Mudgee’s Gil Wahlquist wins top NSW wine industry award
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Eric Gil Wahlquist, known as the Godfather of the organic wine industry, has been awarded the 2008 Graham Gregory Trophy for his contribution to the NSW wine industry.
Barry Buffier, Deputy Director-General, Industry & Investment NSW, presented the award to Mr Wahlquist at the NSW Wine Industry Awards in Sydney last night.
"Mr Wahlquist is almost single-handedly responsible for establishing the Mudgee wine industry, and training the next generation of wine industry employees," Mr Buffier said.
"He persuaded Mudgee wine and food producers to work together for the recognition of their region as a premium food producer, and the regions viticulture industry is now worth an estimated $45 million annually.
"His love of winemaking was established early in 1971, when he planted Botobolar Vineyard at Mudgee, and began to make his first reds and whites in 1974.
"Gil was a pioneer of the organic growing of wine grapes, and became one of the leading experts in the organic wine industry, and is a worthy winner of this prestigious award."
Mr Wahlquists love affair with wine also extended to food. He helped bring together wine, food and tourism interests in the Mudgee region.
"He formed the Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association, and is now its honorary life member, as well as the Mudgee Beef Promotion Society and the Mudgee Wine and Food Society," Mr Buffier said.
"In addition, Gil was also a founder of the Australian Small Winemakers Association, the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, the Mudgee Small Farms Field Days, and also began the annual Mudgee Wine Show, one of the first wine shows confined to products from the region.
"In 2008, he authored and self-published his book Some of my best friends are winemakers - a history of the Mudgee wine industry.
"We also have Mr Wahlquist to thank for Australias profile in the international wine industry - it was he who persuaded the Federal Minister for Agriculture to fund the first promotion of Australian wines on a regional basis, first starting at the Olympia Wine Show in London in 1993."
Last year alone, NSW exported $572 million worth of the States best reds and whites.
NSW represents 34 per cent of the $5 billion national wine industry, turning over more than $1.5 billion annually.
The trophy is named after former NSW Agriculture Deputy Director-General, Graham Gregory, who helped pioneer the NSW wine industry.
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