By Ed Merrison, Vininspo With curiosity, talent and infectious energy, this exceptional community creates and unearths deep, diverse excitement for wine-lovers. Here are just a few wines to check out from this year’s show. “Why would you do it, if you’re not looking for the joy?” This was a question Helen Healy asked as she […]
The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS) is pleased to announce Clint Drieberg as the 2025 AAVWS Fellowship Recipient. The Fellowship is proudly supported by Longview Vineyard. While in Mildura, Clint will enjoy a behind-the-scenes regional tour thanks to Mildura.com, experiencing the vineyards, producers and stories that define the AAVWS spirit. This year’s Fellowship will […]
By Brooke Edson, 2024 AAVWS Committee Member, Exhibitor and Judge This year, I had the privilege of participating in the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS) as an exhibitor, committee member, and judge. Over the past three years, the AAVWS has become much more than just a wine show to me—it’s a celebration. The show […]
Written By Ed Merrison, 2024 AAVWS Judge Provenance. It derives from the Latin “venire” (to come) prefixed with “pro” (forth). We tend to think of it more as “coming from”—a celebration of origin. Wine shows often have a provenance trophy, where an exhibitor enters three vintages of the same wine over a period of 10-plus years. […]
The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS) is thrilled to announce Steve Leszczynski as the recipient of the 2024 AAVWS Fellowship, proudly sponsored by Longview Vineyard. As the owner and editor of QwineReviews.com, Steve has been a prominent voice in the wine industry, publishing over 7,000 wine reviews since 2009, with a significant focus on […]
By Jeff Porter, 2023 International Guest Judge When I first stepped off the plane and felt the warm wind of Mildura, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting myself into. Fresh from a whirlwind week traveling across Victoria, visiting wine estates, and soaking in the landscape, I thought I had a grasp of what […]
by Brooke Edson, Australian Vintage & AAVWS Committee Member In the vast landscape of the Australian wine industry there exists an abundance of alternative grape varieties waiting to be explored. Among these is Ansonica, also known as Inzolia. A Sicilian native that has found a new home in Australia, notably the Murray Darling region. A […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
One of the best weeks in my career
“The show, the people, Mildura, everything blew me away. A true highlight was the Talk & Taste, how amazing to try those new varietals! One of the best weeks in my career, really! “
Sierra Blair, 2024 Judge
