The conference opened today at 12:30 with a short introduction from Lynda Schenk, Executive Director of the Wine Communicators of Australia and Allan Wright, Organizer and Owner of Zephyr Conferences. Lynda has been an excellent partner and huge asset in bringing the conference to Australia and we appreciate all her efforts!
Next up was Damien Ferreira Gomes from Google Travel, who shared his insights into the global wine trends and industry behavior that Google has cultivated.
The afternoon then featured two wine education sessions – first up was the Royal Agricultural Society led by PJ Charteris, Chair of the Judges for RAS. The wine tasting featured 2019 Jacob’s Creek Classic Riesling, Two Rivers 2019 Stones Throw Semillon, 2019 Wicked Stepmother, Fiano, 2018 Hentley Farm Villain & Vixen Grenache, Windance 2018 Shiraz, and 2017 Deep Woods Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. PJ did an excellent job of walking us through the tasting and make us all feel like we were at the judges table!
The afternoon sessions concluded with a educational tasting from Angove Family Winemakers, featuring Hopes End Brandy Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon, Angove McLaren Vale Family Crest Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre GSM and Angove McLaren Vale Warboys Vineyard Shiraz. It was a great showing of great wines from the region.
Our Welcome Expo showcased some our many sponsors for the event, including Angove Family Winemakers (pouring wine), Destination New South Wales, Halliday Wine Companion, Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association, New South Wales Wine Industry Association, Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, Two Fat Blokes and Wine Communicators of Australia.
The evening reception at Brokenwood was courtesy of the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association. There were 14 local wineries pouring wines, most of them highlighting Semillon and Shiraz from the area. Delicious!
Looking forward to full day of sessions tomorrow, including the Live Wine Social: Red!