The South Australian Wine industry Association (SAWIA) will celebrate 180 years of history this Friday.

First known as the Society for the Introduction of Vines, formed on October 16, 1840 – four years after the proclamation of the State of South Australia, SAWIA is the oldest wine industry organisation in Australia.

One of its activities was importing 57,000 cuttings of various grapevine varieties from South Africa in 1841 to kick-start the wine industry in the state.

South Australia now has some of the oldest grapevines in the world due to the absence of phylloxera, and is the centre of wine production in Australia, crushing 651,195 tonnes across 18 wine regions and exporting $1.92 billion in wine each year.

Various name changes have occurred for the association over the years since that first Society for the Introduction of Vines:

• It became the South Australian Vinegrowers’ Association on 27 July 1862.
• It became the Wholesale Winemakers and Brandy Distillers Association of South Australia in 1930.
• It became the Winemakers Association of South Australia on 13 August 1937.
• It became the Wine & Brandy Producers’ Association of South Australia on 23 May 1961.
• It became the South Australian Wine and Brandy Industry Association on 28 July 1995.
• Finally, it became the South Australian Wine Industry Association Incorporated on 18 September 2003.

“SAWIA is an important organisation for the wine industry. It works hard in the background to make life better for both its members and the broader South Australian wine business community,” said SAWIA president Nick Waterman.

“While importing vines was the focus back in the 1840s, SAWIA now provides expertise covering work health and safety, industrial relations, government lobbying, environmental management and marketing.

“Since those beginnings 180 years ago, SAWIA has remained an essential partner to wine businesses in South Australia. This is an organisation to be celebrated.”

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