Guests toast Australia’s premium wines at Australia Day Tastings

With more exhibitors, new wineries, product launches and a new venue in London, the 2017 Australia Day Tastings (ADT) in the UK and Ireland had some of the region’s most influential wine professionals heralding the quality and finesse of Australian fine wine.

Almost 1200 people attended the event series that took place in London (B1 Victoria House), Dublin (Royal Hibernian Academy) and Edinburgh (Balmoral Hotel). There were 58 wineries exhibiting at the ADT for the first time amongst the 230 that participated this year.

The annual tastings have become one of the most anticipated events on the European wine calendar. These landmark events showcase the quality, diversity and innovation of Australian wine. With a broad range of Australian wine styles on show, guests also tried the latest vintages of some of Australia’s most iconic fine wines, including Penfold’s ‘St Henri’ Shiraz, Clonakilla’s Shiraz Viognier and Henschke’s ‘Julius’ Riesling, as well as boutique wines from the likes of Gembrook Hill, Mac Forbes and Ministry of Clouds.

Thirty winery principals flew in from Australia to pour their wines, including Tim Adams, Kym Milne MW, Jane Campbell, Franklin Tate, Rory Lane, Damian North and Trina Smith.

From the guests

‘It was a good, fun, interesting and dynamic tasting. [It was] full of energy and excitement and a really good upbeat mood amongst producers and buyers. Most importantly, it has helped set the agenda for Australian wine in the UK.’

Richard Siddle, the Buyer

‘I really enjoyed the ADT. The seemingly unstoppable diversification of Australia’s offer – regional, stylistic or varietal – was a sight to behold and taste! The event certainly showed the craftsmanship and innovation going on in Australia.’

Sarah Ahmed, the Wine Detective

‘Great @Wine_Australia  #ADTWine yesterday. Great wines, great venue - the start of #100BestAus 2017/18 Report - with 542 wines tasted!’

Matthew Jukes (@MatthewSJukes), Daily Mail

From the exhibitors

‘With an astounding number of visitors it showed that what Australian wine does particularly well is serve all sectors of the market; with quality at the entry and mid-tier right the way through to the top. We were particularly encouraged to see the number of buyers and representatives from the fine wine market.’ Peter English, Treasury Wine Estates

‘The calibre of the visitors was spot on. We had loads of great interest in the wines and have a stack of leads to follow up on.’ Phil Reedman MW, Byrne Vineyards

‘It was an amazing experience being part of the Australia Day Tastings for another year. The event is a great opportunity to meet some of London’s best sommeliers, introduce them to our varietals and also see the wide range of the many other wines on show from all around Australia. We love taking part in the event and showing everyone what Dal Zotto has been working on back home. We’re sure next year will be just as fantastic!’ Christian Dal Zotto, Dal Zotto Wines

Laura Jewell MW, Wine Australia Head of Market EMEA, said:

‘The Australia Day Tasting events really highlight the diversity of Australian wine and reinforce our country’s reputation as a premium wine producer. As our biggest event series to date, it was a great success and I’d like to raise a toast to the 230 wineries that joined us.

‘As momentum for Australian premium wine grows, we’ll continue to share stories of people, place and provenance and work with the trade to build on what has been a very positive start to the year.’

The breadth of higher priced wines showcased at the ADT events points to the growing interest and demand for Australian premium wines in the UK. It also echoes the findings of Wine Australia’s latest Export Report, released last month.

Exports priced at $5 or more per litre free on board (FOB) grew by a healthy 23 per cent to $68 million. The growth was even stronger for exports at $10 or more per litre FOB, which grew by 25 per cent to $28 million, double the 20-year low in 2013.

On the release of the latest export figures, Managing Director of Negociants UK, Simon Thorpe MW commented on the positive trends at the high end.

The trend towards premiumisation continues as the more engaged consumer segments look to trade up into GI (Geographical Indications) specific wines at and above the £10 price point. This trend has been particularly strong in independent retail and premium fine dining venues.

‘In addition, we’ve never witnessed such strong demand for super-premium/iconic wines across our Australian portfolio, this demand coming from fine wine exponents whose customers are obviously keen to explore the very top end of what Australia has to offer.’

*Free on board (FOB) - ‘Free on board' value of the wine, where the point of valuation is where goods are placed on board the international carrier, at the border of the exporting country. The FOB value includes production and other costs up until placement on the international carrier but excludes international insurance and transport costs.