded for its Barley Wine – Barrel Beer, part of their Rare Breed range, and Lion Beer Spirits Wine (Champion International Beer), New Zealand for its Speight’s 5 Malt Old Dark. This year’s AIBA, conducted by The Royal ...

Now in its ninth year, the ‘Hunter Valley Legends Awards’ has announced its finalists for Winemaker of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Viticulturist of the Year and Cellar Door of the Year. Winemaker of the Year finalists: Gwyn Olsen, Briar Ridge Vineyard Liz Jackson, First Creek Wines Matt Burton, Gundog Estate Michael De Iuliis, De Iuliis Wines Rodney Kempe, Lakes Folly Rising Star of the Year finalists: Gwyn ...

Tempus Two, Nepenthe and McGuigan Wines have all received top awards in the United Kingdom at one of the world’s most prestigious wine competitions – the 2015 International Wine Challenge (IWC). The IWC is one of the world’s largest, and most prestigious, blind tasting competitions where wines are assessed on their taste and quality by a panel of industry experts. Tempus Two received three gold, six silver and two bronze. ...