North America ‘savours’ Australian wine at VIWF
Australian wine has made a lasting impression on wine palates in North America with an impressive showing as the theme country at the 36th Vancouver International Wine Festival (VIWF), Canada’s preeminent trade and consumer wine event.
It’s estimated that 25,000 wine drinkers (encompassing media, wine trade and consumers) enjoyed Savour Australia, Wine Australia’s packed program of epicurean events and experiences. Guests sipped their way through Australian wine regions, discovering the ‘history, evolution and revolution’ of our wines along the way.
Savour Australia was held in partnership with 55 Australian wineries, Tourism Australia, the South Australian Tourism Commission, Barossa Grape and Wine Association, McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association, Australian Wine Research Institute, and Primary Industries and Regions South Australia.
Wine Australia CEO Andreas Clark said that the event was a highly successful engagement with trade and consumers in the critical North American market.
‘It was exciting to see the enthusiasm for Australian wine by both trade and consumers right throughout the festival. Savour Australia has been one of the best in-market activities Wine Australia has been involved in.
The team in North America have worked tirelessly to execute an event that put Australian wine firmly in the festival spotlight.
‘The feedback we’ve received from participating wineries and event partners has been overwhelmingly positive and there have been many fabulous articles by some of North America’s most respected wine journalists on the quality and diversity of Australian wine.
‘Savour Australia was a wonderful representation of the spirit of Australian wine, the passion of its winemakers and the quality of the wine we are producing. Now the job at hand is to continue the wonderful momentum in North America by rolling out Aussie Wine Month in May for the first time.’
Savour Australia provided an opportunity for Wine Australia to continue its partnership with Tourism Australia and its Restaurant Australia campaign. The Wine Australia Grazing Lunch was a popular consumer event on the Savour Australia program and sold out well before the festival began.
The conversation at VIWF also continued online with thousands of Tweets and Instagram posts allowing people to follow the action from afar.
Hear more about the Savour Australia experience – https://vimeo.com/121757143 (video link).