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Welcome

Thank you for visiting our website. The Limestone Coast Wine Industry Council Inc. has three main purposes:

1. To be a body that represents the interests of the Limestone Coast wine community in government and other industry bodies.
2. Provide the body corporate to run a regional wineshow and attract and funnel sponsorship and funding into bonafide research projects.
3. To be a conduit for correspondence and information flow between training, research and networking.

This site is primarily designed to summarise the councils' activities and be a meeting point for the local wine industry.

Latest News

• 1/05/2008. LCWIC's New Constitution

A new constitution voted in at last year’s AGM. Primarily changes were made to streamline communication and more fairly represent all vineyards within the LC Zone. See council representatives as voted in on October 2007.

Our new Objects and Purposes as in the October 2007 constitution are,

2. OBJECTS AND PURPOSES

2.1 To enable members to meet together for the interchange of scientific, technical and educational information and the consideration of other matters affecting the members.

2.2 To establish a means of communication between members of the Council, and State and Commonwealth authorities and local State and National Wine Industry bodies, and generally to represent members in all matters in which unity of action is desirable.

2.3 To secure representation where possible on all committees, Trusts, Boards, and Commissions set up to administer, regulate and/or conduct investigations into the Wine Industry, or into matters affecting the wine industry in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.

2.4 To obtain and disseminate to members the best available scientific and technical information on Wine Industry practices suitable for the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.

2.5 To co-operate with the State and Commonwealth Government and all other bodies to Semi Government Bodies and other scientific industry research organizations.

2.6 To promote the wine industry and educate the general public in the activities of the members and to promote and protect the interests of the members of the Council.

2.7 To apply the Funds of the Council towards any of the above objects or purposes.

• 1/01/2008. Water Resource Group Activties

The water resources group has been active over the past year. Issues of interest have been:

* 2001 water allocation plan review
* NRM board forestry plantation stakeholder process
* 2007 Penola Pulp Mill Authoristaion Bill
* NWI research projects

The NRM board review of the 2001 water allocation plans is under review, the review was to be completed with new plans by June 2006 but due to issues such as volumetric allocation and incorporating plantation water use the plans have been delayed until June 2008.

Draft allocations have been released for the Padthaway district, draft allocations for other areas are due later this month, with reductions to some areas such as 3A (Coonawarra) expected.

Following community consultation in Padthaway earlier this year, the Flood Irrigators, Grape Growers and Groundwater Management Committee are now working with Glen Harrington from REM to develop a proposal to manage groundwater sustainably. The first workshop was held in August, and it was proposed that a number of scenarios be run through a 3D model developed by Aquaterra.

Other areas have been involved in A2 community consultation meetings during December, and B2 consultations will be held early in 2008.

• 31/10/2007. Wynns named the big Wine Show winner!

Wynns Coonawarra Estate has been named the Most Successful Exhibitor at the Limestone Coast Wine Show - for the second year in a row! The winery’s 2005 John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon led the charge, collecting three trophies at last night's 2007 presentation feast at Padthaway Homestead.

After being named ‘Best Red’ and ‘Best Cabernet Sauvignon’, the prized drop went on to claim the Bill Redman Trophy for ‘Best Wine of Show’. Chairman of judges, James Halliday, declared the wine "a great tribute to (chief winemaker) Sue Hodder and her team”.

“It has great structure along with very clearly expressed varietal cabernet fruit…it’s a new style of John Riddoch which Sue Hodder has been developing; she’s lightened the touch without stripping the wines of character and flavour, and while it will be quite accessible when it’s young, it will also age very, very well,” he said.

Adding to the winery’s winning streak, Wynns’ 2004 Coonawarra Estate Johnsons Block Shiraz Cabernet took out the ‘Best Individual Vineyard Wine’ category, and its 2005 Messenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon claimed the ‘International Judges’ Award’. Wynns viticulturalist, Stuart Sharman, then went on to receive the major award for the night - the highly coveted Arthur Hoffman Trophy for Viticulturalist of Best Wine of Show.

Padthaway continued its distinguished record for excellent chardonnay, with Stonehaven Winery’s 2005 Hidden Sea Chardonnay collecting the trophy for the best Chardonnay and Best White Wine of Show.

Murdock Wines was another star performer; its 2006 Riesling was named Best White Wine for classes 1-3, 6-8, 14 and 20, and its 2000 Murdock Cabernet named the Best Museum Wine. The 2005 Lindemans Pyrus was named Best Blended Red/ Other Single Red Variety, while Flints of Coonawarra won back to back titles for the ‘Best Shiraz’, this time with its 2005 Rostrevor Shiraz.

“Certainly I think the 2005 vintage with the generosity of the reds made this year’s Limestone Coast Wine Show an absolute pleasure to judge, and we were particularly impressed with the very few technical wine making faults,” said Mr Halliday. “The vast majority of Limestone Coast wines are very, very well made.”

All entries in this year’s show will be uncorked and ready for tasting at Stonehaven Cellar Door on Friday, 2 November. This ultimate Limestone Coast wine tasting experience is a once-in-a-year opportunity to sample and compare notes with the expert judging panel.