Tools to help Australian wine producers grow exports and increase cellar door sales

Vintage 2021 is under way in most of Australia’s 65 wine regions.

As grapegrowers and winemakers concentrate on crafting wines of distinction, Wine Australia has assembled tools and resources to help wine producers to connect with trade customers and consumers.

1. Australian Wine Connect will bring the global wine community together through an always-on, 24/7 virtual showcase to experience and explore Australia’s thrilling wine scene. The interactive platform will feature wineries from across 65 regions; connecting winemakers, buyers, importers, distributors, media, educators and more; and offering a diverse program of engaging events and experiences.

Wineries can register here to participate. The platform will go live on 31 March 2021, with an official launch in April 2021.

2. Market Explorer is a business planning tool that allows users to analyse various export markets by using economic, demographic, consumption and Australian wine exports. It helps businesses identify markets relevant to their business requirements.

3. Wine Export Grant Program helps offset the cost of promotional activities in international markets for small- and medium-sized wine producers. Eligible producers can apply for grants of up to $25,000 for a broad range of promotional activities, in all export markets, including the costs of marketing campaigns (social, advertising and virtual), the cost of providing free samples (including freight) and retail promotions (online and in-store).

4. Australian Wine Discovered, a plethora of free editable education resources, including consumer guides and tasting mats, are also available for cellar doors to use to enhance consumer knowledge of Australian wine varieties, styles and regions.

5. Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW), Australia’s national platform for digital tourism information, offers enhanced wine-related functionality for wine businesses to increase opportunities for online promotion of cellar door experiences and grow sales. Wineries can increase their online exposure by updating their listings to promote wine varieties, cellar door experiences, sustainability accreditations and promote their online stores. More functionality will be added in April 2021.

Programs and tools to assist producers across their businesses have been funded by the Export and Regional Wine Support Package (the $50m Package) to help grow Australia’s wine exports and showcase the nation’s wine tourism experiences.

Chief Executive Officer of Wine Australia Andreas Clark said that the tools and resources developed with the $50m Package funding will serve the wine sector for many years to come.

‘I encourage wine producers to use these programs and tools to help grow their businesses.

For example, small- and medium-sized producers could consider applying for a Wine Export Grant to help offset the cost of marketing, advertising and in-store promotions in export markets’, Mr Clark said.

To find out more about the initiatives that have been delivered by the $50m Export and Regional Wine Support Package, please visit https://www.wineaustralia.com/whats-happening/export-and-regional-wine-support-package.

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