International wine importers from Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand will experience South Australia's wine regions and wines first-hand during a four-day visit to the State.
Members of the South Australian Wine Ambassadors Club (SAWAC) – a Malinauskas Labor Government initiative – will tour wine country in the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Barossa; and given an immersive experience of top-shelf wines from Langhorne Creek, the Riverland, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Mount Benson and Padthaway.
Club ambassadors will get to experience firsthand South Australia's proud history of producing premium wine and what our world-class wine regions have to offer visiting iconic venues including the d'Arenberg Cube, Mt Lofty House and the Barossa Wine Vault.
SAWAC consists of 27 international wine importers raising the global profile of South Australian wine in key overseas markets. The program also showcases South Australia's world-class wine at events and masterclasses and on retailers' shelves overseas.
SAWAC was launched as part of the Government's Wine Export Recovery and Expansion Program and to aid in the growth of wine exports to emerging markets.
Since its commencement, club ambassadors across five chapters, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, have already assisted new South Australian wine brands to market.
The club is led by patrons and renowned wine writers James Halliday AM and Tony Love, who have already delivered unique member experiences through educational masterclasses and bespoke communications for the importing community.
South Australian wine exports were valued at $1.3 billion in the year ending March 2023 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, making up 65 per cent of the total value of Australian wine exports.
In the year ending March 2023, wine exports to Singapore ($118.6 million), Hong Kong ($152.7 million) and New Zealand ($72 million) combined were valued at $343.4 million and represented 26 per cent of South Australia's total wine export value.
Quotes
Attributable to Nick Champion
This will be a rare opportunity for importers from some of our biggest trade partners to experience the State's regions and producers first-hand.
South Australian Wine Ambassadors Club has played a vital role supporting South Australian wines to enter and grow in new markets.
Attributable to SAWAC Patron and wine journalist Tony Love
The visit this month from such an elite group of wine professionals is a key step in forging the future of South Australia's wine industry.
We are able to showcase to vital markets in the Asia-Pacific region the exciting diversity of wine varieties and styles that shine a light on one of our most important trade sectors.
Taking our guests to key regions, introducing them to our winemakers on their own turf, and experiencing our landscape and wildlife along the way are all valued steps in building ongoing relationships that bind us in business as well as international friendship.
Wine has a unique way of doing that.
