Andrew Caillard MW and Bobby Caillard. Image courtesy Wine Communicators of Australia
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 Educator
- 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)
“Having previously been presented as a single award, the format was changed in 2013 to reflect awards across a number of different categories,” explained WCA executive chair, Angus Barnes.
“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.”
Barnes said that the title of ‘Wine Communicator of the Year’ is awarded to a recipient that has excelled in their area of work in the wine sector, led by example, and demonstrated respect for the wine industry and its consumers.
“This year, the 2024 Wine Communicator of the Year was awarded to Andrew Caillard MW,” he continued. “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.”
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