alumni 

If you’ve been on a James Busby Travel trip you become part of our family. The Alumni Community currently stands at 168 individuals from 15 countries who share their stories in our award winning* newsletter, The Busby Bugle. Tuck in .  

Busby Bugle Issue # 8 – THE LAST POST 

After 13 years and 14 trips it’s time to hang up the Busby Blundstones (well Redbacks actually).

It’s been a wild ride, and we couldn’t have done it without all our winery hosts who bought into the vision that we could do trade trips better.

Read all about the last ever Busby trip, what made it so different to previous trips, and what we hope will be the enduring legacy of the James Busby Travel project (clue: it’s not wine). 

Busby Bugle Issue # 7

We skipped a year, did anyone notice? We kick started 2021 with a complete redesign of the James Busby Travel website, along with an accompanying article on Indigenous acknowledgment. In this issue you’ll also find news of what our Alumni Community (now 158!) have been up to, with plenty of baby pics, puppy spam and a bunch of questionable wine memes. We look at the great 2021 vintage, the not-so-great import tariffs in China and forward to the next Busby trip….in 2023! So pour yourself a large glass of Pfizer Fizz, better make it a double shot, sit back and enjoy.  

Busby Bugle Issue # 6 

Welcome to the special Ten Year Cut-Out-And-Keep Anniversary Edition of the Busby Bugle. As usual it contains a round up of the latest exploits of our global Alumni Community, news from our winery hosts, toe curling one-liners from the Edinburgh Fringe, a link to the 2019 vintage report as well as a look ahead to this year’s group of travellers.

Busby Bugle Issue # 5

We’re going to need a bigger bulletin ! 

Our Alumni Community are the heart of the Busby model, like the Mafia and the Mounties, we always get our man, and we never let go. The Alumni Community now stands at 135 wine professionals including buyers, journalists, sommeliers, Masters of Wine (12), and Master Sommeliers (7) from 14 different countries. So pour yourself a large glass of rosé (it’s booming in America, see our Market insight section) and strap yourself in for the latest edition. 

Busby Bugle Issue # 4

Well we’ve made it to issue 4 of the Busby Bugle newsletter. And they said it’d never last. Top billing in this edition goes to the long-awaited Tour Report from 2016. We suggest you only tackle this if you have a large glass of wine to hand and at least half an hour to spare. Weighing in at 160 pages with over 20,000 words and almost 400 photos it’s a hefty read. In the meantime we hope you enjoy the slightly more slimline Busby Bugle, bringing you zero fake news and all the Best Words (they’re great, the best, you’ll love them) with news and updates from our Alumni community and wineries. 

Busby Bugle Issue # 3

Amazingly for a wine based newsletter we’ve made it all the way to Issue 3 (I don’t get out much) and what a treat we have in store for you. Busby Alumni are popping up all over the world, drinking great Aussie wine with winemakers and each other and proving that community and commerce knows no boundaries or borders There’s heaps of exciting winery news, from new websites (parallax!), new wines (premium!), new restaurants (Pauletts!), new glassware (Muscat!), new barrels (bloody big ones!), lemon curd (for sale!), fish pics and a photo of Robert Hill Smith leaning on a spade. 

What more could you ask for, really? 

Busby Bugle Issue # 2

Welcome to the second issue of the Busby Bugle. In this issue you’ll find winery news, Alumni updates and a link to the just-published and probably litigious 2015 Tour Report. To celebrate Australia Day we’ll be holding a Busby Alumni Reunion in London at Vinoteca wine bar on the Tuesday night. Brett and Charlie have designed a special Australia Day degustation menu featuring lamb and viognier across all sixteen courses. In the meantime pull up a chair, grab a chop and a cold one and tuck in!

Busby Bugle Issue # 1

They say you shouldn’t blow your own trumpet but we’re pretty proud of what our Busby travellers have been up to since their visit so we thought we’d keep you updated with their career moves, personal milestones and Australian wine activities. 
As well as dispatches from the Alumni community, you’ll also find winery news, vintage reports and details of our in-market reunionsTuck in!

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