Wine Industry Association of Western Australia President John Griffiths was last night awarded the Jack Mann Memorial Medal for service to the WA wine industry by the Wine Press Club of Western Australia.
Wine Industry Association of Western Australia President John Griffiths was last night awarded the Jack Mann Memorial Medal for service to the WA wine industry by the Wine Press Club of Western Australia.
The full text of an announcement from the Wine Industry Association is pasted below
The Wine Press Club of Western Australia last night awarded the 2007 Jack Mann Memorial Medal to Wine Industry Association of WA (WIAWA) President John Griffiths at a dinner ceremony on stage at Perth's His Majesty's Theatre.
Established in 1989 and sponsored by Houghton Wine Company, the Medal is awarded annually to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.
Previous winners include some of the most renowned personalities in the WA wine industry including Dr John Gladstones (inaugural winner, 1989), Tony Smith of Plantagenet (1995) and Denis and Tricia Horgan of Leeuwin Estate (1996).
John Griffiths' involvement in the WA wine industry began 14 years ago when he transferred from BRL Hardy in South Australia to Houghton Wines. John was employed as Winemaker at Houghton responsible for the operation of their Swan Valley facility, at a time when Houghton accounted for a third of the State's total wine grape crush.
John continued with Houghton until accepting a position as the inaugural lecturer in Wine Science at Curtin University in November 1998. He continued in that position until 2006 and played a key role in the development of the Margaret River Centre for Wine Excellence.
During this time, John purchased a 15 acre property in the Swan Valley and after many years establishing the vineyard, he launched his own wine brand, Faber Vineyard. In 2002, Faber Vineyard was rated by James Halliday as one of Australia's best new wineries.
Since 1998, John has also operated a winemaking consultancy, providing winemaking expertise to a range of Western Australian wine companies. He currently provides support to seven wineries on an on-going basis.
John has also made an exceptional contribution to many Western Australian wine shows - in his own region by stewarding the Swan Valley Wine Show in 2001 and 2002, and by judging at all of Western Australia's wine shows between 1993 and 2000 and many others since.
John has been an active voluntary participant on the WIAWA Board of Directors since 1998, holding several positions including Treasurer from 1999 - 2001 and since 2003, President. He established the WIAWA Technical Committee in 2001 and has served on many other committees at a regional, state and national level.
WIAWA Chief Executive Officer and WA Wine Press Club Member Sue Vidovich was in attendance at the Jack Mann Memorial Medal Dinner which was also attended by His Excellency, the Governor of Western Australia, and many members of the Mann family.
Commenting on John's contribution to the industry, Vidovich said, "The award to John recognises his outstanding service to the WA wine industry over many years and on many fronts. He has provided strong leadership during a time of rapid change resulting in huge challenges for the industry."
"His contribution in the fields of winemaking, consulting, tertiary education and marketing together with his service on numerous industry bodies at a regional, state and national level have had a significant impact across all WA wine regions and particularly the Swan Valley," Vidovich continued.
"WIAWA is delighted that John has been honoured with this prestigious award for his untiring and ongoing contribution to the Western Australian wine industry."
