WISA names the 2026 Wine Industry Impact Awards finalists in 6 categories
The Wine Industry Suppliers Association has announced the complete finalist field for the 2026 Wine Industry Impact Awards. The winners will be revealed at a gala dinner at The Playford Adelaide on Thursday, 19 November 2026.
The Wine Industry Suppliers Association (WISA) selected finalists from organizations serving the Australian and New Zealand wine sectors across 6 award categories. The winners of the 2026 Wine Industry Impact Awards (WIIA) will be presented at The Playford Adelaide on Thursday, 19 November 2026.1
WISA executive chair Liz Schoen said suppliers had continued investing in growers and wineries despite difficult trading conditions. She described the entries as practical responses to industry needs, ranging from artificial-intelligence services and vineyard yield sensors to packaging with a smaller environmental impact.1
Digital technology and winemaking
In Technology & Digital Innovation, sponsored by Wine Australia, BevSage is a finalist for combining purpose-built artificial intelligence with human expertise to give wineries affordable commercial support and market intelligence. InnoVint, co-nominated with Hill Smith Family Estates, was selected for a winery-specific, low-disruption route away from production software approaching the end of its supported life.1
The Winemaking & Oenology finalists, in a category sponsored by SIG, are Fermentis and Vason Group. Fermentis entered its E2U yeast range, which can be added directly to must without rehydration to simplify fermentation and improve safety. Vason Group entered X-PLANT products made with inactivated yeast to support viticulture and winemaking under challenging climate conditions.1
Viticulture and sustainability
The Viticulture & Grapegrowing category, sponsored by Southern Premium Vineyards, has 3 finalists. Ripen Tech developed an on-vine system that weighs grape bunches every hour to provide current yield information. Vason Group’s X-PLANT vineyard applications are intended to help vines withstand heat and drought stress. Affinity Labs offers a Grapevine Clonal ID service that verifies a clone before planting material enters the vineyard.1
In Sustainability, sponsored by MGA Insurance Group, DeCam supplied affordable 3-phase electricity to Southern Light Vineyards’ Long Gully Winery, removing the winery’s dependence on continuously operating diesel generation. Biogone was selected for landfill-biodegradable packing tape, stretch wrap and shipping products used in wine distribution. Visy’s entry concerns major investment in glass beneficiation to increase the proportion of recycled material in wine bottles.1
Packaging and engineering
The Packaging & Design category is sponsored by Manheim Australia. Australian Vintage is a finalist for Poco Vino, a brand built around stylish 187 ml single-serve bottles. Amorim was selected for Spark One Xpür, its microplastic-free solution for sparkling wine.1
Engineering & Equipment has 2 finalists. Vinarchy, co-nominated with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), entered Autonomous GoTrack, a technology retrofitted to a conventional vineyard tractor and tested at commercial scale. Parsec by Enartis entered EVO2FERM, which uses live fermentation data to provide predictive, adaptive yeast nutrition.1
Judging panel
The 24 judges are Robin Shaw (Wine Tourism Australia), Athena Stamoulos (Finlaysons), Shirley Fraser (Wine Australia), Simon Nordestgaard (AWRI), Sam Wigan (Hill Smith Family Estates), Sid Pachare (Watkins Wines), Dan Eggelton (Vinous Consulting), Fiona McDonald (Seppeltsfield), Sandrine Gimon (Wine Rage Consulting), Nick Dry (Foundation Viticulture), Matt Alexander (Southern Premium Vineyards), Marcos Bonada (Treasury Wine Estates), Steve Faulkner (Oakridge Wines), Amy Richards (Nuveen), Laura Herrero Chorques (Green Industries SA), Siobhan Wigan (Sustainable Winegrowing Australia), Marty Longbottom (AWRI), Jesse Auricht (Hill Smith Family Vineyards), Shauna Herbst (Brown Family Wine Group), Lin Lin Low (Treasury Wine Estates), Matt Deller (Wirra Wirra), Carmen Housten (SIG), Gavin Wong (Visy) and Gavin Dempsey (Manheim Australia).1
About WISA
WISA is a not-for-profit association representing businesses that supply goods and services to the wine industries of Australia and New Zealand. Its work promotes innovation, partnerships and the exchange of practical knowledge across the value chain, with the stated aim of strengthening industry competitiveness and profitability.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.