In the midst of the pandemic of Covid-19, in between lockdowns, Vins de Provence brought a little sunshine to wine professionals in Melbourne.
Hosted by the beach in St Kilda on 12 July, 15 wineries from Provence showcased their products to a crowd of Melboure based importers, distributors, retailers, sommeliers and media.
The lucky ones had the chance to try and to find their favourite vin de Provence, choosing from 52 different wines, none of which are available in Australia yet and all looking for importers.
Nested along the beach, the event was a wonderful showcase of the best of Provence, with the wineries organised along the three appellations of Provence, Côtes de Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence and Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence.
The wines were paired with seafood, an original approach for a wine event and intended to show one of the many ways in which to enjoy the wines of Provence in Australia, especially Rosé.
All gathered for a memorable event, although the producers themselves were greatly missed. To solve this issue, local importers interested in the wines and keen to meet the producers have a wonderful tool to do so, easy to use and free to use.
The Provence Wine Council, CIVP, has created the perfect tool to help match importers with their perfect wines from Provence, crucial in these times of pandemic when travel is almost impossible. Provence Wine Connect is the first platform dedicated to the region’s wonderful wines and the people who make them.
The free-to-use platform is crafted for wine businesses and wine professionals based in the Asia Pacific, allowing importers and distributors to contact the winemakers of Provence like never before.
The website has almost 100 active producers ready and waiting to exchange information with potential buyers. It also offers a listing of 100 Provence merchant profiles available to access in order to develop initial connections, tasting opportunities, market entry and supply chains.
The website offers the chance to network quickly and efficiently with advanced search facilities and an easy-to-use directory to not only ‘meet’ the winemakers of Provence but find the right type of product.
Whether you’re an importer on the lookout for a new Provence Rosé or a buyer with a specific producer you want to reach out to, ‘Provence Wine Connect’ is the must-have tool.
The ability to send private messages has been built and members also have the option to join lively discussion groups regarding the wines of Provence, the market and sales opportunities.
From a mere 418 hl in 2009 to staggering 12,254 HL in 2020, the wines of Provence has broken through the Australian market in a little over a decade with the country becoming one of the most dynamic markets for Vins de Provence, and one of the most important too.
Rosé accounts for more than 95% of the wines of Provence that are consumed in Australia, making Provence an essential benchmark for Rosé Wines in this market. Provence wines share so many things with Australian consumers, from values to lifestyle, that it is obviously the perfect match.
