Around 100 people attended the 2017 field day at Milton Vineyard, just outside Swansea, Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania chief executive Scott Gadd said.

“We had a glorious day,” Mr Gadd said.

“It was a great venue, with a restaurant so the infrastructure was already there, and the Dunbabins were very generous in sharing their information. I think the attendees appreciated that,” he said.

The Vineyard of the Year program was established to encourage excellence in viticulture management, a vital requirement when producing premium quality wine grapes.

Wine and agricultural industry representatives and producers heard about the techniques Henry Dunbabin and his family use at the vineyard.

He described the frost management system, soil nutrition and the costs associated with vineyard management, Mr Gadd said.

“People kept asking questions, which showed how interested and engaged they were in the technical aspects of vineyard management,” he said.

The East Coast has been a significant agricultural area for much of the state’s recent history, with Michael Dunbabin telling field day attendees that vines were first planted on Maria Island in the 1880s and that Milton Vineyard was first established sheep farm.

One of the Tasmanian wine industry’s most prestigious trophies, the perpetual Richard Langdon Trophy, was presented to Milton Vineyard in recognition of being named 2017 Vineyard of the Year.

The perpetual trophy is a bronze work by Tasmanian sculptor Stephen Walker donated by Mrs Caroline Matterson in memory of her late husband Richard Langdon.

Lilydale’s Bridestowe Ridge Vineyard was also named 2017 Best Small Vineyard of the Year at the field day.

The event included briefings, a networking lunch featuring Milton Vineyard’s and medal-winning wines from the Royal Hobart International Wine Show, together with a vineyard tour.

Mr Gadd said Vineyard of the Year judges would reconvene to discuss the 2017 program and how to run it in 2018.

“We want to align the competition with Wine Tasmania’s sustainability programs so there is consistency across the industry,” Mr Gadd said.

“The whole point [of the program] is to provide feedback to vineyards and encourage improvement in the industry,” he said.