Peter Bourne – The Wine Man – has been in the wine industry for 50 years.
He says Australian Chardonnay is world class, but can remember a time when there was very little of it around.
“I turned professional in 1976 when I opened a wine store, and it has been an amazing ride,” Peter says.
“If you think back 50 years Chardonnay was so small I needed to beg Murray Tyrrell for two or three cases of it.
“Chardonnay has had its ups and downs and now we produce world-class Chardonnay from this country.”
Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) inducted Peter as the 2026 NSW Legend of the Vine at the Sydney Royal Wine Awards lunch.
“I am chuffed and humbled in equal measure,” he says.
“We are all a bit concerned about the muddle and the puddle we are in, but we’ve been through those cycles before.
“So now is the time for us to work a little bit harder.
“Our wines have never been better and we should be really proud of how we’ve moved geographically and climatically and how we’ve adapted grape varieties to suit how we live and the opportunities we have.”
Brian Chase Olson, chair of the WCA NSW Chapter Committee, said, “This honour recognises someone of exceptional character; someone held in deep regard by their peers; and someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian wine industry.
“And, because this award is created by us – Wine Communicators of Australia – the recipient must also embody excellence in how they write, speak, and share the stories of wine.”
Peter Bourne spent five decades shaping how Australians understand, enjoy and talk about wine.
He has educated thousands – through tastings, masterclasses, corporate sessions and public events – always with tremendous care and passion about the importance of the Australian wine industry.
Peter has built a national profile sharing stories about Australian wineries and the people behind them across multiple platforms: a long‑running contributor to Qantas Magazine | Travel Insider, a founding contributor to Gourmet Traveller WINE, a judge and writer for the Australia’s Best Cellar Door Awards and a panel judge for Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
He was also named WCA Wine Communicator of the Year in 2010.
Peter’s influence is especially profound in New South Wales.
Throughout his career, he has championed NSW producers, hosted countless events and helped shape the conversation about the state’s industry.
He has helped introduced consumers to emerging regions like Orange, Hilltops and Mudgee long before they were widely recognised, and written widely about NSW’s wine icons, giving national visibility to the state’s ever-growing wine quality.
Photo: Peter Bourne with Brian Chase Olson.
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