SAWIA gave Honorary Life Memberships to two industry leaders at last night’s National Wine Centre dinner.

The event was the night of nights for the local industry which has been beset by issues including a red wine glut, the loss of the Chinese market, and dwindling export numbers.

Wine business leaders celebrated achievements and farewelled former SAWIA CEO Brian Smedley who was also given an Honorary Life Membership for 26 years of service to the organisation.

The Lane Vineyard co-founder and general manager Helen Edwards was also awarded Life Membership, making her the first female to receive the honour.

Edwards was recognised for her leadership in the Adelaide Hills wine region and her work in the state’s tourism industry.

“The depth and impact of Helen’s contribution to both SAWIA as an organisation, and to the prosperity of the South Australian wine and tourism industry, is outstanding,” SAWIA said.

As for the awards, companies including Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Eden Hall Wines and Australian Vintage took out SAWIA trophies recognising achievements in both environmental excellence and health & safety.

The 2023 Environmental Excellence Awards:

In the small-medium winery category, Orbis Wines was recognised for its work on sustainability and circularity across the entire value chain, including an off-grid winery and local deliveries of wine to customers made in an electric vehicle powered by the winery solar panels.

In the large winery category, Pernod Ricard Winemakers was recognised for its sustainability framework and roadmap which includes sustainable packaging programs to deliver their targets for 100 per cent recyclable, compostable or reusable packaging by 2025.

In the viticulture category, Eden Hills Wines was recognised for enhancing vineyard biodiversity and creating resilient landscapes, including remnant native vegetation preservation and expansion, planting of native grasses and plants, composting and mulching.

“These initiatives are examples of the wine industry’s environmental stewardship,” said SAWIA’s new CEO Inca Lee.

“All entrants have undertaken significant efforts towards environmental sustainability, with impacts reaching far beyond the company gate. This includes advances in water conservation, renewable energy, emissions reduction, wine packaging and biodiversity conservation.

“By sharing success stories in environmental management and recognising outstanding achievements, we can collectively inspire and drive progress.”

Australian Vintage won the Wine Business Safety Champion Award. The team pictured here with SAWIA CEO Inca Lee (left). Photo: Ben Macmahon.

The 2023 Work Health & Safety Excellence Awards:

In the Wine Business Safety Champion category, Australian Vintage Limited was recognised for its ‘Thinksafe Leadership Program’ – a seven-part program that aims to build capability and empower staff to be leaders in safety. The company says the program has resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in the total injuries recorded across the company.

In the Individual Safety Champion category, Jordon Roesler from Treasury Wine Estates was recognised for his leadership with winery safety culture, including leading the site changeover from old to new gas monitoring units used in confined space entry and emergency response.

“These initiatives are examples of the South Australian wine industry’s excellent record in worker health and safety,” Lee said.

“We created these awards as we believe that businesses and individuals who manage risks effectively and strive to achieve a positive workplace safety culture should be celebrated.

“The awards program also helps us to identify safety issues facing the Australian wine industry and community, so that we can find and share practical solutions to those issues.”