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Warning: positive changes ahead

by Cassandra Charlick I should have known as, after all, I was warned by countless people before my arrival. However, none of the words from others could have prepared me for the three days that awaited me once the plane hit the tarmac at the Mildura airport. I’d had the dates highlighted in my diary […]

Meet the 2023 Fellow: Cassandra Charlick

Cassandra Charlick is a Margaret River-based wine and travel writer and presenter who was awarded a fellowship at the 2023 Wine Writers Symposium in California’s Napa Valley. She reviews and/or writes on wine for a number of publications including Decanter, the Halliday magazine, Delicious Magazine, Escape, Australian Traveller, Wine Pilot, The Urban List, Ray Jordan’s Wine Review and more. […]

Chocolate, Salt, Wine & Dine

After a two year hiatus that spoiled the AAVWS’s 20th birthday celebrations (thanks COVID) the team and wine-loving public was back in full-force for 2022. And, as the 2022 Fellow, early November saw me hop in the car and make the drive from Adelaide to Mildura. I arrived in the afternoon, in time to check-in […]

Meet the 2022 Fellow: Alex Prichard

After the disruption of the previous couple of years I am so excited to be heading to Mildura this November as the AAVWS Fellow. It is fantastic to feel like things are slowly returning to normal. I am a wine educator and retailer based in Adelaide. My business, Wine Academy, has been teaching WSET courses […]

Why Do We Love Fiano?

by Noah Ward, Unico Zelo It’s been at the core of our story ever since we began, this little white grape variety from Campania that we cherish. We have 6 – yes, 6 – different expressions of it that we make each year (not including things like Txak Atak and Off-White from our Funkworks side […]

Are we what the Stars & Stripes have been waiting for?

by Ashley Ratcliff, AAVWS President, Director of Ricca Terra Farms and 2015 Viticulturist of the Year This year I have travelled twice to the USA to showcase our wines. This somewhat daunting challenge has opened my eyes to a market that seems to be wanting more from Australia. Let’s face it, we are known for […]

The New Needs Friends

by Tim White, inaugural Chief of Judges of AAVWS and wine writer The wine in the glass had me puzzled. It smelled bit like Viognier in that it had luminous yellow smells of apricots; yet there was something also caramelised root vegetable-like which suggested a richer style of Grüner Veltliner. In the mouth it was […]

Diary of a Happy Wine Woman in Mildura

Picture yourself standing with some of the most experienced and knowledgeable people in the business of bringing alternative varieties to Australia. Look down at the dusty red earth and then up, along rows of vines with stakes meticulously recording variety, clone, count and source data. Listen in on discussions about requests from Italy for long […]

Happy Wine Woman is the 2018 AAVWS Fellow

Introducing, in her own words, Simone Madden-Gray as the 2018 AAVWS Fellow… Alternative grape varieties are occupying a greater share of the national vineyard, creating an exciting contrast to the traditional Australian offering and the AAVWS Fellowship offers an essential insight into this next chapter of Australian wine history. In my role as owner of Happy […]

Shavkapito – Coming Soon to a vineyard near you

The inaugural Sponsor-A-Variety has been selected – and the winner is Shavkapito which was nominated by Anna Hooper.  Not heard of it?  Neither had we.  But read on to see Anna’s application which piqued our interest and hopefully yours too… Shavkapito Nominated by Anna Hooper I am head winemaker at Cape Jaffa Wines in Mt Benson where […]

Changing the World

“The massive impact the AAVWS has had on wine production and consumption in Australia over the last 15 years is now flowing overseas as alternative varieties breathe new life into the UK market and add colour and excitement to the Australian offering.”