Adelaide’s own Independent Weekly writes about the start of the inaugural Landmark Australia tutorial yesterday.

Twelve of the world’s most influential wine experts have kicked off a week-long tutorial on Australian wines with the first stop in the Barossa Valley.

More than 200 Australian drops will be sampled and debated as part of the inaugural Landmark Australia Tutorial.

Selected from more than 130 applicants, the 12 participants from as far as Finland, the United States, Ireland and China will be given the opportunity to taste several sought after rarities, including the first vintage of Penfolds Grange (1955).

Tutors will guide participants through Australia’s winemaking history and showcase the best of the Barossa’s local produce, partnered with a new range of alternative varietals and sustainably-grown wines.

With tutors including wine producer Michael Hill Smith, wine writer James Halliday and 2008 Australian winemaker of the year Louisa Rose, Wine Australia general manager Paul Henry said the tutorial would be the most authoritative and extensive exploration of Australian wine undertaken.

“The intention of the Landmark Australia Tutorial is to create a forum for people to discover and debate the voice of our top Australian Wines,” Mr Henry said in a statement.

“It should serve as a rallying point for informed wine opinion, and aspires to be the most influential residential wine course in the world.

“The world should be much more familiar with the contribution Australia can make as a producer of fine wine.”

The week-long tutorial, which began today, will travel across NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.