Two Margaret River winners announced in New YorkOn Tuesday 17 September two Margaret River women, Vanya Cullen and Ulrika Larsson, were announced winners of the 2019 Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA). They were both at the Ceremony to receive their awards in person.
It was a hat-trick for Vanya Cullen, winning the AWIWA Winemaker of the Year, sponsored by Tonnellerie Saint Martin, as she celebrates her 30th year of being the Cullen Senior winemaker, as well as receiving the Halliday Winemaker of the Year last month.
Ulrika Larsson from Clairault Streicker Wines was awarded the 2019 AWIWA Cellar Door Person of the Year, sponsored by Purple Giraffe.
The event was attended by nearly 40 Australian female wine producers, and the invitation only guest list also included over 100 trade, media and dignitaries.
‘I feel honoured, humbled and grateful to win the AWIWA Winemaker of the Year 2019 award. Three generations of women, my maternal grandmother Madeline Grace Smith was a suffragette, my mother Diana Madeline a pioneering woman in Margaret River and it’s my 30th year at Cullens being senior wine maker. What a year’, Vanya Cullen said.
‘I feel blessed and grateful to the organisers and judges of the Australian Women in Wine Awards for all their work promoting women in wine in Australia and globally and for the award. Also, to Wine Australia for their contribution. It’s a love story of nature, the earth, great wine, family, friends and colleagues. And what a great city to be to win. I am over the moon about it’, she said.
After 48 hours of travel to get here, Ulrika Larsson said, ‘Standing here in New York City among all the fabulous, strong and influential wine women still feels surreal. To win this award and to be mixing with all these awesome ladies gives me confidence and inspiration to continue doing what I love, working in Cellar Door.’
The event was also live streamed to the Australian Women in Wine Facebook page and watched during breakfast and morning-tea by many across Australia, as well a group in Margaret River at the Margaret River Collective.
Amanda Whiteland, MRWA CEO said, ‘It was so fantastic to be here in New York with Vanya, Ulrika and all the other women in wine to celebrate the talent and passion we have in Margaret River’.
‘The AWIWA kicks off Wine Australia’s largest ever promotion in the USA, which also includes a six-city roadshow, which has 17 Margaret River wineries participating and is expected to attract 2,500 American wine trade attendees across the New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco events.’
‘This is significant opportunity for Margaret River to increase its position in the USA, the world’s largest and most attractive market, and it is great to be here waving the flag’, she said.