Virginia Willcock has been named Winemaker of the Year at the ASVO Awards for Excellence, announced last night at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide.
Dr Mardi Longbottom won Viticulturist of the Year and Dr Eric Wilkes was awarded the Wine Science & Technology Award.
ASVO president Andy Clarke said, “I commend Virginia Willcock, Mardi Longbottom and Eric Wilkes as laudable recipients of the 2024 ASVO Awards for Excellence.
“Virginia is one of Australia’s most awarded winemakers, but never rests on her laurels in her pursuit of recognition for Margaret River.
“Meanwhile, Mardi builds our nation’s vineyard sustainability framework and Eric goes above and beyond to deliver outstanding technical services every day.
“This recognition is a small reward in return for their proven dedication to excellence in the Australian wine industry.”
Virginia Willcock was rewarded for her “unrelenting dedication as a regional champion for the Margaret River wine region”.
The judges said, “She is overtly passionate about Margaret River wines and has a deep understanding of the region after 32 vintages, including 18 years as chief winemaker at Vasse Felix.
“She is driven to achieve recognition for the region’s distinct wines and bring them to new levels of elegance, power and complexity, without heaviness.
“Her relentless pursuit of winemaking excellence is matched by her need to tell the world about Margaret River Cabernet and Chardonnay.
“She has represented the region as a presenter and panellist on numerous occasions and served years on the Margaret River Wine Industry Association Board.”
Virginia was a finalist for the award in 2016.
“In any industry, your peers are always the harshest critics; they have the deepest knowledge in the field,” she said.
“This award is from them, which is why no other award has ever meant quite so much.”
Dr Mardi Longbottom was rewarded for her “dedicated work to address climate change and sustainability”.
Mardi holds a Bachelor, Masters and PhD in Viticulture and has spent the past fifteen years focusing on research and the extension into wine industry sustainability projects.
“This has included important work on regional climate risk analyses, benchmarking of vineyard greenhouse gas emissions, management of corporate water assets, and managing the Australian wine industry’s national sustainability program,” the judges said.
“She has also held leadership positions including president of ASVO, director of Australian Grape and Wine Inc, and is a graduate of the SA Governor’s Leadership Foundation Program.”
She said, “Growers are at the heart of our industry and working with them to identify opportunities and implement new practices is incredibly rewarding.
“I am thrilled to accept this prestigious award and grateful for the recognition of my work in supporting growers and promoting the sustainability of the Australian wine industry.”
Dr Eric Wilkes was lauded for his commitment to delivering “technical excellence and his willingness to share his extensive knowledge generously”.
Eric is widely known within the wine industry for his outstanding performance in his various roles at the Australian Wine Research Institute since 2011, where he is now general manager of Affinity Labs and Regulatory Affairs.
The ASVO Wine Science & Technology Award is the culmination of his 27 years as a scientist in the beverage industry since earning his doctorate in chemistry in 1997.
“He regularly shares his knowledge as a speaker at national and international regulatory and wine chemistry conferences, webinars and workshops; an author over a hundred articles and peer-reviewed papers; and a contributor to several books on wine analysis,” the judges said.
He is also an active member of numerous international industry committees, and has chaired the Interwinery Analysis Group, and FIVS Scientific and Technical Committee.
Eric said, “I am incredibly honoured to receive recognition from the ASVO for my work.
“Working in wine science and technology has been an exciting and rewarding career and knowing that the work I have done – with the support so many peers within the industry – has made a difference, is very humbling.”
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