October 2015:
WINERIES ON SHOW:
919 Wines
Artwine
Atlas Wines
Bellwether
Bremerton Wines
Catlin Wines
Chain of Ponds
Chalmers
Coates
Dell’uva Wines
Di Giorgio
Dodgy Bros
DogRidge
Dowie Doole and Gilligan Wines
Eccolo
Eden Rd
Gemtree and La Linea
Gipsie Jack
Grand Casino
Handcrafted by Geoff Hardy
Head in the Clouds
Heartland
Hollick
Hugh Hamilton
Jericho
Kangarilla Rd
Kimbolton
Lino Ramble
Mosquito Hill
Oliver’s
Paracombe
The Pawn Wine Co
Protero
Scarpantoni
Schwarz Wine Co
Smallfry
Spook Hill
Tim Adams
Tscharke
Vinaceaous
Vigna Bottin
Wangolina
Watson Family
Waywood Wines
Willunga 100
Woodstock
Yelland and Papps
TICKETS:
https://ntus.iwannaticket.com.au/event/not-the-usual-suspects-mk-2-OTY0OA
Tickets include a glass, nibbles, and tastes of the wines on show.
Why, hello there!
Getting everything sorted, with more info to follow:
Date: 27 September – Sunday. Make a note in your diary.
Venue: Loft Bar on Gouger St.
Time: 12-5.
Tickets: $40pp plus booking fees
We will have oodles of different wine styles and HEAPS of varieties.
Come and ask any question. We *love* questions.
Time to head down the rabbit hole.
K
12/12/14
Well, now. That was splendid!
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.
NOT The Usual Suspects 