Australian Women in Wine Awards to fly outside Oz for the first time

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 17 February, 2017

The event which aims to inspire the next generation of female winemakers and celebrate the diversity of Australian wine is coming to the UK this year - a first for the event which, until now, has always been held on home turf.

For the first time, the tasting and awards will come to London, setting up shop in Australia House on The Strand on Tuesday, September 26.

The partnership between Wine Australia and the Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) will be introducing some changes to the format, including tasting events for both trade (during the day) and consumers (evening).

Around 40 of Australia's most prominent female winemakers are expected to fly over for the event.

The AWIWA places the emphasis fully on Australia's female talent, who will be pouring wines and telling their stories.

It highlights the increasing number of women who are joining the trade, with female sommeliers now increasingly outnumbering men in the on-trade.

But despite making up 50% of demographic, women are still under-represented in key roles.

To champion its female talent, the Australian Women in Wine Awards - which are owned and operated by The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society - celebrates and reward the work of women in the Australian wine community, and community leaders who champion equality and fairness for all sexes in the workplace.

Speaking of the partnership, Laura Jewell MW, Wine Australia's head of market EMEA, said: "Last autumn, Wine Australia focused on craft and artisan wines with our 'Artisans of Australia' event. This September, we'll be highlighting another trend, but one which has largely fallen under the radar: more and more women are working in wine.

"We're delighted to team up with the Australian Women in Wine Awards and we're looking forward to hosting a fantastic ceremony and tasting here in London."

"This is an exciting development for the Australian Women in Wine Awards. Showcasing our women in wine on such an important international stage is not only good for the advancement of gender equality, it's good for the entire Australian wine community," Jane Thomson, founder of the Australian Women in Wine Awards, added.

To register your interest or for more information, email Emma Symington at

emma.symington@wineaustralia.com

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