Tasmanian wine producers share ideas to crack global market

Prominent Tasmanian wine producers from across the state came together in Hobart today to hear from
national and global experts about how they can win more export sales, as part of Winemaking Tasmania’s
Fit for the Future 2015 conference.

Winemaking Tasmania General Manager, Jonathon Lord, said the conference aimed to help Tasmanian
wine producers to improve their profitability, gain a better understanding of consumers and global
trends, protect their brands and open up new opportunities for sale of products through export markets.

“Tasmanian wine growers are producing some of the finest wines in the world, as demonstrated by recent
awards at the Canberra International Riesling Challenge and the 2015 China Wine and Spirits Awards,” Mr
Lord said.

“However, while we might be producing world-class wines, we still have a way to go in terms of marketing
ourselves on a national and global scale and Winemaking Tasmania is dedicated to helping the producers
we work alongside, to position themselves for future growth in Australia and overseas.

“Internationally, the opportunities are enormous to market authentic Tasmanian wines with their high
quality brand status, especially when you consider that 86 per cent of Australian wine is purchased by
consumers in other countries.

“The value of Australian wine exports rose five per cent last financial year to $1.89 billion – the first rise of
this scale in nine years.

“Add to this the fact that almost one million (or 10 per cent) of Australian wine consumers purchased a
bottle of Tasmanian wine within a three month period in 2014, and the popularity of our wines continues
to grow.”

Mr Lord said with Tasmanian wine punching so significantly above its weight in terms of sales and
reputation, it was critical for local producers to maximise the opportunities of national and international
markets.

“This year’s conference tackles issues such as planning for profit now and in a post-WET Rebate
environment, wine consumer insights and trends, benchmarks in wine packaging design and
development, protecting trademarks and unlocking the door to export markets,” he said.

The Fit for the Future conference line-up included presentations from Natasha Rastegar from Wine
Intelligence, James Ormond from Ormond and Co, Rowena Curlewis from The Collective Design
Consultancy, and Rebecca Fox from Wine Australia.
Winemaking Tasmania General Manager, Jonathon Lord