Best of Wine Tourism Awards

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:30): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the Minister please update the chamber on the 2023 Best of Wine Tourism Awards?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:30): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in wine. I am very pleased to advise the chamber that the Great Wine Capitals 2023 Best of Wine Tourism Award entries have now been short-listed for judging ahead of the presentation which will take place at the opening night of CheeseFest on Friday 14 October 2022.

Now in their seventh year, the Best of Wine Tourism Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in wine tourism and provide an opportunity for wineries to gain exposure and recognition for their commitment to providing leading wine tourism experiences across our 18 world-class wine regions. This year a total of 13 wineries and wine tourism experiences from six South Australian regions have been named on the short list for the 2023 Best of Wine Tourism Awards.

Short-listed entries will now go to the judges for deliberation. The judges for the South Australian awards are South Australian tourism expert Helen Edwards and well-known Australian wine writers Nick Ryan and Tony Love. This year, for the first time, entry criteria was adjusted giving the opportunity for wineries to put forward their sustainability credentials as a key criterion. It is wonderful see the grape, wine and tourism sector in South Australia take such a strong leadership position in sustainable practices.

The category winners for this year's awards will then be in the running for an international Best of Wine Tourism Award which will be awarded at the Great Wine Capitals annual meeting and conference which is to be held in Mendoza, Argentina, from Sunday 30 October until Thursday 3 November. This is another great benefit created by South Australia's membership of the Great Wine Capitals global network, which commenced in 2016 under the former Labor government to position the state alongside the world's most renowned wine producing regions, including internationally renowned wine regions of South Francisco/Napa Valley in the US, Bordeaux in France, Bilbao in Spain, Lausanne in Switzerland, Mainz/Rheinhausen in Germany, Mendoza in Argentina, Porto in Portugal, Valparaiso/Casablanca Valley in Chile, Verona in Italy, Cape Town/Cape Winelands in South Africa, and us, Adelaide, South Australia, with our 18 individual wine regions around the state.