The winners of the 2018 Australian Women in Wine Awards

The winners of the 2018 Australian Women in Wine Awards were announced on Friday 16 November 2018 at the largest ever gathering of Australian women in wine, in Sydney.

• Winemaker of the Year
Kate Goodman, Goodman Wines / Penley Estate

• Viticulturist of the Year
Nicole Pitman, Kingston Estate

• Owner / Operator of the Year
Sarah Marquis, Mollydooker Wines

• Workplace Champion of Change
Lara Simic, Winestate Publishing

• Cellar Door Person of the Year
Janine Carter, Voyager Estate

• Researcher / Innovator of the Year
Dr. Jacqui McRae, Australian Wine Research Institute

• Marketer of the Year
Lynda Schenk – Purple Giraffe

• Woman of Inspiration
Tamara Grischy, Langtons

The awards ceremony this year took place as part of the first ever Australian Women in Wine Symposium and Awards Day, which was held on Sydney Harbour at Quay with over 100 attendees. The morning session preceding the awards, comprised of guest speakers and networking opportunities, followed by a convivial three course lunch with wines supplied by Henschke, Bremerton, Calabria Family Wines, Soumah and the Yarra Valley Wine Women (made up of Goodman Wines, Sutherland Estate, Helen & Joey, Yarra Yering, TarraWarra, Bird on a Wire, Yerinberg & Wantirna Estate) and Champagne from Ayala.

The awards ceremony was streamed live via the Australian Women in Wine Facebook page to viewers across Australia and around the world. Key figures from the wine industry, including Jancis Robinson and Joe Fattorini, even participated in the day from abroad by sending in video messages of greeting and support.

The AWIWA also announced that, in partnership with Wine Australia, the 2019 Awards will be held in New York on Tuesday 17th September as part of Aussie Wine Month, which is set to be the largest Australian wine promotion ever held in the USA.

Photo: Winners of the 2018 Australian Women in Wine Awards (from left to right): Nicole Pitman, Kate Goodman, Tamara Grischy, Lara Simic, Lynda Schenk, Dr Jacqui McRae, Sarah Marquis (Absent: Janine Carter)