Austrade New-to-Market Wine: Masked Tasting Project

Austrade is once again partnering with WANDS, Japan’s leading international wine & spirits industry publication, to promote new-to-market Australian wines in Japan.

Expressions of Interest are sought from wineries wishing to participate in a masked tasting of new-to-market wines by 3 professional Japanese tasters, to be held in Tokyo in January 2024. Wines recognised by the sommeliers across 5 categories will be featured in the March 2024 issue of WANDS. Japanese importers will also be invited to a wine tasting event to be held in the Australian Embassy on 17 April 2024 including all wines that were accepted into the project.

Anticipated outcomes for participating wineries:

• Written feedback of the wines tasted by leading industry specialists
• For wineries with wines selected in the Best 15, brand exposure to industry through featuring in the WANDS magazine
• Inclusion in an e-mail to 100+ Japanese wine importers 
• Showcase all the wines in a tasting event for targeted wine buyers in Tokyo

(NB: there is no guarantee that business leads will be generated for participating wineries)

15 Awards

• Category 1: Red FOB AUD up to 16
• Category 2: White FOB AUD up to 16 
• Category 3: Rose/Orange/other FOB AUD up to 16 Other 
• Category 4: Sparkling FOB AUD up to 20 
• Category 5: Best Cost Performance 

Participation Costs

Invest New South Wales, Government of South Australia, Government of Western Australia, Victorian Government Trade and Investment, and Trade and Investment Queensland have agreed to contribute to this project by providing funding towards the participation of wineries from their states.

• 6 bottles as samples (2 bottles per 1 SKU; 1 for selection, 1 for Tokyo wine tasting event)
• Shipment of samples to Japan (address to be advised upon acceptance of participation)
• For wineries in WA, NSW and QLD, there will also be an Austrade charge of $200 per winery if accepted. SA and Victorian wineries are fully subsidised up to a maximum limit of 8 wineries per State.

Next Steps

• Expression of Interest (EOI) closed on 10 November 2023
• Austrade will contact wineries by 24 November to advise whether your winery has been selected, advise on sample delivery details and provide a template for your wine information to be submitted by no later than 15 December
• Samples will need to arrive at the designated address in Japan by no later than 15 December 2023.