SA Women of Wine Winners

17 November, 2016
The winners of the 2016 Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) were announced this week via a web broadcast that was streamed to celebration events taking place all over Australia.

Seven award winners were named across six categories, three of which hail from South Australia, including:

Viticulturist of the Year, Sponsored by Wine Australia – Prue Henschke, Henschke, Eden Valley SA.
Owner / Operator of the Year, Sponsored by Halliday – Jenny Semmler, 919 Wines, Riverland SA.
Cellar Door Person of the Year – Rebecca Barr, Fernfield Wines, Eden Valley SA.

Rebecca Barr, winner of 2017 AWIWA Cellar Door Person of the Year, with husband Scott and team members Bandit and Dexter at their property in the Eden Valley. Photo Credit: The Leader Newspaper.

“On behalf of the entire Board of the AWIWA I want to extend our sincere congratulations to all the winners,” said AWIWA Chair, Jane Thomson. “It is truly a delight to see the breadth of talent and dedication recognized. We know these awards are having a positive impact on the conversation around gender equality in our wine community, and we know that the winners of the 2016 AWIWA powerfully demonstrate the contribution that women make.”

The judging panel for the awards included all the members of the AWIWA Board – which includes fellow South Australians Corinna Wright from Oliver’s Taranga, and Irina Santiago-Brown from Inkwell Wines.

“These awards give hope to the future generations of women coming through the wine community that there will be other women who are willing to lift them up and support them,” said board member Rebekah Richardson. “It brings a cohesiveness we have not seen before and a way for our achievements to be highlighted and celebrated in an inclusive and encouraging environment. I would hate to think that the next generations have to struggle with the bias that I have seen through my career.”