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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Adam Walls, the 2015 AAVWS Fellow From the outset, my time at the 2015 AAVWS was A +. Mildura put on a show! Postcard spring weather, country hospitality and top class food and wine. The weekend opened my eyes to the momentum that ‘alternative varieties’ are currently experiencing in Australia. The AAVWS is […]
Guest Blog by Stefano de Pieri Dr Rod Bonfiglioli – the viticulturist at Chalmers’ Nursery – came to see me on a cold winter night. He said he had a project and he needed my help. I was eager to talk to him. I heard about mysterious wine things going on in the heart […]
After beginning as a Sangiovese Challenge in 1999 and an Australian Italian variety celebration in 2000, the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in it’s current form kicked off in 2001. Here is a snapshot of what that first AAVWS entailed from the archive of event manager Helen Healy with observations from Inaugural Chief of Judges Tim White (both pictured)… […]
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.”
Ashley Ratcliff | President 2016 - 2020
