Wows for wine expo

Sydney's recent expo Wine Australia '96 certainly lived up to the superlatives it used in its promotional literature. Billed as the largest wine and food showcase ever held in the Southern Hemisphere, the event drew vast crowds to Darling Harbour's Convention and Exhibition Centre over its four-day program.

With tens of thousands of people paying upwards of $30 per head to taste the wines of some 270 Australian wine companies, there seemed to be a never-ending supply of discerning drinkers for stallholders to satisfy.

Managing to create the right impression here could easily mean a quantum leap in the future sales figures of successful exhibitors. So, how did Tasmania's 26 wines and 10 wine companies fare during the course of the Sydney event? 

Very well, thank you, if you can believe the smiling faces of the hardy band of Tasmanian producers who gave their time and energies to the promotion of the State's wines.

"It was certainly a much more successful event than I thought it was going to be," says Graeme Allen, Executive Officer for the Vineyards Association of Tasmania, and one of the driving forces behind the $50,000 display stand set up by Tasmanian producers.

"We were overwhelmed by the response we got and by the amount of interest that was shown in Tasmanian wines.

"Many people said our stand was one of the most popular ones. 

"Certainly, its overall popularity was just outstanding," he adds.

"The wine trade especially were very interested in our wines.

"Some of our makers there had interest expressed from New York buyers, from buyers along the West Coast of the US, from Germany, and even from Singapore. These were people who were serious tasters.

"Our sparkling wines were particularly popular. Many people knew of Clover Hill and Jansz already, and wanted to try our other sparkling wines.'

"People also came to taste our Pinot Noirs, and to find out the differences between wooded and unwooded Chardonnays."

The VAT Executive Officer says that Tasmanian cheeses also proved to be highly sought-after at the event.

"King Island Dairy – who were on our stand – sold out on the first day what they had budgeted to sell over the four days and they had to re-stock. That's how popular they were." 

With wine tourism in Australia worth an estimated $400m a year, the Tasmanian contingent cleverly marketed the island's 'clean, green' image, something seen as a distinct advantage in the promotion of its wines.

"One of the big things that attracted people to our stand was that we went there as a region," Allen says.

"In other States, they went there as individual wineries. We were able to tell a lot more about our wines and our produce, whereas in other places they were more restricted to promoting their individual brands.

"It really underlined the level of co-operation shown by our winegrowers who were there.

"That was just great."

Planning will soon be underway for Wine Australia '98, to be held in Melbourne in two years' time.

First published 26 June 1996: The Advocate

Last page update: 24 August 2026