WINEMAKERS have been given access to a new online tool to help them market their products abroad and a workshop program to help attract international tourism.
While Australia's exports of wine to China have been growing steadily in recent years, sales of wine to the United States the largest importer of wine in the world, has been struggling for the last decade.
Although Griffith's own Yellow Tail has been dominating Australia's export to the US, Wine Australia chief executive officer, Andreas Clark, said coming to better grips with the American market has been front and center in the minds of the Australian wine makers ever since the Global Financial Crisis.
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With Wine Australia releasing its new Market Explorer tool this month, Mr Andreas said he believes the tool will give help give Australian Winemakers the intelligence they need to potentially spark a nation wide comeback in the US.
Market Explorer aims to give upcoming and established wine markers access to data for export markets around the world explaining the different requirements and popularity of wine products between countries.
"It will give them real exports (figures) where Australian wine is performing very well, as well as new markets and naive markets where (winemakers) can lead the charge," Mr Andreas said.
"For success in a market like China at the moment it's principally red wines Charlottes and Cabernet.
"What we are seeing in the US is a mixture of reds and whites, pinots are strong in the US but not in China."
Mr Andreas said Wine Australia is also getting ready to launch its largest ever Aussie Wine Month in September which will see 100 Australian winemakers give a range of tasting, trade and consumer events in New York City, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
"The US is the number one wine importer in the world, we have had a decade of challenges we have under performed and we are greatly focused as an industry in capturing those retail prices of US $10 and above," Mr Andreas said.
"On a moving annual total basis overall exports to the US is were decline (year end December 2018).
"But we are seeing some good growth in high price points, the sector that is in decline is entry level price points, Americans are drinking a bit less but are prepared to pay more for it.
"We operate across all price segments, as do many wine producing countries, we are looking to capture an increased share of the upper price points.
"In a market like the US there are a lot of challenges, a lot of Australians did exit the market and there were challenges with the GFC and the exchange rate and we need to get producers back there."
With Market Explorer giving winemakers better information about the demands of their global markets including the US, Wine Australia has also announced its Growing Wine Exports and Growing Wine Tourism program.
Mr Andreas said the programs aim to give wine businesses the marketing skills needed to capture the attention of wine drinkers and tourists abroad.
"It's about getting our stories in front of them so they can understand a particular region and the wines and why the should be drinking those varieties," Mr Andreas said.
"With the right approach, businesses can attract more visitors to wine regions and ensure the visitors leave with a lasting connection to their wines, and know how to purchase the wine back home."
- This story first appeared on the Area News.
