This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast looking at the future of Australian wine, produced in partnership with Endeavour Group.
Coming up, I’ll be speaking with Endeavour’s head of fine wine, Andrew Shedden, about some of the challenges the category is currently facing.
In short, those of us who love wine are getting older, and we’re not buying as much as we did in the past.
And younger consumers – MilZ’s as Andrew calls them – are choosing to drink beverages other than wine.
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Andrew says it is incumbent on the wine industry to rethink its approach if it is to appeal to these younger consumers.
That means challenging the accepted conventions: everything from the liquid itself to packaging formats, labelling, branding, marketing and how we talk about wine.
Also this episode I speak with a couple of producers who have done just that; Cam Marshall of Range Life Wines in Victoria, and Rod Micallef of Zonzo Estate in the Yarra Valley.
First up though, I’m speaking with Andrew, who says wine’s first challenge is tough competition from its rivals – beer, spirits and premix – which today have more sophisticated product offerings than they ever have in the past.
More:
Chapel Hill toasts 50 vintages, with winemaker Michael Fragos
Best wine in Australia 2024: Huon Hooke podcast interview
The Australian Ark: Andrew Caillard MW on his wine opus
