Conversations, observations & discussion topics from people in wine!
February 2021
Penfolds and Grange: The View from the Top
Story by Lachlan Aird - 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet I tend to actively avoid the word ‘iconic’ as it seems like a somewhat crass descriptor for most wines. However, for truly iconic [Read more]
December 2020
Giving And Sharing: South Australian Holidays In The Regions
Story by Lachlan Aird - 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet Every family has their own special festive traditions. Whether on purpose or not, there’s a set of rituals that may seem so normal and [Read more]
November 2020
Yalumba: A Winery of the Past, Present and Future
Yalumba Family Vineyards – Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award Winner – Architecture and Landscape By Lachlan Aird, 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet As Australia's oldest family-owned winery with 170 years of history to [Read more]
Everything Considered at Tscharke
Tscharke Wines – Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award Winner – Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices By Lachlan Aird, 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet Sustainability in any industry is a commitment. Like any commitment, sacrifices [Read more]
Spoiled for Choice at Longview
Longview – Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award Winner – Accommodation By Lachlan Aird, 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet At its core, hospitality is the key to a successful cellar door experience. The [Read more]
Unico Zelo: For the People
Unico Zelo – Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award Winner – Innovation By Lachlan Aird, 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet "When it comes to the brand, we're all in or nothing. Brendan is [Read more]
Monumental d’Arenberg
d’Arenberg – Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award Winner – Arts & Culture By Lachlan Aird, 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet Art and culture and the d'Arenberg brand are intrinsically linked. If the [Read more]
A New Outlook for Wirra Wirra
Wirra Wirra Vineyards – Great Wine Capitals Global Winner – Wine Tourism Services By Lachlan Aird, 2020 WCA Wine Media Cadet "When we took a seat, we realised just how beautiful the view is from [Read more]
June 2020
Creativity, Empathy and Necessity: The guiding themes for wine marketing in a crisis
Homo-sapiens is Latin for ‘wise man’ - to be wise is to have or to show experience, knowledge and good judgment. It is a result of these times that we become wiser - we gain [Read more]
April 2020
The diversity of focus and concern for wine professionals during the current crisis
As a state committee of Wine Communicators of Australia, we see ourselves as a small sample of the membership group. The following thoughts were an outcome of the discussion we had together as a team [Read more]
January 2020
Next Level Marketing Nous – Executive Short Courses from UniSA & the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute
In a world where consumers are bombarded with stimuli coming from every direction, it is important that wine businesses have clear marketing messages and strategies that engage their consumer effectively. Put [Read more]
South Australian Wine, What Do Our International Friends Think About It?
Whether you are reaching for a glass of a classy cool climate Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills, an old vine Grenache from McLaren Vale, or a refreshing Riesling from the Eden Valley; we as South [Read more]
December 2019
Great Wine Capitals – All You Need to Know
So what is Great Wine Capitals? The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce founded Great Wine Capitals (“GWC”) in 1999. Today GWC is a global wine network that encourages travel, education and business exchanges between each [Read more]
Bordeaux – a Great Wine Capital
“I’m going where?!” I thought. I was already excited about being the 2019 Wine Media Cadet, and then they told me I was going to Bordeaux. While I was excited, I was also in shock. [Read more]
Behind the Scenes at the 2019 Royal Adelaide Wine Show
I have spent a lot of time over the years investigating the many different aspects of the wine industry, but up until now, I really had no idea of the level of effort and rigour [Read more]
November 2019
USA Market – Is it the new hope for Aussie wine?
The following account of the Q&A Panel Series event held in Adelaide on Tuesday 26 November 2019 was written by Shirley Fraser, WCA SA Chapter Chair and Board member. USA - Is it the new [Read more]
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards – Yalumba Family Winemakers
Have you ever been to Yalumba Family Winemakers before? Up until recently, I hadn’t. I knew about it, I had enjoyed a few of their wines, but I had never visited. So when I finally [Read more]
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards – Maxwell Wines
A Restaurant with Style – Maxwell Wines Maxwell Wines is situated in the rolling hills of McLaren Vale, nestled between the sea in the west, and the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges in the [Read more]
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards – Lanzerac Country Estate
Lanzerac Country Estate sits just outside of Tanunda, featuring a picturesque backdrop of the Barossa Ranges and is surrounded by vines. The Estate holds a very special place in owner’s Justin and Casey Carter’s hearts. [Read more]
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards – Kimbolton Wines
Ever been to Langhorne Creek? I bet some of you have never heard of it, let alone know that is one of South Australia’s premium wine producing regions. As the weather warms up and we [Read more]
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards – Gemtree
Winners two years in a row, second time just as sweet as the first. Gemtree are the winners of this year’s Best of Wine Tourism Award for Best Sustainable Tourism Practices. It is in fact [Read more]
June 2019
“Wine Walkabouts” – Cool Climate by the Creekside
I always love how people think that ‘Adelaide is boring’. It is true though; if you are new in town and not very open to new experiences, Adelaide could probably be pretty boring. However, the [Read more]
May 2019
Tasting Australia – The Chemistry of Wine
I love a good aged Riesling with just a touch of TDN*, and I can get pretty happy from a bit of pyrazine in a nice Cabernet Sauvignon**. Not sure what I am talking about? [Read more]
The Modernisation Movement: Taking Wine Marketing to The Next Level
There’s certainly no denying the recent shift in wine marketing innovation taking place all over Australia. In this day and age, it is simply not enough to provide a nice oaky red. Cellar door guests [Read more]
February 2019
Barossa Wine Auction Top Picks
“Here is a list of amazing wines – do not worry about the price – pick whatever you like.” Pretty much the start of a great personal dream here, ladies and gentlemen. So – if [Read more]