Wine Australia brings new wines and new education programme to Oslo

The Australian Wine Tasting in Oslo on 14 October will allow the Norwegian drinks trade the opportunity to discover new wines, meet new producers and explore Wine Australia’s new education programme.

With more than 250 wines from across 24 regions, guests will taste Australia’s most iconic and unique styles of wines.  From regional heroes like Margaret River Chardonnay and Barossa Shiraz to alternative varieties and new-wave styles such as Nebbiolo, Pét Nat and sparkling Chenin Blanc, the tasting will demonstrate that Australian wines are far from ordinary.

Well-known regions such as McLaren Vale, Yarra Valley and the Hunter Valley will be on show, as well as lesser known regions including Victoria’s Pyrenees and Geelong and Western Australia’s Frankland River. This year’s Focus Tables present a diverse line-up of wines from Margaret River and New South Wales’ Orange and Riverina.

Some of the exhibiting wineries are recognisable names such as Penfolds, Vasse Felix, Peter Lehmann and Wakefield, showcasing new releases and the latest vintages. A number of wineries however will be ‘discoveries’: 12 producers are not yet in market and seeking distribution.

Producers at the event for the first time include An Approach to Relaxation, Lambert Estate Wines, Rymill Coonawarra, Singlefile Wines and Yelland & Papps.

Educators, importers and distributors are invited to explore Wine Australia’s new educational programme. Launched in January 2019, Australian Wine Discovered provides more than 200 downloadable resources including educator guides, editable presentations, videos, tasting mats and maps. Visit the Australian Wine Discovered area at the tasting to learn about the content and how it can be used, or see www.australianwinediscovered.com

Wine Australia Regional General Manager, Laura Jewell MW, said Norway was a key market for Australian wine and Wine Australia was delighted to be back in market to run a trade tasting, master class and consumer tasting event.

‘Imports of Australian wine are up 10 per cent for the year ending June 2019 in Norway, the event will highlight why our wine is thriving in market and will drive even more enthusiasm for our wines.’

Carla Rza Betts, winemaker at An Approach to Relaxation, who is exhibiting at the event with her husband and winemaking partner Richard said it was their first-time pouring wine in the Nordics.

‘We can’t wait to introduce the Norwegian trade to our old vine Grenache. Our tiny 150 plus year-old vineyard has deep sandy soils and is one of the coolest spots in the Barossa Valley. It’s fresh, elegant and super aromatic. Join us for a taste and see for yourself.’

The Australian Wine Tasting takes place at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo on 14 October. For more details and registration, please visit https://www.wineaustralia.com/whats-happening/events/nordic-tastings-2019/attend