Taking our regional diversity to US trade and media

Wine Australia has been sharing the story of fine Australian wine with trade and media in North America at key events throughout July and August.

The regional diversity of Australian Riesling, Pinot Noir and Shiraz recently took centre stage at events in Seattle, San Francisco, Oregon and Dallas.

Riesling Rendezvous – 17–19 July, Seattle, Washington 
At Riesling Rendezvous, Wine Australia supported a seminar by Mike Bennie titled ‘Discovering the diversity of Australian Riesling’, which was well received by the audience of 65 trade and media.

For the attendees, it was a fascinating in-depth exploration of Australian Riesling. One of the attendees, Laurie Daniel, wrote an overview of the seminar that can be read here.

Pinot and Porchetta Lunch – 27 July, San Francisco, California 
What do you get when you bring together Australian Pinot Noir, porchetta sandwiches, Mac Forbes, Mike Symons, and 15 of the top Bay Area sommeliers and buyers? You get a captivating and lively exploration of regional Australian Pinot Noir styles.

Wine Australia Global Education Manager Mark Davidson took attendees through a tasting of Pinots from Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Tumbarumba, Margaret River and the Adelaide Hills. Elaine Chukan-Brown, one of the participants, wrote a blog post on the wines featured.

International Pinot Noir Conference (IPNC) – 29–31 July, McMinnville, Oregon 
The Grand Seminar theme at IPNC was ‘Australia: Pinot Noir in the Antipodes’. The seminar’s panel was bolstered by the presence of keynote speakers James Halliday AM and Michael Hill-Smith MW.

For many of the 800 attendees, it was the most immersive and wide-ranging tasting of Australian Pinot Noir they’d encountered, and the feedback was positive. Mr Halliday’s erudition enlightened the uninitiated – and you can be sure that trade and media curiosity for regional Australian varieties has been piqued.

TEXSOM – 13–15 August, Dallas, Texas 
TEXSOM is the biggest gathering of sommeliers in North America and, for the second consecutive year, the Australia suite showcased the regionality, history and evolution of Australian wine today. The many styles of Australian wine – including aged Rieslings, cool climate Pinots and a special focus on Shiraz – were presented by US importers, Negociants USA, Old Bridge Cellars, and Vine Street Imports. 

In addition to the Australia suite, many fine Australian wines were poured in seminars throughout the three days, culminating in the grand tasting that impressed on key trade and media the quality and diversity of Australian wine from a wide range of Australian wine regions.

Wine Australia works in collaboration with wineries, exporters, importers and other partners, to take Australian fine wine to key events that help showcase our unique regional diversity and share our community’s stories to support Australian wine in North America. If you would like to find out how you can be involved, contact usa@wineaustralia.com