Hawke’s Bay Wine recently delivered its first major Australian market activation as part of the Hawke’s Bay Wine Export Strategy, with a highly successful trade showcase held in Melbourne.
Hosted at the historic Kelvin Club, the event brought together leading Australian trade, sommeliers, media and wine professionals for a day dedicated to discovering the depth, diversity and quality of Hawke’s Bay wines and reinforcing Hawke’s Bay’s position as one of the world’s Great Wine Capitals.
Thirteen Hawke’s Bay producers were represented at the showcase, highlighting the strength of Hawke’s Bay Wine working collectively to build the region’s profile and create meaningful engagement within the Australian market.
The event featured a large walk-around trade tasting alongside three sold-out masterclasses showcasing the diversity and evolution of the region. These included a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay Masterclass led by Cameron Douglas MS, an Emerging Varietals Masterclass presented by Amy Hopkinson-Styles, and a Hawke’s Bay Red Blends Masterclass hosted by Jason Stent. Together with the Trade Tasting, the sessions gave attendees a deeper insight into the wines, people and stories shaping Hawke’s Bay wine today.
More than just a tasting event, the showcase represented an important step forward in Hawke’s Bay Wine’s ongoing export market development, strengthening relationships in one of our most important international markets and elevating awareness of Hawke’s Bay as a premium wine region.
Feedback from both exhibitors and attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong engagement across the tasting floor, excellent attendance from key trade and media, and valuable new connections and opportunities already emerging for participating wineries.
As part of this growing momentum, Hawke’s Bay Wine is also currently considering applications for the inaugural Hawke’s Bay Wine Sommelier Ambassadorship, developed in partnership with Somms Australia. The initiative aims to build deeper and longer-term relationships with influential Australian trade. It will provide an opportunity for a selected Australian sommelier to visit Hawke’s Bay later this year to attend the Aotearoa Chardonnay Symposium and further immerse themselves in the region.
A huge thank you to all wineries, presenters and partners involved in making the Melbourne Showcase such a success. The event demonstrated the power of Hawke’s Bay Wine working collaboratively to tell our regional story internationally, and we look forward to building on this momentum in Australia.