Wine Australia Tasting in Japan records highest guest attendance ever
This month saw Wine Australia host its largest event ever in Japan with 463 guests attending the annual Wine Australia Tasting on Wednesday, 3 September in Tokyo.
The tasting for sommeliers, retailers, wine educators and media, saw 18 Japanese importers showcase 300 Australian wines from 48 winemakers.
A seminar held in conjunction with the tasting was led by three Wine Australia A+ Trade Specialists – Satoshi Tonooka, Yayoi Hayashi and Reiko Hoshino. Sharing their perspectives and tactics for successfully engaging restaurants and retailers, the feedback on the seminar was overwhelmingly positive.
'Highly practical and insightful'; 'I kept nodding on their know-hows'; 'such a passionate seminar like no other' and 'they shared [a] winning formula with Australian wine’ were just some of the comments received from guests including approximately 150 people who accessed the seminar via Ustream.
Regional Manager for Asia, Hiro Tejima said of the successful event, 'Securing the largest turnout we’ve ever had at our annual tasting demonstrates the renewed excitement and interest in Australian wine in the Japanese market, with many exhibitors commenting on the increased number of decision makers from the trade in attendance.
'With the JAEPA soon to be ratified, the Japanese wine trade is turning its focus to Australia and it’s important we continue to promote the diversity in style and price points of Australian wine.'
The tasting once again saw the A+ Specialists guide groups on the ‘Walking Trail’ where 60 guests in total were guided on themed tours of the tasting to learn more about the uniqueness of Australian wine and how to share that story with their customers. Walking Trail guides Noritake Torii and Yookwang Song were told by guests on the tour that their real-life experiences and perspectives added significantly to the tasting and their perception of the wine exhibited while they also discovered wines that they may not have encountered on their own.
Held at the start of the northern autumn, the timing of the event precedes peak wine consumption in Japan.