With a history in the wine industry that spans his lifetime of nearly 90 years, d’Arry Osborn, was today named the 2016 South Australian Legend of the Vine by Wine Communicators of Australia.
d’Arry, received the award in front of an audience of 300 industry peers and corporate guests at the WCA Royal Adelaide Wine Show Awards Lunch, at the Adelaide Showgrounds.
WCA Chair Angus Barnes said the ‘Legend of the Vine’ recognises an individual who has made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the Australian wine industry and has a passion for telling its story.
“In his 90 years with d’Arenberg, d’Arry has been unwavering in his commitment to sharing and engaging consumers around the world over 70 consecutive vintage.”
“d’Arry’s wines of the 60’s gained cult status amongst over the year, with the 1968 Cabernet Sauvignon winning the coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy in 1969 and the 1967 Red Burgundy, a Grenache based wine went on to be awarded 7 trophies and 29 Gold Medals at Australian capital city wine shows.”
d’Arry was only 16 when he came home from school and helped his father, whose health was failing, to run the vineyard and winery business. d’Arry assumed full management control after his father’s passing in 1957.
Reflecting on his long and vibrant career, d’Arry says “To be recognised today by Wine Communicators of Australia for my own role in the Australian wine industry is a high point in my career.”
“I may have had the good fortune to be born with wine in my blood, but my passion for the product, for growing the grapes, for making the wine and, particularly, for stimulating these passions in others, has been a deeply personal and satisfying life’s journey.”
For 28 years, d’Arry was a Councilor on the South Australian Chamber of Commerce, Foundation member and chair of the McLaren Vale Wine Bushing Festival and Chair of the McLaren Vale Winemakers Association.
Other accolades include receiving the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 1978 and invested as Patron of the Australian Wine Industry, a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2004, and a Business SA’s Industry Champions Awards in 2014.
As a Legend of the Vine, he joins a prestigious list that includes WCA Patron James Halliday, Rob Hirst, Patrick Iland, David Lowe, Phil Laffer, Chris Anstee, Ross Brown, Colin Cambell, Iain Riggs and Bill Hardy. He also becomes a life member of WCA.
Wine Communicators of Australia was established as a national not-for-profit company in December 2010 growing out of the well-respected Wine Press Clubs of NSW, Victoria and South Australia. It aims to be Australia’s pre-eminent organisation connecting business professionals working with wine and currently has more than 500 members.
WCA’s annual program includes networking events, webinars and its prestigious lunches in association with three major capital city wine shows – Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. It also runs the annual Wine Communicator Awards and Legend of the Vine Awards.