Wine Australia creates virtual global marketplace for Australia’s wineries

February 9, 2021
By Ioni Doherty

Wine Australia is launching a Australian Wine Connect – virtual platform to showcase the best of Australian wines to the world.

With usual market activities having been cancelled or postponed, Wine Australia found itself with available funds from its $50 million annual package. These have been redirected to this innovative space with the platform intended to service the Australian wine industry for the next 12 months.

Wine Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said, “We’re proud to bring this same spirit of innovation to the way we do business and have been working hard to develop a valuable opportunity for Australian wineries to continue marketing and selling their wines overseas this year.

“Australian Wine Connect has been designed to offer similar benefits to an international trade show, however it also enables wineries to reach and engage with multiple markets across the globe and it will be live and offering various virtual business opportunities for a full twelve months,” he said.

Set to launch in March, the platform will provide Australian wineries with the opportunity to promote their products across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and Asian markets. Buyers from across the world will be able to network and meet producers, discover new wines, link up with distributors and initiate sales conversations.

While it is being trialled for the next year, there are hopes that the shelf life of the online platform will extend beyond that.

In a statement, Wine Australia said: “Australian Wine Connect has been developed to conquer the challenging environment we all face with no travel and the inability to participate in global trade shows and expos that present great business opportunities.

“As there is uncertainty around when, and if things will go back to normal, we believe 12 months provides a fair amount of time to see how this new platform performs. If we see the success that we hope for, then we will absolutely consider keeping it live beyond 12 months.”

Hardys wines

The interactive platform will be a go-to resource for Australian wine, featuring wineries from across 65 regions; connecting winemakers, buyers, importers, distributors, media, educators and more; and offering a diverse program of engaging events and experiences. The site will also play host to regular thought-leadership presentations, tasting sessions, variety and regional explorations to showcase the people, places and processes that make Australian wine unique.

Australian wineries are invited to register with Australian Wine Connect which will be live from 31 March 2021. Wineries can apply for the Wine Export Grant to help cover the cost of participation.

The multi-faceted platform will host virtual events and collaboration tools to help wineries stay up to date in market and will promote Australian wine in a new and exciting way to raise awareness and increase demand amongst an international trade audience.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.wineaustralia.com/australian-wine-connect/exhibit

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