New to virtual wine tastings? Here’s how to participate

A number of virtual wine tastings will occur online over the next few weeks and there’s lots of opportunities to discover new and exciting wines: #pinotsmackdown (18^th Aug), De Bortoli Bella Riva Ustream Tasting / (25 Aug),  #cabernetday (1 Sept), Best’s Great Western Virtual Tasting (8 Sept),  Grenache Day (25 Sept) and excited to announce that the Rose Revolution  will kick off again on 10 November.

Those of us who have been tasting and tweeting for a while know how these events work, but if you’re new to virtual wine tastings or have never been brave enough to talk about wine online, here’s a few tips to get you started with answers to some of the most common questions I receive:

Q: What do I talk about?

A; There’s no rules on what you need to discuss – it could be about how the wine tastes, the region it’s sourced from, if there’s a food that the wine is going well with, or ask the winemakers a question directly if you have questions. Some people take photos of where they are and get some photos into the stream of activity so there’s a visual reference for others to see what’s happening or if there’s a line up of wines to sample talk about what your favourite selections were.

If you follow the stream of activity close enough you’ll often pick up links to videos or online content that winemakers are sending out – it may be that you watch these and come back with comments or let people know your thoughts after tasting the wine. It’s all about participating in the discussion.

Think of the event as a big dining table where you don’t know everyone but you’re coming together for an event and find common things of interest to chat about.

The key thing to make sure you include is the relevant hashtag so that people can see the thread of your conversations.

Q; I don’t know much about wine, can I still participate?

A: Absolutely – the whole purpose of these events is to help people discover more about wine and have some fun along the way. Those people participating are often very passionate about wine, so if you don’t know something or understand, ask them to explain – that’s the value of sharing on this online forum.

Q: I am not on twitter, can I still get involved?

Most of the action will occur via twitter, but you can still get involved with facebook posts, posting videos or checking in to venues participating if you are using something like facebook places or four square.

If you’re at home and have access to internet, you can watch the activity by putting in the hashtag on sites like www.twitterfall.com, www.kurrently.com or searching for the hashtag on programs like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or Seesmic.

There’s no set rules for these online tastings and one of the core objectives is to help people discover more about wine – new varietals, different regions and styles, brands you may not have come across before.

Hope to see you online tasting and tweeting. Keen to hear about your favourite wine discoveries.

Cheers

Getting into the festivities of global Cabernet Day – how and where to get involved

Who makes Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon? Now, I’m sure you all have your favourite? Is it from the region of Coonawarra, the Yarra Valley, McLaren Vale, Mudgee or does Margaret River take your fancy? There’s so much diversity and regional examples to explore.

Cabernet Day on 1 September is a great opportunity to put region against region and see just how Australian Cabernet Sauvignon has evolved to stand along the finest in the world. Momentum is growing globally for this international social media event and Australian wineries are keen to show you the best wines they are producing. Register on http://cabernet.eventbrite.com/ to get involved.

We’re hearing reports of back vintage wines being pulled out of the cellar, exclusive new releases being sent to sample and international distributors (yes including those from New Zealand) who sell in Australia also getting into the action. This is an event for everyone to participate in.

WHERE TO GO TO GET INVOLVED:

There will be a general tweet up from 7-8.30pm EST for anyone who wants to get involved at home, but you’re not restricted to that time zone. There are events and free tastings happening all over Australia. Summary of some of the global events can be found here  and the big free tastings are as follows:

SYDNEY:

Where: Coast Roof Top Bar and Restaurant

The Roof Terrace, Cockle Bay Wharf,

Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW 2000

Time: 4- 6.00pm

ADELAIDE:

Where: The Qwoff Boys Headquarters

15b Richard Street,

Hindmarsh SA 5007

From 6pm

Spots are limited so please email justin@qwoff.com.au for availability

COONAWARRA

Zema Estate Winery,

Riddoch Hwy,

Coonawarra

5.30pm to 6.30pm

BAROSSA VALLEY

Wolf Blass Visitors Centre

97 Sturt Hwy

Nurioopta, SA 5355

5-7pm

BRISBANE:

Wine Experience

150 Baroona Rd,

Rosalie, Brisbane QLD 4064

When: 5pm kick off

MCLAREN VALE

d’Arenberg Winery

Osborn Road
McLaren Vale SA 5171

When: Between 1 and 3pm

Winemakers – please bring a bottle of Cabernet along

 PERTH

The Left Bank Café, Bar and Restaurant

15 Riverside Drive

East Fremantle WA 6158

5pm – 7pm

MARGARET RIVER

Join Kate Morgan from Fraser Gallop, Brad Wehr from Wine By Brad and Mantra and Viren Goundrie from Stella Bella as they taste and discuss a range of top Australian Cabernet.

Must – Margaret River

107 Bussell Highway

Margaret River WA 6285

From 5.30pm

WINERIES:

If you want to submit samples for the tastings, download Cabernet Day Address-Labels and get your samples out to the venues.

REMEMBER: Please include your twitter handle on the bottle if you have one so people can tweet about your wines, mark the RRP and include an order form for people who love your wine on the evening. This is a great opportunity to show your wines so please think about what Cabernet best represents your brand (maybe it’s something unique or back vintage release)

Those who make the most of these varietal days really think about how they can engage and educate their consumers and make it simple to get involved. Some suggestions you might want to consider:

• Sell sample packs and spread the word to your consumers on your database – this is an opportunity for you to talk to your customers about your products and the wineries who think through how they will spread
• Collaborate with other wineries in your region – maybe hold a tasting in your local vistor centre and get consumers involved – advertise collaboratively and get people along to try the Cabernets from your region
• Get your retailers excited – hold tastings on the day in store with some of your retail customers and watch the stream of tweets on a site like www.twitterfall.com
• Educate – it’s intimidating for some consumers to talk about wine so help them on the journey. Provide some information about the wines, upload videos, think about how you can create content in advance of the day so people can hear your messages whilst tasting your wines.

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