Amongst a night of great food and beverage, it was my great pleasure to announce the 2015 Winners of the WA Hospitality Supplier Awards Industry Achievement Award. This Award is considered such a prestigious award as it recognises and celebrates the contribution made by icons of our industry.
This year, our joint winners were a husband and wife team who have significantly contributed to Western Australian wine tourism being recognised amongst the best in the world; Denis and Tricia Horgan of Leeuwin Estate.
A little bit of history about Denis and Tricia Horgan:
- In the late 1960s Denis and Tricia bought a commercial plumbing business and an accompanying parcel of land in Margaret River which originally served as a cattle farm. In 1972, following an extensive search for an area to produce the best varietal wines in Australia, legendary American winemaker, Robert Mondavi, identified the former cattle yard as being ideal.
- In 1974, with Mondavi as mentor and consultant, they established the property as Leeuwin Estate, the fifth founding winery of Margaret River. Leeuwin enjoyed its first commercial vintage in 1979.
- Leeuwin Estate quickly earned an international reputation for making wines that rank alongside the world’s finest and was thrust into the international spotlight when Decanter Magazine gave its highest recommendation to the 1980 “Art Series” Chardonnay in an international blind tasting.
- A pioneer in the business of Wine Tourism, Denis and Tricia’s vision lead to Leeuwin incorporating a multi award winning restaurant, Art Gallery, and staging numerous special events throughout the year, welcoming in excess of 120,000 visitors annually.
- In 1985 they invited the London Philharmonic Orchestra to perform – launching the tradition of the Leeuwin Concert Series. Described as “the most extraordinary concerts ever held in Australia” the Leeuwin Concerts have featured an eclectic mix of the world’s finest musicians and entertainers including international orchestras, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, k.d lang, Simply Red and Sting.
- Celebrating the Art of Fine Wine, Leeuwin Estate adorns the labels of its premium wines with paintings commissioned from Australia’s leading contemporary artists. Over 150 original artworks now make up the collection that is displayed in the Art Gallery at the Winery.
I am very privileged to celebrate Denis and Tricia’s commitment of adhering to excellence, which has this year has earned the Estate an outstanding international reputation as well as the award this evening. Leading Australian wine commentator, James Halliday, has written, “Leeuwin Estate is a class act, every facet of its business working with the precision of a Swiss watch. It stands at the very forefront of estate-based, family owned wineries.”
Both Denis and Tricia, are dual recipients of Western Australia’s highest wine industry and tourism awards and have both been admitted to the Order of Australia for their contribution to the wine and tourism industries.
I congratulate Denis and Tricia again for their win at the 2015 WA Hospitality Supplier Awards, and wish them even further success in their years to come at Leeuwin Estate.
Bradley Woods
AHA(WA) CEO/Executive Director
