Coinciding with Aussie Wine Month and led by AFFW’s fourth chairman Robert Hill-Smith, the highly anticipated UNLOCKED tour will sweep into San Francisco on May 18.

In a whirlwind tour pitched at both trade and consumer, to help put Australian wine back into the North American repertoire, 12 family representatives who collectively make up Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW), will participate in the tour.

Covering five cities, 13 events and rapidly filling speed-tasting events in San Francisco, New York, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, the mission on the AFFW UNLOCKED Tour de Force through North America is “to educate, share and celebrate Australia’s fine wine heritage, quality, and diversity with wine enthusiasts around the world and encourage demand for Australian fine wines.”

Founded in 2009, the group came together to raise the profile of quality Australian wine, both at home and around the world.

Launching in the UK in 2010, Canada in 2011, China in 2013, North America now follows in 2015.

Established successfully in Australia, the UNLOCKED initiative has established AFFW as a strong voice for Australian wine and is committed to promoting the quality, history and stories behind their leading brands.

The chairmen of AFFW say: “Our plan is to shift the needle on the radar of demand for the fine wines of Australia, both here and overseas. Internationally, we are looking to align ourselves with a program of events that will support the recent investment of Wine Australia in the USA and Canada. The time is right for us to show our commitment to that market and be there in person to tell our stories, make a lot of noise and have some fun.  We’re going in, firing on all cylinders.”

Angela Slade, Regional Director of Wine Australia North America said: “The US launch, led by Robert Hill-Smith, is a unique offering for the North American market that represents both the wine heritage and Australia’s long-term sustainability”.