North America gears up to delight trade and media at ‘Australia Up Close’ Roadshow
More than 200 Australian wines from 74 wineries across 35 regions will be showcased to trade and media in the United States (US) and Canada through Wine Australia’s ‘Australia Up Close’ Roadshow.
From 30 May to 19 June, ‘Australia Up Close’ will visit LA, Dallas, Chicago, New York and Boston in the US, then head up to Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver in Canada.
‘Australia Up Close’ comes at a time of increasing interest in the premium Australian category in the US. The value of Australian wine exports to the US in the over A$10 per litre free on board segment reached a seven-year high in 2016, and have increased overall by 58 per cent since 2012.
Aaron Ridgway, Wine Australia Head of Market for the Americas said, ‘These events provide the opportunity for sommeliers, buyers and media to see what’s really going on in Australia, and to dive into what makes it one of the most exciting wine producing areas in the world.’
In each of the five US cities, we will explore a different theme that sheds light on the Australian wine community’s history and evolution. ‘Australia Up Close’ will see Stephen Henschke pour his legendary Hill of Grace in New York; twelve different Shiraz wines will square off against each other in Dallas; and varieties as diverse as Dolcetto, Vermentino, Viognier and Savagnin will tell a brand-new story in Chicago.
The 2017 US program also welcomes ‘Australia’s First Families of Wine’, a collective of 12 family-owned wineries that between them have 1200 years of grapegrowing and winemaking tradition in their respective regions. Participants include Brown Brothers, d’Arenberg, Henschke, Tahbilk and Yalumba. Each of the 12 wineries will be represented by a family member in all cities.
For more event details and for trade and media to register: