Peter Gago, pictured here with South Australian Governor Frances Adamson, accepted the Legend of the Vine award on Friday. Photo: Ben MacMahon Images
Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago AC has been named as the 2025 South Australian ‘Legend of the Vine’ at the 2025 Royal Adelaide Wine & Spirits Awards Lunch which took place in Adelaide on Friday.
The SA Legend of the Vine Award is presented by Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) to recognise a South Australian who is “of excellent character, who is held in high regard by their peers in the world of wine, and who has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian wine industry”. The recipient must also demonstrably share WCA’s values on the importance of developing and inspiring excellence in how they communicate about wine.
Gago has been the chief winemaker at Penfolds since 2002
WCA described Peter Gago as “an outstanding Legend of the Vine”, having carried the message about the quality of Australian wine to the world. For decades, Gago has upheld and built esteem for Penfolds Grange with critics and connoisseurs, and by association provided a halo effect on Australian, and in particular, South Australian wine.
WCA national chair Lynda Schenk said it was a thrill to acknowledge Peter Gago with the 2025 South Australian Legend of the Vine award.
“This is a story of a local hero who has long been recognised the world over for his incredible achievements and this occasion may well mark the first formal honour in his home city of Adelaide.
“Over the years, Peter has received numerous awards for his winemaking expertise. With this award, WCA acknowledges his incredible skill as a wine communicator. He is a wonderful storyteller, and highly charismatic in conversation, regardless of the topic. He is generous with his knowledge which he delivers with humility and warmth. His ability to engage people with compelling authenticity has undoubtedly contributed equally to Penfold’s success as his skill as a winemaker, which is also considerable.”
Gago accepted the SA Legend of the Vine award, noting its gravity.
“Wherever I travel in the world, there’s nothing better than the feeling of arriving home,” said Gago. “Driving up to my office at Magill Estate and [being] greeted by a vineyard established in 1844 just feels right. I feel similarly moved about being named the 2025 South Australian Legend of the Vine and I thank Wine Communicators for considering me among the many worthy individuals that work in our industry.”
In 2017, Gago became the first Australian wine figure to be appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his service and contribution to the Australian wine Industry. The following year he symbolically was appointed a Doctor of the University (DUniv) of The University of South Australia.
His biography shows his commitment and loyalty to the Penfolds brand, a 36-year veteran and chief winemaker since 2002. While dedicated to upholding the style of Penfold’s wines, he reveals flashes of an avant-garde nature with initiatives such as the Ampoule, g3, and most recently the Grange X La Chapelle Syrah/Shiraz blend.
Peter Gago AC is the eleventh South Australian to receive the SA Legend of the Vine Award. He joins a prestigious list that includes Prue Henschke, Jane Ferrari, Peter Hayes, Brian Croser AO, Pam Dunsford, Tony Love, Brian Walsh, d’Arry Osborne, Bill Hardy OAM, and Dr Patrick Iland OAM (with whom Peter has co-written four books on wine), who are all lifetime members of WCA.
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