UPSKILLING
Ultimate
Winery Experiences Australia
Unique opportunities to go beyond the cellar door.
UPSKILLING
Ultimate
Winery Experiences Australia
Unique opportunities to go beyond the cellar door.
Tourism Australia strives to make it easier for you to offer your clients unique and compelling experiences of Australia that become moments worth sharing, and make you a valued partner in their travel planning.
Heirloom produce at Josef Chromy Restaurant.
Sirromet Wine Experience.
Wetlands Indigenous ecology walking trail.
UWEA Executive Officer Kate Shilling says the development of the collective was sparked by Tourism Australia research that showed overseas visitors were unaware of the quality of Australia’s food and wine before they arrived.
‘But the research showed that once they got here and they got into our food and wine scene, they were completely blown away by the quality, the diversity, and the innovation,’ Kate says.
‘Once they got here
and they got into our food and wine scene, they were completely blown away by the quality, the diversity, and the innovation,’ Kate says.
Sommelier Claire Tonon hosts a private tasting.
That prompted the development of a campaign to drive visitation by promoting the provenance and terroir of Australia’s food and wine. The campaign’s success relied on the cooperation of Australia’s world-class wineries and the collective was born, creating the premium UWEA brand that could be marketed to overseas as well as domestic markets.
Estate to plate at Montalto.
‘You can drink a lot of wines all around the world, but I think our terroir is unique,’ Kate says. ‘What we do with the fruit that grows in it is really amazing and I think being able to see that will reposition your palate if you're into wine and, if you're not, it will introduce you to the quality and the diversity that sits behind the wine scene here.’
‘Great service and hospitality is part of our DNA, but the story that we tell is about the wine credentials and someone who loves great food and wine will love it even more if the wine's being poured by the winemaker, if they can talk to the owner of the vineyards who's had those vines in his or her family for generations, and they're drinking wine and eating food that's perfectly matched because it grew just there,’ Kate says.
The collection
100 experiences that range in price from AU$50 to AU$1,500 per person.
Helicopter tour at Printhie Wines.
UWEA’s Icon series of wine trails, with bookable itineraries, are a great way for clients to experience the key wine regions. Each trail can be customised with more exclusive, unique elements layered in as part of the premium Reserve range and every experience falls under one of four pillars: Food and wine matching, Education, Celebrate and Discover.
‘Food and wine matching is huge for us and that covers everything from a food and wine formal degustation meal to picnics,’ Kate says.
‘Education is about fun, hands-on learning experiences. Our masterclasses often involve putting your boots on and getting out into the vines and really getting up close and personal with some of those vines, many of which are really significant globally.’
Enjoying a cheeky red at the vineyard.
Picnic at Sirromet Winery.
Lunch amongst the vines.
The Celebrate pillar speaks to people’s passions, such as wine and art, an example being pairing a visit to Tasmania’s Museum of New and Old Art, MONA, with a guided walk through the vines at Moorilla, plus lunch, a glass of wine and tutored wine tasting.
‘The Discover pillar is really where our wineries play the role of an anchor attraction in each region and work with local producers and services. So, we’ve got a couple of Wine & Wildlife Experiences including Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard and the Hunter Valley Wildlife Park, and it's a great combination of all things Australian,’ Kate says.
Pairing oysters with a glass of Moorilla wine.
Benefits to trade
Kate encourages agents to complete the Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia training curriculum on the Aussie Specialist site and connect with UWEA’s trade site.
‘We want the agent to look fabulous and to be that person that's able to suggest something special that will really lift an itinerary within the Australian wine regions,’ Kate says.
‘It's all commissionable for the agent. We also have contracts with all the big distributors that the agent might work with to make sure that everyone is rewarded, no matter how they book an Ultimate Winery Experience.’
Learning The Art of Sparkling.
The future
UWEA has big plans for the future, including offering more personalised experiences.
‘We are doing a research project called the Persona Project with Curtin University where we want to get to know the different types of high-value traveller and then evolve what we offer each of those groups.
‘We want to double in size and be at 50 wineries in five years’ time. We've picked the heroes in the wine regions that we're in now, but we're opening up in new wine regions, so watch this space because there'll be some interesting wineries that people haven't heard of before offering amazing experiences that go beyond the cellar door.’
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