Local wine trade take a field trip to Australian wine regions
It’ll be ‘pens down in the classroom’ and out to the regions tomorrow (Wednesday, 9 June) as the 10 Australian wine professionals who scored top results in Wine Australia’s One Day Wine School (ODWS) embark on the third annual Trade Immersion Program (TIP) trip.
The 10 guests will develop a deeper understanding of the fine wines being produced in their own backyards when they visit Riverina (NSW), King Valley (VIC), Mount Benson and Langhorne Creek (SA) over six days.
Part of Wine Australia’s educational program, TIP was established in 2013 to help local wine professionals develop a deeper knowledge of Australian wine, its diversity, the characteristics of its regions and the personalities and stories behind the wines.
Nine of the ten guests on the trip are those who scored the best results in the exams held at the end of Wine Australia’s One Day Wine School (ODWS) sessions in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
The tenth guest is Daniel Jacobson from NOMAD who was the winner of the Aussie Wine Month By-the-Glass promotion for his all-Australian wine-by-the-glass list throughout May.
Past winner Sarah Andrews, a wine educator, said of her experiences on a TIP visit, ‘Thank you so much for such a wonderful opportunity to meet many vignerons and winemakers and to spend time in several regions that I haven’t had a lot of dealings with in the past. I’m keen to support these regions and brands where I can.’
The itinerary will be a full program of winemaker dinners, winery tours, tastings, masterclasses and epicurean experiences, all hosted by producers in the regions. The visit is facilitated by Wine Australia in partnership with participating regions and supported by Primary Regions and Industries South Australia and the South Australian Wine Industry Association.
Wine Australia’s Regional Director Aaron Brasher said TIP aims to build on the Australian wine knowledge gained through the ODWS program.
‘Our ODWS sessions present the theory of Australian wine and the TIP trip is the practical element. These wine influencers are often shaping their consumer’s wine choices and TIP allows them to get up close and personal with Australian wines, the regions they come from and the producers making them.’
Guests on the TIP trip are:
- Jonathan Brooke – Sommelier/Restaurant Supervisor, Hill of Grace Restaurant at Adelaide Oval (Adelaide)
- Mattia Cianca – Sommelier, Attica (Melbourne)
- Darren Davis – Director/Presenter, Wine & Grape Therapy (Brisbane)
- Dennis Han – Store Owner, Cellarbrations East Ryde (Sydney)
- Daniel Jacobson – Wine Manager, Head Sommelier, NOMAD (Sydney)
- James Kilmartin – Journalist, Gourmet Traveller WINE (Sydney)
- Andrew McCrae – Assistant Business Manager, Dan Murphy’s (Melbourne)
- Michael Phipps – Sommelier, Quay (Sydney)
- Steve Rielly – A380 First Class/Business Class Attendant and Sommelier in the Sky, Qantas and Waiter, ARIA (Sydney)
- Emma Welling – Restaurant Manager, Appellation (Barossa Valley)