Australian grape and wine community stops for major event in Adelaide

More than 3,000 members of the grape and wine community are arriving in Adelaide this weekend for the Australian wine industry’s biggest event.

The 17th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 21 to 24 July, together with WineTech, the industry’s most extensive and relevant trade exhibition.

Over the four days the conference features 49 plenary presentations across 11 themed sessions, delivered by a mix of international and local speakers, plus a program of 33 technical and business workshops.

The event incorporates the Australian Grape & Wine Outlook Conference on Monday 22 July, which presents the latest wine business, policy and marketing content, focusing on the future prosperity of the sector.

Key conference themes include:

• Supply and demand outlook
• The importance of diversity to continuing success
• The wine sensory experience
• AgTech – what’s happening right now
• Protecting and building better vineyards
• Doing business in a changing climate
• Opportunities from winemaking technology.

At WineTech, more than 180 exhibitors will showcase the latest technologies, services and equipment for grape and wine businesses, allowing the Australian industry to continue at the cutting edge of production and business practices.

A partnership with McWilliam’s Wines will also see the prestigious Maurice O’Shea Award Dinner held at Adelaide Oval on Monday night.

Welcoming delegates, exhibitors and visitors, event chair Dr Dan Johnson said, “It is exciting to see such significant engagement for this year’s event. This reflects the number of collaborative partnerships in place and the continuing demand for new knowledge and innovative practices from our industry. The opportunity to come together in one place to network, consider the current and future state of the industry and discuss both technical and business issues is highly valuable.”

Following a day of workshops on Sunday 21 July, the plenary sessions of the conference continue from Monday 22 July to Wednesday 24 July, with WineTech also open from Monday to Wednesday.