Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards is delighted to announce the launch of a new partnership between the Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and QANTAS magazine.
Travellers will be able to learn about the Awards, the participants and the winners in the QANTAS magazine and its accompanying website, Travel Insider.
At a time when the hospitality and tourism industries are suffering so significantly, this exciting new partnership represents an opportunity for the talented creators of Australia’s leading wine and beverage lists – and the outstanding cellars behind them – to receive an extraordinary boost to the recognition they so richly deserve for their continued pursuit of excellence.
This partnership presents an outstanding opportunity to deliver a guide for consumers that will uncover the best wine lists across the country, as identified by Australia’s most prestigious awards program.
Representing the new Awards partner, Kirsten Galliott, Editor-in-Chief, QANTAS magazine and Travel Insider, said she was thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards. “I have been a long–time admirer of the awards and feel now is the perfect time to celebrate the achievements of our restaurant industry in what has been a challenging year. There is always opportunity in adversity and we want to showcase how Australia’s top sommeliers have continued to champion excellence and try new things. Qantas magazine readers are always on the lookout for incredible experiences and it is our role to keep them informed of the best around the country.”
The Awards, from their establishment in 1994 by Tucker Seabrook and Rob and his late wife Judy Hirst, were always intended to be a platform to recognise, reward and celebrate the very best Australia has to offer in the way of Wine Lists – that critical ‘other half’ of the perfect dining experience, and the outstanding individuals behind them. This continues to be the Awards’ focus today.
In 2021, the Awards’ 30+ strong judging panel continues to include highly respected local and international Wine Judges, Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, wine communicators, previous award winners and Sommeliers Australia representatives who assess each year’s entries. Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards are rightfully renowned as being the most prestigious award program for sommeliers and owners – be they restaurateurs, hoteliers, club and/or wine bar managers, large and small.
2021 New Awards:
To recognise the impact the pandemic has had on the Australian hospitality and tourism industries, two new awards will be introduced in 2021.
1. “Australia’s Best Wine List – 200 Wines” This award will sit alongside the existing “Best Wine List – 50 Wines” and “Best Wine List – 100 Wines” awards. As the average of most award winning wine lists entered in the Awards is over 200 wines, this award caters for the change that has taken place in businesses due to COVID-19 and the trimmed-down nature of wine lists and cellars of the future. The Awards will now recognise those venues listing less than 50, 100 and 200 wines.
2. “Australia’s Wine List of the Year – Australia’s Choice Award” This award is being introduced as an opportunity for Australia’s consumers to express their recognition and gratitude for their favourite sommeliers and venues. So many venues have been overwhelmed by the support they have continued to receive from their customers.
The Awards to date:
Over the years, the quality of Australia’s wine lists has grown in line with the quality of the exceptional cuisine offered across Australia’s restaurants, wine bars, hotels, clubs and pubs.
This unprecedented growth in the quality of Australia’s wine lists is reflected in the results now being achieved by the Awards entrants – from 9 x 3 Glass Lists (Outstanding) in 1994 to 157 x 3 Glass Lists in 2020 – an enormous leap!
The most popular award category in 2020 remained Best Wine by the Glass, with preservation technology such as Coravin making this a perfect vehicle for offering premium wines to consumers. This was followed by Best Matching of Food and Wine – reflecting the partnership between sommeliers and chefs. A renewed focus on Australian wines has also seen Best Listing of Australian Wines and Best Listing of a Region’s Wines rise in popularity.
The key partners for the 2021 Awards will be QANTAS magazine and Travel Insider and The Drinks Association, the pre-eminent supplier of information and services to the Australian Liquor Trade.
Representing The Drinks Association – the continuing official Trade Communications Partner of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards, Georgia Lennon, CEO, said “At the Drinks Association, we strive to inform, strengthen and connect the Australian drinks industry. There has never been a more important time to support our hospitality partnersand the people who service them. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of sommeliers and venues throughout Australia again this year. Come September, we’ll be toasting the winners and sharing their stories in our Drinks Trade magazine and via our digital media platforms.”
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Featured
Qantas magazine and Travel Insider, an official partner of the AWLOTY Awards, is the leading destination for travel content in Australia. It is not only a celebration of travel and all that it offers but also an insider’s guide to the best experiences in Australia and overseas. The partnership with AWLOTY is an opportunity to recognise Australia’s best wine lists and share the restaurants that are excelling with a very premium audience.
