The biggest name in Australian wine-making has slammed his industry colleagues, saying local wine companies are led by “lame” and unmotivated executives.

Wolf Blass, the man behind one of the Barossa Valley’s chief exports, says he came up in a time of excitement and innovation in Australian wines, but has now seen that decay into a melange of complacency and comfort.

“In the '60s and the '70s, we were very motivated, we had young drive,” Blass said in a recent interview with the ABC.

“That's all gone, and I think what has happened is for 20 years we had a drive in exports, which has made the executives in the industry very lame and probably not understanding how to turn the boat with sails against the wind.”

“We have to look at the more modern way of marketing. We have to be smarter competitively against the rest of the world,” he added.

Mr Blass maintains an active role in the industry he helped set up, despite his eponymous label now being owned by industry giant Treasury Wine Estates.

He says there is currently little elbow room in Australian wine-making, and the scene is waiting for its next big change.

“Over the last 15 years [the industry has grown] from 1,000 registered winemakers, we have now 2,500 which of course is not sustainable,” Wolf Blass said.