NSW’s Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, has announced Bruce Tyrrell AM has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Graham Gregory award for his dedication to the NSW wine industry.
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Bruce Tyrrell is a fourth generation winemaker at family-owned Tyrrell’s Wines Estate based at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley.
Mr Tyrrell has followed in his late father’s footsteps as Murray Tyrrell won the award in 1993.
Mr Blair said Bruce has played an important role in developing and expanding the NSW wine industry through his innovation and leadership.
“NSW is the second largest wine producing state in Australia, accounting for over 30 per cent of the $5 billion Australian wine industry,” Mr Blair said.
“Bruce was involved in the creation of the NSW Wine Industry Association which was formed to support and promote the 14 wine regions across the state.
“He has made an enormous contribution to the industry he is so passionate about and is a well deserving recipient of the Graham Gregory award.”
He joined the family company on a full-time basis in 1974 at the ripe old age of 23 years.
It was during this time that Bruce fell in love with semillon.
In 2006 Bruce Tyrrell was awarded an AM under the Order of Australia for his contribution to the Australian wine industry.
And in 2009, he became a Hunter Valley Living Legend at the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Awards.
The Graham Gregory trophy was presented at the NSW Wine Awards Presentation lunch, which is supported by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
Past Graham Gregory Award winners include prominent NSW and Hunter region wine-industry stalwarts Chris Barnes AM, Iain Riggs, Brian McGuigan and the late Robert Oatley.
The Graham Gregory Award, which was first awarded in 1991, is named after the former NSW Agriculture Deputy Director General, Graham Gregory, who is regarded as a significant pioneer of the NSW industry.