Best of Wine Tourism Awards

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Sorry, just wait. Can the two leaders just be silent so I can hear the question?

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI: My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Would the minister inform the chamber about the Best of Wine Tourism Awards winners announced last week?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for her question and her strong interest in an industry which is so vital to South Australians. The South Australian wine industry, it should go without saying, is something we should all be incredibly proud of.

At the South Australian wine industry dinner and awards, held last week at the National Wine Centre, the Best of Wine Tourism Awards provided another great opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of a number of our very best wineries and wine businesses across a range of categories. The Best of Wine Tourism Awards are a key component of South Australia's membership of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, and our membership of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network recognises and solidifies our state's place as one of the world's most prestigious wine-growing regions, alongside the likes of Bordeaux and the Napa Valley.

The award categories covered a wide range of what makes South Australian wineries both world famous and loved locally and included accommodation, architecture and landscape, culinary experiences, innovation, wine tourism services and sustainable practices. As we know, across the state there are any number of wineries that would be very well deserving of these awards across all of these categories, but as always, only one can take out the award on the night.

It is a pleasure to recognise the achievements of the winners again today in this chamber: for accommodation, Beresford Estate, for their luxurious accommodation offering in a beautiful vineyard setting; for architecture and landscape, Dandelion Vineyards, for its Wonder Room, designed to capture McLaren Vale's incredible views; for culinary experiences, Sidewood Estate, with their range of food-based experiences set in an amazing location and with customer service to match; for innovative wine tourism experiences, The McLaren Vale Distillery, for honouring Australia's significant history of fortified wines, bringing more people to enjoy this category of wine.

For wine tourism services, there were joint winners: the first was Kimbolton Wines, situated in the hidden gem that is Langhorne Creek and offering a range of fantastic experiences enjoyed by so many. The second joint winner for wine tourism services was Watervale Hotel, for its commitment to the Clare Valley wine region, championing local wine producers and enabling visitors to learn about and take an interest in the region. For sustainable wine tourism practices, Sidewood Estate took its second award for the night with its commitment to sustainable practices across the business.

In reflecting on the achievements of the winners on the night you can see the incredible quality of wineries and businesses not only that won on the night but those who missed out. It really does demonstrate what a great achievement winning is amongst a field so strong.

I thank the South Australian Wine Industry Association for hosting a great event. I note many of my fellow parliamentarians and colleagues, including the Attorney-General, were there on the night, which speaks to the understanding and appreciation of the importance of the wine industry across parliament. Once again, I pass on my sincere congratulations to the winners as well as to those who came so close on the night.