Charity drive for local wines

AN initiative aiming to raise the profile of boutique wineries in the state as well as provide new fundraising opportunities for the community sector is currently being trialled in Western Australia.

Wine for Charity will be officially launched in 2011, whereby punters will be able to purchase a six-pack of WA wine and the margin that normally goes to the retailer will instead go to a charity chosen by the purchaser.

According to Wine for Charity spokesman J. Barrey Williams this is a win-win, giving small vineyards exposure while allowing charities and community sector organisations to fundraise with wine drives that are currently regulated by state legislation and require an events licence.

“Smaller wineries will get a chance to present their wines to people they wouldn’t normally get a chance to, because of the current structure of wine sales … the big chains are getting bigger and shelf space is at a premium,” Mr Williams said.

“This is a chance for them to have some, one could call it, virtual shelf space.”

“The other thing is you get the absolute spread of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc coming from the Marlborough district of New Zealand, cheaper, in my observations, than local product of the same or better quality.

“Boutique wineries that make great SSBs probably have little opportunity to get front of mind, or front of palate, awareness in terms of wines because of the weight of those big groups coming in to the market with huge discounted shelf space.”

Mr Williams said the operation is unique in that it only promotes one winery each month with two bottles of three varieties, thereby limiting the timely exercise of selecting wine from a long list of producers.

The licence for Wine for Charity is currently held in Victoria but the initiative is being launched in the Margaret River/South-West wine region with plans for national expansion once the trial has been held and the formula perfected, according to Mr Williams.

“Initially we are concentrating on WA; it obviously has enormous national opportunities, but like everything else let’s get it right here and like good Western Australians, take it to the world,” he said.