Aussie premium wines were spotlighted in Seoul at the Taste the Wonders of Australia activation. Image courtesy Wine Australia
In February, Australia’s premium wines were showcased in South Korea’s capital city Seoul as part of the eighth Taste the Wonders of Australia market activation, organised by the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group.
The two-day event provided a platform for strengthening engagement with South Korean wine importers, restaurateurs and industry leaders, allowing Aussies to spotlight the quality, safety and reliability of our premium wine and produce.
The Collaboration Group who delivered the program consists of Wine Australia, Hort Innovation, Dairy Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia, and Seafood Industry Australia. These organisations collaborated as ‘Team Australia’ in order to deliver a targeted industry roundtable, hands-on workshops, a media conference and the Taste the Wonders of Australia Gala Dinner.
Wine Australia’s regional manager for Asia Pacific, Sarah Roberts, said South Korea is a “relationship-driven” market and emphasised the importance of Australians being present.
“The roundtable discussions were extremely valuable in understanding the broader economic, political and regulatory environment we’ll be operating in going forward.
“The wine seminar was also very well received, with more than 50 attendees. The session focused on pairing Australian wines with Korean cuisine, which really resonated with the audience. Our Australian wine educator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life,” she said.
Roberts highlighted the “academic” nature of the South Korean market.
“People take wine education seriously. It was great to see attendees deeply engaged and taking notes throughout the session. The key message that landed strongly was that Australian wines pair beautifully with Korean flavours and cuisine.”
She also claimed that the strong health and wellness trend in Korea is shifting consumer interest towards lighter wines, a desire that plays “directly into the strengths of Australian wine” and thus creates a strong opportunity for market growth.
February’s activation in South Korea was the eighth for Team Australia, with previous programs taking place in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, and a previous visit to South Korea.
In the past four years, the group has met with over 1700 government and trade representatives, “leveraging the export capability of each sector to drive market access, expand commercial networks and supports long-term growth for Australian producers”.
The next destination that the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group has its sights set on is China.
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