South Australia lands partnership with multimillion-dollar US marketplace to promote red wines from Down Under

Australia’s largest wine-producing state is partnering with leading North American online retailer Wine.com to promote premium wines from Down Under.

As part of the promotional campaign, Wine.com is shining the spotlight on a range of South Australian wines in their portfolio, which includes iconic wineries Penfolds, Jacob’s Creek, Torbreck and Henschke, as well as emerging stars Two Hands, Kalleske and Mollydooker.

The promotional campaign is a collaboration between the government of South Australia, Wine Australia and Wine.com and will run online until November 7, 2020, showcasing red blends and featuring up to 70 South Australian labels.

South Australia is responsible for about 50% of Australia’s annual wine production, 80% of premium wine and 60% of wine exports.

It is home to several world-renowned regions including Barossa, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra.

The United States is South Australia’s fifth-largest export destination by volume, at 5.5 million litres and $53.6 million in value per annum.

Wine Australia’s regional general manager for Americas Aaron Ridgway said the partnership would stimulate consumer curiosity and commercial outcomes for South Australian producers.

“We are very fortunate to have a close relationship with Wine.com, the largest e-commerce wine retailer in the US,” he said.

“Our strategic investments in 2019 and 2020 have delivered outstanding growth, and our upcoming campaign will continue to drive excitement, discovery and commercial viability for the Australian category.”

Wine.com founder Mike Osborn is seeing increasing interest in South Australia’s broad range of offerings from American wine consumers.

“We see an upside for South Australian wines, particularly as our customers are shopping a wider range and exploring different regions and price points,” he said.

“Importers and wholesalers should keep an eye on Australia as there is a lot of opportunity.”

South Australia’s capital Adelaide joined the Great Wine Capitals global network in 2016 alongside iconic international wine-producing regions including Napa Valley.

There are 18 recognised wine regions in South Australia with more than 200 cellar doors within an hour’s drive of Adelaide.

South Australian Trade and Investment Minister Stephen Patterson said the United States is a key market for South Australia, which is known for its full-bodied red wines including shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and grenache.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the United States’ leading online wine retailer to encourage consumers to discover the top drops from the wine capital of Australia,” he said.

This article was first published by The Lead.

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