The Department for Trade and Investment (DTI), in partnership with Wine Communicators of Australia is hosting an interactive webinar series for South Australian producers to learn best practice production and execution of Virtual Tastings, with a business to business (B2B) focus.

COVID-19 restrictions for both domestic and international travel had diminished wineries ability to sell to their distributor base. Virtual tastings provide a perfect opportunity for businesses to broaden their reach without having to leave their backyard. 

Wine Communicators of Australia have engaged Achieve Video Marketing to present this three-part series webinar and it will be powered by RingCentral. 

Achieve Video Marketing are South Australian based video marketers and experts that produce creative and entertaining videos for their clients, including the development of social media marketing plans.

RingCentral, Inc. (NYSE: RNG) is a leading provider of cloud Message Video Phone (MVP), customer engagement and contact centre solutions for businesses worldwide.

In this webinar series, South Australian producers will gain step by step instructions on how to develop their own professional virtual tasting. 

Important note:  By registering for the first webinar, you are NOT automatically registered for PART 2 and PART 3 of the series. You need to register for all three webinars separately. 

PART 1: Virtual Tasting setting the Frame Work – 1 June 2020, 12.30pm – 2.00pm (ACST)

Achieve Video Marketing will guide participants through the technical side of delivering a virtual wine tasting.  Participants will learn about the different platforms that are available, what equipment they can use, the importance of lighting, how to manage sound and learn from the experts.  Learn from the best on the do’s and don’ts in producing a professional virtual wine tasting with a world class standard business to business approach.

PART 2: Virtual Tasting creating Killer Content  – 3 June 2020, 12.30pm – 2.00pm (ACST)

Guided by Achieve Video Marketing, this webinar will focus on the marketing requirements for hosting a successful B2B virtual wine tasting.  Participants will learn how to write engaging copy, how to connect with your target market and how to manage your database, how to maximise your sales potential.

We will also hear from:

• Ali Lockwood, Manager – Stakeholder Engagement, Wine Australia
• Claire Sims, Senior Manager, Global Markets, South Australian Tourism Commission
• Jing Cao, Director, CLCA

Who will be detailing what tools are available to South Australian Producers and cultural differences to note when hosting a virtual tasting with Chinese distributors.

PART 3: Virtual Tasting learnings from your Peers – 5 June 2020, 12.30pm – 2.00pm (ACST)

The final webinar in this series will host a panel of four experts who will share with participants their experiences and learnings from hosting a virtual tasting for consumers, distributors, and wine media.  They will also be discussing the importance of content.

This third webinar in the series will appeal to a broad cross section of the wine industry with panel members representations from large events, quirky brands, super-premium, and premium wine producers.  You will hear from:

Oliver Budack – Maxwells Wines                    

With his heart deeply anchored in Mediterranean food and wine culture, traveller, hospitality educator, sommelier and self-confessed “wine tragic” Oliver Budack is now ‘living the dream’.

German-born – but having lived in Australia and the South Pacific since the late-80s – in 2015 Oliver returned to Germany to obtain his ‘somm’ qualification through Berlin’s prestigious IHK/Deutsche Wein und Sommelier Schule. In 2017 he moved back to Australia to fulfil a long-held dream: to live and work in “God’s country”, the McLaren Vale wine region of South Australia.

He’s been super-busy ever since: the Hospitality Venue Manager at 3^rd generation, family-owned Maxwell Wines, in 2018 Oliver was awarded the Wayne Thomas Scholarship, studied the AWAC course at AWRI that same year, and was an Associate Judge for the McLaren Vale Regional Wine Show in 2019.

Anna Fisher – Zontes Footsteps

Passionate about life, Anna is a skilled change agent specialising in operational improvements, risk management, system integration and
culture re-engineering.  Co-Owner of Zonte’s Footstep Pty Ltd, a wine brand based in McLaren Vale her and the business focus on learning, having fun, ensuring dependability and authenticity and keeping flexible so as not to be confined by conventions and rules.   Thriving on challenges – driven by outcomes, she gets immense joy in seeing a strategy or innovation operational within an organisation – COVID has certainly presented some of those.

Justine Henschke – Henschke Wines

A sixth-generation Henschke, Justine worked in the UK, New York and Sydney . Eager to expand her wine knowledge, Justine graduatedfrom a number of wine qualifications including the Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory Sommelier Certificate and WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and Spirits.

She re-joined the family business at the beginning of 2015 in the role of Marketing and Public Relations Manager and also travels interstate and internationally as a Henschke brand ambassador.

Justine is a member of a number of committees and boards, including the Australia’s First Families of Wine Marketing Committee and Next Generation Committee, the Eden Valley Riesling Committee and is a national board member of Wine Communicators of Australia.

Dan Sims – Revel Global

Dan Sims is a wino. Albeit a professional one. As a wine commentator, educator, promoter and personality, Dan has been consumed with all things vinous for over two decades. Known for being outspoken on the subject of making the world of wine accessible, he has worked to engage, excite and collaborate with those of a similar ilk, and is now focused on producing large scale events for wine drinkers that are informative, interactive and not in the slightest bit scary.

**IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH REGISTERING FOR THIS WEBINAR SERIES, please contact Prue at wca@winecommunicators.com.au