Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) announced the seven winners of its newly expanded Wine Communicator Awards at a rousing awards night at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre this week.
The awards and their winners are:
- Wine Communicator of the Year – Andrea Frost
- Digital Communicator of the Year – Jane Thomson, Fabulous Ladies Wine Society
- Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine New Wine Writer Award – Greg Plowes
- Best Wine Publication (trade or consumer) – Through a Sparkling Glass: A wonderland of wine, by Andrea Frost
- Best Wine Website or App – McWilliam's Wine Group
- Best Trade or Technical Wine Writer – Tyson Stelzer
- Best Single Feature Article or Wine Column – Dulcie's Vineyard, Campbell Mattinson
WCA Chair Angie Bradbury said the awards night was a fantastic culmination of the awards program in its new and expanded form, which is designed to recognise outstanding contribution to, and excellence in, wine communication in all its forms. [continued below]
"Now, more than ever, the wine industry needs good, smart and innovative communication – across all channels – to tell Australian wine stories and support the development of the whole sector," she said.
"Through these awards, WCA seeks to raise the profile of best practice communication and encourage more of it – and last night's winners in all categories are fantastic examples of this."
"I particularly want to congratulate our new Wine Communicator of the Year Andrea Frost – whose approach to writing about wine is to write about life, the ups and downs, the people we meet and things we do and how wine weaves its way through that story. She has a new and distinctive voice and is destined to make a significant contribution to the Australian wine story."
The judging panel for the awards included a mix of industry professionals, including international wine writer Andrew Jefford, wine and food judge and consultant Lyndey Milan, current Digital Communicator of the Year Mike Bennie, The Social Hatch General Manager Kristen Boschma and WCA national board members, Robin Birch and Angus Barnes. The Gourmet Traveller WINE/WCA New Wine Writer Award was judged by editor Judy Sarris, contributing editor Huon Hooke, and WCA Chair Angie Bradbury.