Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/359372
12 / the tasting panel / august 2014 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT INSIGHTS FROM BEVERAGETRADENETWORK.COM Wine Australia's Market Access and Trade Access Programs R ecent excitement in the States about Australia's premium, diverse and regionally expressive wines has spurred Wine Australia into creating its Market Access Program to support wineries entering (or re-entering) the U.S. market. The program helps wineries with sample logistics, marketing, visibility, importer leads and key account business connections. In addition, Wine Australia is now launching the Trade Access Program, a service to connect U.S. trade with Australian wines already avail- able in the U.S. market. "Our role isn't the traditional importer broker service," says Angela Slade, Regional Director of Wine Australia North America. "Our goal is to connect interested importers with winer- ies via our network and strong industry partners. "We launched the Market Access Program last summer and have 18 winery clients this year. The majority are small, family- owned boutique wineries from all over Australia with both entry level and premium ranges and small to medium production. We are seeing great winery interest—and can see the diversity of Australian regional, premium, boutique wines growing in the U.S. market. "While the Market Access Program helps wineries enter the U.S. market (the "push" strategy), we are introducing the Trade Access Program (the "pull" strategy) this summer—a new resource for trade, particularly on-premise and independent retail, looking for smaller brands with regional and distinct offerings, or lesser-known SKUs within a popular brand range. Our two Access Programs have been developed to address the shifting identity and offerings of Australian wines in U.S. To read more about Australia's trade access programs, check out the full interview at www.beveragetradenetwork.com. Angela Slade is Regional Director of Wine Australia North America. For All the Marbles After two days and five competitions, the United States Bartenders' Guild and World Class U.S. crowned Charles Joly the 2014 U.S. Bartender of the Year. Joly is the Beverage Director for The Aviary in Chicago and the creator of Crafthouse Cocktails, a premium bottled cocktail company. He represented the U.S. at the Global Finale, the world's largest interna- tional cocktail competition, at the end of last month in Great Britain. APPOINTMENTS Wirtz Beverage Group has appointed two senior leaders to its national team: Maggie Lapcewich, SVP Commercial Strategy & Business Development, and Kevin Roberts, SVP National Sales & Marketing. In the newly-created role, Maggie will oversee commercial strategy and integration for the company. Both Maggie and Kevin will report to Wirtz Beverage Executive Vice President Danny Wirtz. Maggie Lapcewich. Kevin Roberts. PHOTO: RACHEL BURKONS