New wine dozen to push our product

AUSTRALIA'S peak wine marketer has recruited 12 of the world's ``fastest-rising wine influencers'' to lift Australia's fine wine reputation globally.

As wine exports slumped in the year to November - worth $2.49 billion compared with $3.02 billion last year - the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation is working on a long-term recovery led by ``landmark'' Australian quality wines such as Penfolds Grange and Clare Valley's ``mercurial'' Wendouree winery.

Adelaide-based Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation will fly in 12 individuals, at an estimated cost of $200,000, to the Barossa Valley next June, for a Landmark Australia tutorial with Australian commentators and winemakers.

The influential dozen were chosen from an initial list of 4000 and include wine writers, sommeliers, beverage directors at high-end hotel chains and successful bloggers across the U.S., Asia and Europe.

AWBC market development general manager Paul Henry said the 12 best candidates from across the globe were chosen.

``The initiative is a strategic one with a medium-to-long-term vision,'' Mr Henry said.

The week-long tutorial will be headed by Masters of Wine Michael Hill Smith and Andrew Caillard, and augmented by James Halliday and Brian Croser. It is aimed at being the first of an annual event to become ``the world's most sought-after educational wine experience'', the AWBC said.

Mr Hill Smith said it was an ``immersion course for the best international wine talent'' to develop a ``deep understanding of Australian wine''.

Canadian wine consultant and master of wine Barbara Philip, said the initiative was ``groundbreaking'' and would put the whole country and its industry into context. ``I have observed both the Australian wine industry and its wines have moved into a new phase of development,'' she said.

Participants are:
Ms Philip MW (Master of Wine)
Chinese wine tutor Bell-Pei Tang
Irish wine educator and judge Dermot Nolan MW
Finnish wine journalist Essi Avellan
German wine writer and author Frank Kammer
English wine writer Jamie Goode (assistant to English wine expert Jancis Robinson)
Julia Harding
Singaporean journalist Lim Hwee Peng
Hong Kong-based writer, educator and consultant Rebecca Leung
U.S.-based Ritz-Carlton's Spago beverage director Sean Razee
"Dr Vino" - blogger and wine educator Tyler Colman from the U.S.
Japanese journalist Yukari Iwashiro.

Mr Henry said the move was to create a ``seachange'' about how people perceived Australian wine.