The 2025 Wine Industry Mentor Program is now open for applications. Image courtesy Wine Communicators of Australia
An industry initiative aimed at boosting the personal and professional development of future generations of Australian wine industry employees has opened its doors for applications, with the Wine Industry Mentor Program returning for 2025.
Since its launch in 2019, the program has seen more than 260 mentees receive one-on-one mentoring from leaders across the supply chain of the Australian grape and wine sector, and now it is seeking another group of early-career wine professionals to take part.
Applications are welcomed from across the grape and wine community; from viticulture to winemaking, research to logistics, marketing to media to sales, and more.
The structured mentoring program will run over six months from June to November 2025 and will feature a calendar of mentor meetings and professional development sessions. This will be supplemented with a range of resources through the program’s online mentoring platform, as well as access to industry-specific information to help address the individual needs of mentees.
Managed by Wine Communicators of Australia and supported by The University of Adelaide, Wine Australia, the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology and the Wine Industry Suppliers Association, the Wine Industry mentor Program provides successful applicants with the opportunity to connect with like-minded people to help build capability across the sector and foster a spirit of collaboration.
What’s new in 2025?
For those in the middle of their career and unsure whether they would benefit more from being a mentee or mentor, this year’s new program has a solution.
You could do both: In 2025, a small group of applicants will be selected to be a mentor/mentee. This means a mid-career applicant and/or a previous successful mentee, could act as a mentor for an individual at the beginning of their wine career, whilst also being mentored themselves by a more senior mentor, to assist them in further development.
This year, for the first time, the mentor program will also be offering a small number of matches with international mentors from the USA, UK and NZ.
Benefits for participating mentees have included career progression, opportunities to expand networks, developing confidence, and taking on leadership or other professional development pathways, as well as fostering a renewed commitment amongst participants to their region, role, and opportunities for future success.
“The mentorship program has been a transformative experience, enabling me to connect with an incredible mentor who provided invaluable guidance and support, significantly influencing my career and perspective within the industry,” said Tim Blair, who was a participant in the 2024 program.
Mentors also benefit from the program, with over 40 well-known wine industry experts having already volunteered to participate in 2025, including Andrew Margan (Margan Wines), Samantha Connew (Stargazer Wines), Gill Gordon-Smith (wine educator) and Marianne Duluk (Department of State Development).
“It was a pleasure to work with my mentee, who was very responsive to our sessions,” said Fiona Findlay of Voyager Estate, who was a mentor in 2024. “I also gained valuable experience and enjoyment from the process.”
Applications opened today, 12 March, and will close on 6 April 2025.
Mentee and mentor applications are made through the Wine Communicators of Australia website.
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