Welcome to the October edition of the WCA e-news

Well, the year seems to race on! Before we know it, I'll be donating a small amount of money to bet on a losing horse at the Melbourne Cup, and then starting a number of pre-Christmas functions and end of year celebrations. For me, 2023 has been a year of lots of change (what's new I hear you all say!), with both a plethora of exciting activity, and also a few challenges. 

Over the last month, there have been a number of exciting happenings. We had a terrific debate in Melbourne on Lo-Fi vs Traditional Winemaking, where we discovered that both sides had more in common (especially the desire to make quality wines that tell a story) than they had differences. Then followed our biggest event of the year in terms of numbers of attendees, the WCA Royal Adelaide Wine and Spirit Show Awards Lunch. It was a great day and the highlights to me was the outstanding acceptance speech by Jane Ferrari on receiving the 2023 Legend of the Vine Award. It was also a privilege to present WCA lifetime membership to Marni Cook. Photo gallery.

What's coming up for WCA:
- Melbourne Royal Wine Awards Trophy Presentation Luncheon where we will present the Legend of the Vine in Victoria for the first time in a few years.
- the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards held in Sydney on the evening of the 14th of November 
- The Australian Ark Trade Launch in Adelaide and Sydney (details to come) of the fantastic new books from Andrew Caillard MW, The Australian Ark.
- Both a 'fireside chat' and our graduation session for this years intake of the Wine Industry Mentor Program.

- Also:
- the WISA Wine Industry Impact Conference and surrounding events on the 28th and 29th of November in Adelaide. i am especially looking forward to the full day conference on Tuesday 28th November. 
- the ASVO 2023 Awards for Excellence held in Adelaide on the 8th of November, celebrating outstanding contributions to the Australian wine industry. 

Lastly, WCA will be holding our AGM on Tuesday 14th of November late afternoon. This AGM is important as we will not only outline that past years results, but also outline what we have planned in the next 12 months and beyond. It is also the opportunity to elect some new board members for the national board of the WCA. The meeting will be both 'Face to Face', but also available electronically if you cannot make it in person. 

Thanks for your ongoing support, and I hope to see you all soon at one the the events listed above. Thanks for your continued support of the WCA.

Angus Barnes 🍷
WCA Executive Chair

REO Speedwagon certainly qualifies. Despite the awful production, that whiny voice, and the overwrought songs, REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million records and charted 13 Top 40 hits, including the number ones "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling". I’m sure Ransom E. Olds, who designed the REO Speed Wagon in 1914, would be none too pleased about being forever associated with dreadful power ballads. Ransom was a pioneer of the American automobile industry, building the first mass-produced automobile, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, in 1901. The origins of car dashboards can be traced back to the Oldsmobile.  

A new dashboard was recently added to Wine Australia’s Interactive Insights platform. The Grape Price Indicators dashboard brings together 12 different data sources and displays 21 charts in a user-friendly layout to provide greater price transparency for inland winegrape growers. The Grape Price Indicators dashboard was developed with funding from the Commonwealth government through its Improving Market Transparency in Perishable Agricultural Goods Industries program, which identified a need for better price transparency and more balance in negotiating power between winemakers and grapegrowers. 

Peter Bailey, Manager Market Insights - Wine Australia