Global showcase of South Australian wine
Adelaide, SA activities in 2025 as part of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network – a local partnership between government, industry and education.
Thanks to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, the South Australian Tourism Commission, the South Australian Wine Industry Association, and the University of Adelaide.
Latest cohort of Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners
Six outstanding SA wineries named
The winners of the 2026 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards for Adelaide, South Australia were revealed at a special awards night held at Adelaide’s National Wine Centre. They demonstrate the incredible quality and diversity of South Australia’s wine tourism offering. The award winners will be profiled over the coming year for their significant contributions to South Australian wine tourism. Thank you to the well-respected judging panel of Tony Love, Helen Edwards AM and Katie Spain.
The winners were:
- Accommodation – Mount Lofty House and Estate, Adelaide Hills
- Architecture and Landscape – Vinteloper, Adelaide Hills
- Art and Culture – Wonderground Barossa, Barossa
- Culinary Experiences – Maxwell Wines, McLaren Vale
- Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences – Bottle Shock, Adelaide Hills
- Wine Tourism Services – SA eBikes, McLaren Vale
- Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices – Bottle Shock, Adelaide Hills
Learn more about the 2026 Best of Wine Tourism Award winners and the 19 shortlisted businesses.
Photo by Ben Macmahon
South Australian winery wins global award
Maxwell Wines recognised in international competition
McLaren Vale’s Maxwell Wines was internationally recognised for bringing three-hatted dining to a cellar door setting at the prestigious 2026 Great Wine Capitals Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards held at the historic Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France. Mark Maxwell accepted the award from the Hon Clare Scriven MLC, Minister for Primary Industries and Regions, and the Hon Zoe Bettison MP, Minister for Tourism, at a ceremony at Parliament House in Adelaide. Read about the global award.
“We’re incredibly proud to be recognised on a global level for our culinary experiences - it’s a reflection of the passion and dedication that drives our team. This award celebrates our commitment to excellence, and our snack menu has been a key part of that vision. It gives guests another way to experience the estate and connect with what makes McLaren Vale so special. To be acknowledged among the best in the world reinforces our belief in the enduring appeal of South Australian wine tourism.” – Jeremy Maxwell, Maxwell Wines
Learning from other Great Wine Capitals
Hearing from past Outbound Knowledge Exchange bursary recipients
About 50 representatives from the SA wine industry got together to listen to insights presented by the 10 recipients of the 2024-25 Great Wine Capitals Outbound Knowledge Exchange bursaries, who travelled to other Great Wine Capitals to exchange expertise. The presenters pitched ideas as diverse as:
- water sustainability
- creating demand for premium wine
- mapping grapevine genetics
- NOLO innovations
- sheep grazing in vineyards
- sparkling wine
- luxury experiences
- drought resilience
- sustainable wine tourism
- regional collaboration.
Thanks go to sponsors Department of Primary Industries and Regions, Wine Australia, and Wine Grape Council of SA for enabling the Great Wine Capitals Steering Committee - a partnership between the Government of SA, the SA Wine Industry Association and the University of Adelaide - to provide so many bursaries to talented individuals this year.
The recordings of their presentations are available to watch back, along with blogs that capture their experience exploring other Great Wine Capitals.
South Australian Shiraz on show in Bordeaux
The French exhibition hosts 400,000+ international visitors annually
As part of the State Government’s partnership with Bordeaux’s iconic La Cité du Vin world wine museum, 10 South Australian wineries were featured for visitors to sample in the museum’s Belvedere Room that people can enjoy at the end of their visit to the permanent exhibition along with a 360 degree views of the city.
Participating SA producers included:
- Penfolds
- Bremerton Wines
- Claymore Wines
- Freestone Estate
- Knappstein Wines
- Laughing Jack Wines
- Saint-Clar Estate
- Sidewood Estate
- St Mary’s Vineyard Penola
- Wirra Wirra.
Through the partnership we also co-hosted a special wine tasting evening with fellow Great Wine Capital, Hawke’s Bay. A highly engaged crowd of 140 locals enjoyed their first introduction to 3 standout South Australian producers, Knappstein Wines, Wirra Wirra Vineyards, and Penfolds.
Wine Media Cadet captured SA wine experiences
Teri van Aalst completed a 6-month cadetship program
Wine Media Cadet Teri van Aalst travelled across SA wine regions and even to Great Wine Capital Verona, Italy to learn from established wine writers and network with industry leaders.
The cadetship, supported by Great Wine Capitals and delivered by Wine Communicators of Australia, offers a passionate young person the chance to develop their wine communication and media skills, enriching Australia’s wine media landscape and fostering ambassadors for the international promotion of Australian wine.
Teri captured her experience:
- attending the Great Wine Capitals AGM and conference
- exploring the Barossa, Coonawarra and Langhorne Creek
- speaking to Natalia Caliani about her research into indigenous yeasts in winemaking
- in the cadetship.
Photo: Teri pictured third from right with the Adelaide delegation at the Great Wine Capitals AGM
New educational scholarship offering a success
The Art and Science of Sustainable Wine Business and Tourism
Twelve South Australian wine industry professionals were awarded scholarships to take part in the inaugural innovative educational program aimed at strengthening the state’s wine tourism sector.
The scholarship recipients took part in the executive business program, which ran for 6 days in May and June. The first edition of the program, offered by the Great Wine Capitals Adelaide chapter and delivered by the University of Adelaide, was received positively by participants and industry alike. Participants reported increased business, tourism and wine knowledge, business-confidence levels, and 97% reported having a great program experience. The program will run again in 2026 with Adelaide University.
“It was truly a great and incredibly enriching experience for me. I was particularly impressed by the program's structure and have taken away a wealth of valuable insights and practical tools.” - Participant Michelle Li, Knappstein Wines
Learn more:
- Winetitles’ summary of the inaugural program
- Read case studies about past participants Michelle Li and Hugh MacGillvray
- program and scholarship.
Eight Outbound Knowledge Exchange bursaries awarded
SA wine industry professionals win international travel opportunity in 2025/26
The South Australian wine industry professionals, researchers and academics were selected to travel to one or more of the other 10 Great Wine Capitals for knowledge and capacity building. They will engage with wine professionals from their chosen destination, exchange ideas and experiences, and expand their networks before reporting back to the SA wine industry on their insights in mid-2026.
The program's supported by the Great Wine Capitals Adelaide Steering Committee, and additional bursaries are generously supported by Wine Australia and the Wine Grape Council of SA.
Read about the current cohort of bursary winners.
Thousands enjoy SA wine at Gather Round
SA Wine Producers Bar featured 14 winemakers
The SA Wine Industry Association was thrilled to once again present the South Australian Wine Producers Bar at this year’s Norwood Food and Wine Festival, which drew an incredible crowd of over 90,000 people. It was the ultimate celebration of our state’s winemaking excellence, giving festivalgoers a chance to experience the diversity and quality of South Australia’s wine regions firsthand.
14 winemakers from around SA poured wines throughout the day, and each winemaker sported an Adelaide, Great Wine Capital branded apron to showcase our state’s membership in the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, which benchmarks South Australia against the best wine regions around the world.
See the gallery and video online.
Photo by Ben Macmahon
Global wine tasting experience in Adelaide
Great Wine Capitals masterclass at Tasting Australia
Wine writer Katie Spain, Serena from Sidewood Estate and Alexandra from Dandelion Vineyards took 50 special guests on a global wine tasting journey at Tasting Australia’s Drinks Academy in Victoria Square – from Adelaide to Bordeaux and Hawke’s Bay, our fellow Great Wine Capitals.
Photo by Ben Macmahon
Great Wine Voyage at CheeseFest
New Great Wine Voyage passport activation a big success
Great Wine Capitals was once again a proud sponsor of Australia's largest cheese festival CheeseFest, which this year celebrated its 20-year anniversary with an impressive 120 artisan stalls.
The Great Wine Voyage invited cheese and wine lovers on a passport journey to visit 5 of South Australia's finest wineries participating in the event - all of them proud winners of the 2025 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards.
Visitors collected a stamp and a tasting from each of the award winners, and went in the running to win an exclusive hamper of five premium wines from the celebrated winners.
Photo courtesy of CheeseFest
Great Wine Capitals Annual General Meeting and Conference in Bordeaux, France
Gathering of global wine community for sharing and learning
The Adelaide delegation that attended this year’s meeting and conference included PIRSA’s Jo Collins and Tara Donnelly, Alex Trescowthick (SA Wine Industry Association), Armando Corsi and Irma Dupuis Day (both University of Adelaide), Tony Robinson (Australian Wine Research Institute), Sarah Carlson (Adelaide Hills Wine Region), Simon Strahan (DrinkWise) and Caroline Densley (Diverse Travel).
The conference delivered several milestone achievements for South Australia. Jo Collins, Executive Director at PIRSA, was unanimously elected President of the Global Network for the next 2 years, an outcome that recognises her long-standing leadership and Adelaide’s strong contribution to the Network. Her first action as President was welcoming Yantai, China as the Network’s first Observer Member, reinforcing a commitment to global inclusion and the growth of emerging wine regions.
Jo’s decade-long involvement has helped shape the Network’s strategic direction, from leading Adelaide’s successful bid to join the Great Wine Capitals in 2016 through to her two terms as Vice President. Under her guidance, Adelaide continues to be one of the most active members of the Network, delivering a range of signature capacity-building initiatives.
Over the course of a week, working group meetings were held to develop the strategy and activities for the global network for the coming years to elevate the wine industry and wine tourism around the world. Delegates also attended fascinating technical tours, and the final day conference that included a roundtable featuring DrinkWise CEO Simon Strahan sharing the organisation’s work with Australian cellar doors helping people make informed, responsible choices about alcohol.
The conference also provided an important platform to showcase South Australian excellence, with local SA producers Chalk Hill, Pewsey Vale, Seppeltsfield, Shaw + Smith, Sidewood Estate and Yangarra Estate Vineyard featured at an international wine showcase event in front of hundreds of international wine industry leaders, travel buyers, and media.
Global Mid-Term Meeting
Adelaide, South Australia was represented by SAWIA Board member Alex Trescowthick at the Mid-Term Meeting of the Global Great Wine Capitals Network in Porto, Portugal, held to coincide with Porto Wine and Travel Week.
The group explored ways to build value within the network and opportunities to showcase its expertise to lift wine tourism, business, production, and education around the world.
Photo: Alex pictured third from right, alongside representatives from the other Great Wine Capital member cities.
South Australians represented on Entertainment-Driven Wine Tourism webinar
South Australian voices contributed valuable insights to an international audience via a Great Wine Capitals webinar on how storytelling, performance, and immersive design are transforming visitor engagement.
Hosted by Dr Armando Corsi from the University of Adelaide and moderated by media and communications expert Marc Checkley, the session featured insights from:
- leading wine tourism strategist Robin Shaw, the founder of Wine Tourism Australia and Vintuition
- Chester Osborn, Chief Winemaker and Viticulturist for d’Arenberg Wines
- Francis de Jager, Cellar Door and Events Manager at Black Barn Vineyards.
Watch past webinars featuring international wine industry leaders.
New B2B resource for wine tourism
This comprehensive guide for wine tourism professionals captures the Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s member cities, industry initiatives and Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners all in one place.
Read a handy guide to Adelaide and all the Great Wine Capitals.
19th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference and Trade Exhibition
Wine industry’s most innovative minds come together
Investing and collaborating in tech and innovation is central to supporting the global competitiveness of the SA wine sector, and to prepare for a resilient future in our changing climate.
PIRSA was proud to be the principal event partner, and to welcome interstate and international visitors to Adelaide, the Great Wine Capital of Australia.
Hosting Great Wine Capital expert and international wine writer
Maria Laura Ortiz’s first visit to Adelaide
In November, SA hosted Spain-based Maria Laura Ortiz who is an aroma storyteller, Academy Chair of The World’s 50 Best Vineyards, and correspondent for Great Wine Capitals. She visited the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and McLaren Vale and delivered a perfumery masterclass for University of Adelaide wine students that explored sensory communication and its role in wine tourism.
Through her partnership with Great Wine Capitals, Laura will publish a number of editorial pieces about her South Australia visit. Thanks to Robin Shaw for designing the program and hosting Laura.
SA Wine Industry Association pop-up events
Popular wine tasting events engage the public
Throughout the year, the SA Wine Industry Association coordinated a number of pop-up wine tasting events that proved to be very popular with SA wine lovers and are a vehicle for introducing consumers to new producers and varietals.
The November edition of Wine Debut at the Adelaide Zoo attracted almost 400 wine and nature lovers for a unique tasting experience, and Reserved at the Museum held at the South Australian Museum in August hosted more than 300 attendees.
See the Wine Debut photo album.
Photo by Ben Macmahon
Great Wine Capitals in the media
Raising awareness of our activities
We secured local, national and international media coverage throughout the year for a number of Great Wine Capitals initiatives, and in particular the Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners – garnering 539 media mentions in 2025.
- The Post covered Best Of Wine Tourism Award winner Bottle Shock’s blend of education, sustainability and playfulness.
- Glam Adelaide showcased the 2026 Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners.
- InDaily profiled Elaine Ratcliff and the Outbound Knowledge Exchange bursary program, and Drinks Trade spoke to Eleanor Bilogrevic about her experience.
- South Australian ABC Country Hour featured Jo Collins on being elected as President of the Network, as well as Maxwell Wines for their global award win, and Anna Baum and Sarah Lavelle on their bursary win.
- FiveAA also featured Jo Collins’ election to the President of the Global Network.
- The Stock Journal covered the industry insights shared by returning bursary recipients, as did Smart Farmer.
- Beau Monde Traveller captured a journey through the 11 Great Wine Capital destinations.
Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners were also profiled in international e-newsletters to the global Great Wine Capital network, including:
Photo by Matthew Carter and Danny Howe
