It's happening as entries are open for the 2019 Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) presented in New York in September. It is a follow-up to the successful 2017 Australia House London awards ceremony, at which the Hunter's Ebony Tinkler won marketer of the year.

The New York event is being staged by AWIWA and Wine Australia, the Australian Government statutory authority for wine, and will also include a major tasting of Australian wines made by women for US media, trade and "influencers". It is part of USA Aussie Wine Month, planned to be the largest Australian wine promotion held in the US.

AWIWA entries close on August 1 for the year's top female winemaker, viticulturist, researcher/innovator, champion of diversity and equality, woman of inspiration, marketer of the year and cellar door person. Winners will be announced on September 18 in Australia and September 17 in New York.

Now in their fifth year, the AWIWAs are owned and operated by The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society, a group formed to increase wine industry gender diversity and provide female role models. The founder and chair of both groups is Byron Bay-based wine publicist and communications consultant Jane Thomson.

There's been gender diversity progress on other fronts too, such as Samantha Connew winning the 2019 Tasmania Vineyard of the Year and the Up and Coming Vineyard of the Year.

A Women in Wine Awards judge and committee member, Sam won the annual Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania competition with her three-hectare Stargazer vineyard in the Tea Tree area of Coal River. Renowned for her winemaking skills in the Hunter and McLaren Vale and as the first-ever female Sydney Wine Show chair of judges, Sam showed great vineyard management ability.

Closer to home, Nicole Wilson, winemaker at Broke-based Margan Family Wines, was the 2019 joint winner of a competition run by the NSW Wine Industry Association (NSWWIA) and Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (AWITC). Nicole and Philip Shaw Wines Orange winemaker Nadja Wallington was selected to go to the 17th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference at Adelaide Convention Centre from July 21 and the 24 and the NSWWIA Wine Innovation Forum at McLaren Vale on July 25. The technical conference program includes the McWilliam's Maurice O'Shea Award dinner.

THis is the Bremerton 2017 Vermentino from the Langhorne Creek brand of sisters Rebecca and Lucy Willson. A variety of Italian origin, it is green-tinted straw and has aromatic gooseberry scents, zesty ruby grapefruit front-palate flavour, middle-palate kiwifruit, sherbet and flint and mineral-edged acid at the finish.

PRICE: $24.

DRINK WITH: pizza.

AGEING: drink now.

RATING: 4 stars

NAMED in honour of Rebecca and Lucy's grandfather Walter "Jock" Willson, the Bremerton 2014 Walter's Cabernet Sauvignon has 14.5 per cent alcohol, bright garnet hues, briar scents and plush blackberry flavour on the front palate. The middle palate features rhubarb, dark chocolate, spice and mocha oak and chalky tannins at the finish.

PRICE: $56.

DRINK WITH: devilled lamb chops.

AGEING: eight years.

RATING: 4.5 stars

WITH today's other wines, this powerful 15 per cent-alcohol Bremerton 2015 Old Adam Shiraz is at bremerton.com.au, wine shops and the cellar door. It is deep purple and has fruitcake scents and intense plum front-palate flavour. Bramble jelly, peppermint chocolate, cloves and nutty oak show on the middle palate and dusty tannins at the finish.

PRICE: $56.

DRINK WITH: a roast beef.

AGEING: 10 years.

RATING: 5 stars