April edition of the WCA e-news

So perhaps there is a little light at the end of the tunnel! China has reopened its doors to Australian wines, the 2024 Australian vintage is looking to be low in volume but high in quality, and by the calibre of applicant for the Wine Industry Mentor Program, there are a lot of enthusiastic, intelligent and engaged people coming through the wine industry in Australia. Clearly, I am not saying that life is completely rosy in Australia’s wine industry, but I do feel as though there are glimmers of recovery on a number of fronts.
 
For the WCA, we have a lot of things coming up. Our webinar program continues to put forward informative and thought provoking presenters. On May 7^th, we have 4 members of the Australian wine media fraternity in a panel session on ‘understanding the media landscape’. This is followed by June 18^th, where we have a presentation by Growth Scope on 'how do consumption occasions influence sales?' 
 
In Sydney we have three events on the horizon. On May 15^th, we have a Semillon Showcase: Networking & Wine Exploration (where will taste what could be the most awarded wine ever with 16 trophies and 36 gold medals). In one of our big events for the year, we will hold our Direct to Consumer Symposium as a face to face event in Sydney on June 25^th. Further down the line we have the Sydney Royal Wine Show Lunch on August 16^th at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney. Find out more.
 
We are pleased to see that friend of the WCA, Nick Ryan, has taken over as the senior wine writer for The Australian newspaper. We are delighted for Nick and look forward to reading his future articles. 
 
Wine Australia are seeking to fill some soon to be vacated non-executive director roles. These are really important roles and we encourage a good cross-section of the industry to consider applying for these roles to help guide Wine Australia into the future. Details available here.