MEDIA RELEASE: 21 November 2024

WCA celebrates the 2024 Wine Communicator Awards

Last night saw Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) announce the winners of the 2024 Wine Communicator Awards, including the overall ‘2024 Wine Communicator of the Year’ – presented to Andrew Caillard MW.

The annual Wine Communicator Awards recognises outstanding contribution to, and excellence in, wine communication in all its forms. Twenty-five experienced and respected wine industry professionals were selected to judge the 11 categories across a number of criteria. The judges were hugely impressed with the calibre of creativity, passion, and skill shown across a wide range of communication channels.

The category award winners are:

Best Wine Marketing Communication Campaign (Individual or Team)

  • Dan Riccardo’s by Pernod Ricard

Best Digital Communication

  • Wine for the People by Unico Zelo

Best Social Communication

  • Viticulture Australia

Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column

  • Katie Spain

Best Innovative Wine Packaging

  • Tread Softly Bagnums by Denomination

Best New Wine Book

  • The Australian Ark by Andrew Caillard MW (author), Dr Angus Hughson from The Vintage Journal & David Longfield from Longueville Media (co-publishers)

 Best Winery Website

  • Punt Road Wines

Best Wine-Themed Event

  • Dark Side of Wine by The Winemakers of Rutherglen

Best Wine Communicator – Cellar Door

  • Tracey Whooley, Singlefile Wines

Best Wine Education Provider

  • Jill Bauer, The University of Adelaide

Best Wine Student

  • Syuzanna Mosikyan, The University of Adelaide

Overall Winner ~ 2024 Wine Communicator of the Year

  • Andrew Caillard MW (Author – The Australian Ark)

WCA Executive Chair, Angus Barnes commented, “Last night’s Awards are perhaps the most prestigious event in the WCA calendar. Having previously been presented as a single award, the format was changed in 2013 to reflect awards across a number of different categories. These awards reflect the changing nature of wine communication, but still the critical importance of communicating all things wine, whether it be talking to consumers at a Cellar Door, detailing complex research findings in an industry journal or crafting entertaining articles for magazines. Or, new to the Awards this year, designing beautiful packaging that tells a story or creating engaging social media to attract new audiences.

I wish to say a special thank you to everybody who applied in the 2024 Wine Communicator Awards, and congratulations to all the finalists and winners. The calibre of entries continues to impress our judges.

The overall Wine Communicator of the Year is chosen by the WCA Board from the category of winners. The recipient is a person (or group of people) that has demonstrated that they excel in their area of professional work and communication in the wine sector, led by example, demonstrate respect for the wine industry and its consumers, and uphold the professional standards valued by WCA.

This year, the 2024 Wine Communicator of the Year was awarded to Andrew Caillard MW. I will borrow some words from our judges who, when talking about The Australian Ark, said ‘this is the most important book on the Australian wine community yet written … ambitious in scope, meticulous in research, and profoundly influential…’ and I will add that I too believe this to be a piece of wine communication of considerable historical significance. Congratulations Andrew and The Australian Ark team.”

Andrew is no stranger to awards having recently received the International Wine & Spirits Competition Wine Communication Trophy and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine Award and President’s Award. Last night Andrew was accompanied to the WCA Awards by his wife and many of The Australian Ark team and acknowledged that accepting the award in such company and from his home nation was particularly special.