NOT THE USUAL
CHRISTMAS SUSPECTS! 

Okey dokey – so it has been a while between drinks. But the silly season is pretty much here, so we will be showing off a handful of local wineries at Faraja in Unley on the fourth of December. Snacks will be provided, and a range of things you don’t really see at the bottle-o down the road. Oooh, and a pretty glass to keep. Because we like nice things.

Gestalt Wines
Mordrelle Wines
Lino Ramble
Matriarch and Rogue
Seabrook Wines
Dodgy Bros
Coola Rd
Little Brampton
Dell’uva Wines
… and probably a couple of extras. Will update as we get it sorted.

All wines are available for purchase, and will be delivered as requested – so we can all find something a little less mainstream and a little more fun for the silly season! The wines (and CIDERS!) are at a range of prices – starting at roughly $16/b – and you can mix and match a case if you like. The lovely Alex Prichard from Wine Academy will be on hand to help out.

Tickets – yes, this is a ticketed event, as the space is not huge, and we need to make sure we can fit you all in. The ticket cost covers expenses only – we are not trying to take a cut on the way through. This is all about getting some awesome, quirky, smashable vino onto your tables for Christmas. Tickets are $15 if purchased in advance, $20 on the door. For every six tickets purchased in a single transaction, you get a bonus ticket. Kids are permitted, but must be supervised.

Location – 36 King William Rd. Parking at rear and on the street.

https://wineacademy.com.au/product/not-the-usual-christmas-suspects/

We obviously support the safe consumption of alcohol at all times.

Enquiries: kate@claritasmarketing.com.au

Vino vino vino!

Kate

NOT The Usual Suspects began as an inkling of an idea. As a wine industry old hand, I have seen the confusion about varieties and styles running riot in the minds of the consumers we rely on to buy our precious wines. And we have wine shows, and festivals, and in-store tastings, but nothing specifically targeted at helping the people BUYING wines to understand these new/alternative/old world or even (save me) “quirky” styles.

If we are ever going to make a dent in the wider market, as an industry we need to communicate these styles more clearly, and include the basics. We talk to each other, and we laud our achievements in creating these beautiful wines, we swap bottles and get excited, but the consumers are rarely a part of this conversation outside of a cellar door situation. And there, they see but one example, or maybe two. And if those tick no boxes, that consumer will be highly unlikely to try another.

These consumers want to learn, to try something new. Maybe even to be at the vanguard of discovery. But unless we invite them in, and understand the styles from a consumer perspective ourselves, we might just lose the opportunity.

So NOT The Usual Suspects began. Designed to be fun, engaging, and devoid of wine wankery, it kinda grew a wee bit larger than I imagined. SO MANY producers were on board. Sponsors (just a couple!) started calling. The list of wines had me salivating.

And as many of the attendees as I could talk to were each firmly instructed to ask EVERY question they had, and to take notes. To purchase if they were really taken by something, and to sign up to mailing lists. To engage us. To make US think about how we present our wines and our story. To understand a little bit how they see this morass of wines, and how THEY choose a wine.

And mostly to just have fun. Because as much as we judge, and assess, and analyse what it is that we do, the wine itself is about enjoyment. Hedonism. FUN.

So, the facts. We had 43 exhibitors, and 230-ish through the doors. We had 8 people take advantage of the preview tickets for a guided tour pre-opening. I lost count of the number of actual wines, although I do hope to have a reasonably comprehensive list up soon. We had visitors from WA, Vic, NSW and the ACT, as well as all across South Australia. We had a VERY healthy number of wine trade, given there were no trade passes available.

And we will be going again next year. In October, I think. And possibly another one in Sydney or Melbourne. Or maybe Brisbane or Perth… Stay in touch – I’ll keep you in the loop.

Satellite events. Definitely. Playing with a few ideas. Adelaide and surrounds for now. Possibly more to follow. Left field, vaguely anarchic stuff. Just because….!

Bearing in mind that this is pretty much behind run on the smell of an oily rag, by one person (me, obvs!), this will happen a little sporadically, as opportunities arise.

If you have an idea, let me know.

If there is something you want to see our understand or try, let me know.

If you want to get involved, flick me an email.

If you want to help, PLEASE flick me an email!

(And obviously, stay in touch by filling out the form below….!)

This is all just to open the doors a little wider. To demystify the outstanding array of wines we have at hand. And just to have some fun….!

Thanks to everyone involved. Exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, helpers. Here is to round two….

Kate

Kate@claritasmarketing.com.au

1/12/14
Thanks to everyone for coming to the event on Sunday, for helping out, and for making it happen. Thanks go to our sponsors: the National Wine Centre, Tuckers Natural, Scene Change. And obviously to all the wineries, who jumped on board and made this incredibly easy to put together.

We will be organising more events through the year. If you are interested in hearing about these, please sign up below. We will not spam you, or sell this information.

We will just use it to let you know when more hijinks are planned…!

Thanks everyone!

Kate

kate@claritasmarketing.com.au