Obituaries Australia

Mr Angove, 92, passed away in a Renmark nursing home, in South Australia's Riverland, in the early hours of yesterday.

Mr Angove, who was awarded an Order of Australia in 1994 for his services to the industry, was the grandson of Angove Family Winemakers founder William Angove.

Thomas became managing director of Angove's in 1947, expanding its crushing and processing facilities and planting the 480ha Nanya vineyard in the Riverland, one of Australia's largest vineyards.

In 1965 he revolutionised wine packaging by developing the wine cask.

The innovation, a resealable plastic bag in a cardboard box, took about two years to develop.

His idea was later developed into the cask with a tap feature commonly seen today.

Mr Angove was managing director of Angove's until 1983, when his son John took over.

While the company's winery is capable of processing more than 19,000 tonnes of grapes each vintage, it is also famous for producing St Agnes brandy and Stone's Green Ginger Wine.

The Winemakers' Federation of Australia chief executive, Stephen Strachan, said Mr Angove's passing was a loss for the industry.

"He played a major role in developing national affairs on issues such as tax and water," he said. "He's a big part of the history of the Australian wine industry."

Mr Strachan said Mr Angove also pioneered the use of stainless steel storage tanks.

"He was obviously quite an innovator," he said.

South Australian Wine Industry Association chief executive Brian Smedley said Mr Angove was well-known among winemakers.

"It's sad to have the loss of another industry identity who has contributed so much to the Australian wine industry," he said.