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in November. The session explored New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc via five wines representing different regions, subregions and styles, with over 45 wine professionals attending.
Adapting in a
changing world
Providing our membership with the most relevant timely information
to help make business decisions in this challenging year has been a crucial focus.
What started out as an initiative to help our members access marketing support more readily, exploring digital options such as webinars became the only option after COVID-19 struck.
A popular series of webinars focused on topics that were most relevant
to members' needs during the pandemic; including digital marketing, social media and bringing our online resources ‘to life’, such as our Guides to Market.
NZW’s global footprint allowed us to bring some of the best thinking in the industry to our members, with experts including Paul Mabray and Polly Hammond on Digital Transformation, Richard Siddle of The Buyer in the UK, and Ian Ford of Nimbility Asia.
Keeping New Zealand wine top of mind online
In the virtual world our efforts to remain connected to trade and consumers also has seen some new fresh approaches. We saw ‘online firsts’ in the area of speed dating, expos and comparative tastings and discussion panels across continents.
Speed dating with LCBO Buyers
Traditionally, the Canada wine fairs host speed dating sessions with key buyers and media. This year, the LCBO agreed to participate in virtual speed dating to allow our category the
face time we would normally receive. Encouragingly, the LCBO was very interested in exploring alternative varieties through these meetings as we discussed an ‘Off the Beaten Path’ feature for future releases. Feedback from the LCBO was very positive,
and they enjoyed learning the various winery stories, building understanding about what makes each one unique; providing an interesting opportunity for consumers in Ontario.
Lookvin Virtual Wine Expo
NZW participated in its first ever entirely online expo, the Fine Wine Show in May 2020, hosted by Lookvin
and supported by the food industry’s leading B2B website 21food.cn. The show provided an online platform
for both international producers and local suppliers to present their wines, establish contacts and get to know the China market following COVID-19's impact. The New Zealand wine pavilion ranked number one via PC and number two on the mobile app, with over 43,000 unique visitors and 210,000-page views.
Oregon New Zealand Pinot Collaboration
In the UK in June, we held our first virtual tasting, teaming up with the Oregon Wine Board and private wine members club, 67 Pall Mall. Titled ‘Wine from the Edge’, the tasting focused on Pinot Noir, with six wines on show - three selected from each country. The samples were dispatched
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