SA Wine Ambassadors Club to find new export markets for SA wine

A global network of SA wine ambassadors has been recruited to help exporters bounce back from the crushing blow of Chinese tariffs.

An international network of ambassadors for the state’s leading wine producers has been assembled to help exporters bounce back from the crushing blow of Chinese tariffs.

The state government’s South Australian Wine Ambassadors Club (SAWAC) was launched on Thursday, comprising 45 importers based in key overseas markets, hand-picked to raise the profile of the state’s wine labels in their regions.

Club patrons – wine writers James Halliday and Tony Love–- will deliver educational master-classes and tastings to members, who will also get access to educational and marketing materials and familiarisation visits to the state’s wine regions.

In return they will be required to supply and distribute wine from a number of South Australian wineries, while also promoting the state’s labels across the Asia Pacific region.

A social media and influencer campaign, along with retail campaigns in Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong, will also form part of the program.

Wines by Geoff Hardy export manager Yuan Yuan with wine writer Tony Love at the National Wine Centre. Picture: Tom Huntley

The four-year initiative forms part of the state government’s Wine Export Recovery and Expansion Program, which was launched last July to help offset the impact of tariffs introduced by the Chinese government in November 2020.

Trade Minister Nick Champion said the SAWAC was focused on promoting South Australian wine in key markets including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India and New Zealand.

“The Ambassadors Club is a fantastic initiative that supports the South Australian wine sector’s critical export recovery and expansion program, growing South Australia’s presence internationally in new markets,” he said.

“While we acknowledge the changes the industry has gone through, the value of our state’s wine exports to markets outside of China have increased in eight of our top 10 export destinations, including growth in the United States, Singapore and South Korea.”

The latest figures from Wine Australia, released on Tuesday, revealed a $300m decline in South Australian wine exports in 2021-22, dipping to $1.43bn.

Just $9.4m worth of wine was sent to mainland China, down from $817m at the height of the Chinese boom in September 2020, before the tariffs were introduced.

As part of the new promotion push, 29 inaugural members have been selected to join the SAWAC, while 16 honorary memberships have been awarded to “renowned importers who have consistently supported South Australian wines over an extended period”.

Mr Halliday said the program’s launch coincided with a quality vintage for South Australian producers.

“The exceptional quality of the wines emerging from the cool 2021 vintage have become ever-more obvious,” he said.

“I am convinced that the elegance of the red wines and purity of the whites will thrill importers and consumers in these key export markets, and I look forward to sharing their journey of discovery of South Australian wines.”

Originally published as SA Wine Ambassadors Club to find new export markets for SA wine