Australian Cluster Member CSIRO Announces New CEO

The CSIRO announced their new CEO, and Dr Darren Oemcke, has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the National Wine Industry Research Cluster. This association is the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and is associated as one of the five partners of the Australian Wine Innovation Centre. 

This is a great opportunity to have Dr Darren Oemeke as their CEO for the National Wine Industry as he is the former Research and Development Manager at United Water International and have experience water management. His experience can greatly benefit this cluster at the Australian Wine Innovation Centre as their mission is to promote and develop the innovation and research and development related to grape and wine industry, through management of water, agriculture and techniques for the wineries.

Based at the Waite Campus in Adelaide (at the University of Adelaide, which is another partner of the Australian Wine Innovation Centre), Dr Oemcke is visiting grape and wine R&D centres, grape-growing and wine-making organisations and major wine companies around Australia to gain a better understanding and experience with this association.

For more information, click HERE

Wine Cluster: SlideCast Powerpoint

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Wine Cluster Analysis

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Market Development for The Ontario Wine Industry

Developing a detailed marketing plan for Niagara and culinary tourism is beyond the scope of this strategy, however there are a number of important items which have been identified which effect the overall growth in the industry and the Ontario Wine Research Cluster as whole.

Discussed in the win and culinary tourism marketing strategy, emphasis should be focused on:

“compelling high quality experiences for visitors, targeting high yield visitors for whom wine and culinary experiences are a lifestyle choice, and who have a high propensity to travel for such experiences. Different stratagies will be employed for the Ontario market, the cross-border US market and longer-haul Canadian and international markets.”

Currently there are techniques in place to foster this plan. They include various forms of yield management, reservation systems, targeted packages (wine tours), travel  trade partnerships (partnerships with various tourism hot-spots such as restaurants) and targeted promotions.

Target Market:

For Niagara, the best target market is “adults receptive to higher priced products, who will spend more and who are wine and gastronomy devotees”

Targeted geographic areas for development are: Southern Ontario, Western New York, Northern Ontario, Quebec, adjacent border states in the USA, and other highly populated Canadian cities. Untapped oversea markets also show potential but would be suitable for long term possibilities.

Emphasis is continously placed on making Niagara a “truly world class destination for wine and culinary tourism, with suppliers who are market ready and can deliver quality tourism experiences”

How?

This effort would involve building awareness of quality Ontario wines outside of Ontario through packaging and tourism promotion targeting extra-provincial markets. “There are a number of synergies here”

To read more on Ontario wine marketing strategies. Click  HERE

Cuvée 2009: Ontario’s Wine “Academy Awards”

The  Cuvée  awards, is a weekend red carpet event, celebrating the outsanding Ontario wine and food industry in the heart of Niagara wine country. It is a black-tie gala (much like the Academy Awards) where winemakers select the winners and guests mingle with the stars of the Ontario wine and culinary scene and travel the wine route (by red carpet) for special tastings. The award ceremony took place on February 27th, 2009. The competition revue panel involved 41 Ontario winemakers who tasted over 190 wines from 52 wineries to determine the winners.

Awards were given to the following Wineries based on their categories:
Red:
Cabernet Franc, by Cave Spring 
Pinot Noir, by Niagara College
Meritage, by Tawse Winery and Strewn Winery
Shiras/Syrah, by Creekside Estates and Lailey Vineyard 
Red Blends, by Wayne Gretzky
White:
Chardonnay Musque, by Cave Spring
Gewurztamminer, by Calamus Estate
Riesling, by Legends Estates
Sauvignon Blanc, by Peninsula Ridge
White Blend, by Hillebrand Estates

Youtube video of event:

iYellow Wine Club.com: Bringing Wine Tasting Into The 21st Century

Founders of iYellow Wine inc.

With thousands of companies bringing their business’ onlines to take part in the opportunities that web 2.0 has to offer, wine enthusiasts Angela Aiello and Paxton Allewell have turned their love of wine tasting into a huge online social networking business. They have developed a website (iyellowwineclub.blogspot. com) which encourages wine-lovers to sign up for free online memberships. Members receive perks such as discounts, news alerts, and exclusive invites to wine events around Toronto and Niagara.

Rather then use traditional means of advertisements, iYellow Wine Club utilizes the social capabalities of the new web 2.0, and provides participating Ontario wineries with a cost effecient and effective way to advertise their products and events, and encourage a younger audience to take part in wine tasting.

In today’s day and age, wineries must recognize the importance of change, and understand that sticking to traditional methods of advertising is ineffective, and adapting to new technologies (such as web 2.0) will be more effective in attracting younger markets and having them get involved in wine tasting, which was considered an “old people thing”.

For event pictures, click HERE.

A Society of Wine Lovers in Ontario

Created for the love and enjoyment of wine, The Ontario Wine Society has been around for over 18 years! The Ontario Wine Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 that celebrates the exploration of Ontario wines, through informal, enjoyable and educational tastings and special events. Events are held specifically in the Toronto area and in the Niagara Peninsula region.

2009 "Icewine Weekend" Event

Events are held 8-10 times per year in Toronto and Niagara. Each event has a a unique theme. For example, some recent events were called the “Outer limits” of Ontario Wine, or “The Great Noir Clone Debate”. Events are held and run by an Wine Industry leader whether they are a winemaker, a wine writer, a Winery owner or even a College or University professor. Most events are based on different kinds of wine tastings, and are accompanied by plates of gourmet food, music and entertainment.

Why is this important?

The answer is quite simple. Events such as these do not only provide wine makers and grape growers the chance to make a name for themselves and gain recognition within the Wine Industry, but it also provides industry members the chance to network, and socialize with Industry leaders. It is at events like these where opportunities and major corporate alliances are initiated.  Thus; events are crucial for cluster growth and advancements.

For a list of past and future events, click HERE.

The Society consists of an extensive list of wineries throughout the Ontraio region. To view the listing, click HERE.

VQA of Ontario: Building Trust in Ontario Wines

The Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario claims to not have a direct role in marketing or selling VQA wines, however the VQA labels which are attached to each wine bottle produced in Ontario DO provide a sense of credibility and assurance to customers who seek quality wines. Using this quality assurance logo does have an impact on consumer perception of the Ontario’s wine products.

The VQA Certification logo

A VQA label on the bottle means that the wine has passed all tests, auditsand inspections executed by the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). The VQA was designated as Ontario’s wine authority under the Vintners Quality Alliance act in 1999. One of the main objectives of the authority is to control the use of specified terms, descriptions and designations associated with the VQA appellation system(a.k.a Ontario’s wine regions: Niagara Peninsula, Peelee Island, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward Country) thus; protecting the Ontario’s wine region’s and product’s for domestic and international sales.

VQA Ontario’s long term strategic goal…

to “build a strong and credible appellation system, supported by quality and label integrity, and to raise the recognition and knowledge of each of Ontario’s wine appellations and their unique features”

Senior representatives from the VQA also partake in the OWSSC (Ontario Wine Strategy Steering Committee) which is a government initiative created for the betterment of the Ontario wine Industry.

For more information on the VQA, Click HERE

A question for you…Whether or not you are a wine drinker, would the VQA label on the bottle really make a difference in your decision to purchase, or not purchase?

The Ontario Grape and Wine Research Cluster – Yes, it exists!

Ontario is considered a New World wine producer, with focus on premium winemaking. The unique terrior , skilled viticulturaists, educational and research institutions and talented winemakers combine to create some of the best wines anywhere.

Vineyard located in Peelee Island Ontario,

Ontario is the most ideal place for research and innovation, as it is home to four worldwide known viticultural areas such as the Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie, North Shore Peelee Island and Prince Edward County. Ontario’s grape and wine country is classified as a cool climate viticulture region. However grape-growing areas in Niagara South western Ontario experiences hot summers, which enable excellent vintage production.

With growth in wine development, Ontario is striving to gain world recognition by increasing and enhancing overall production of wine processing here in Ontario. In doing so, the Ontario Wine Strategy Steering Committee was developed.

What is the O.W.S.S.C?

The Ontario Wine Strategy Steering Committee is a committee which was developed in 1999, when the Ontario Government initiated a strategic process to focus on securing a strong, prosperous future for the Ontario grape and wine industry. The Committee is lead by the Minisrty of Consumer and Business Services, and also involved senior representatives from the Wine Council of Ontario, VQA, Grape Growers of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.  The end result was “Poised for Greatness“, a strategic plan that reflects an agreement amongst all stakeholders, and provides a strategic framework for further action for the next 20 years of wine in Ontario.

A Common Desitination

Everyone involved in the OWSSC is aware that the wine industry is not only “poised for greatness”, but they all have come together to develop and adopt a focused strategy with the concerted, corporative action needed to win a “prosperous future” future. All the members in the committee have developed 6 key objetcives that will provide a common ground for the industry to move forward:

• Targeting those varietal in which Ontario excels
• Pursuring premium quality
• Investing in the VQA brand
• Nurturing wine tourism
• Making Ontario wine broadly available
• Forging partnership within the industry

For more information click HERE for a pdf, created by the OWSSC.

A few members of the Ontario Grape and Wine Research Cluster are:

1. The Wine Council of Ontario (WCO)
   The WCO is a non-profit trade association with a leadership role in marketing and establishing policy and future directions for the wine industry in Ontario. It acts as a liaison and coordinating body between Ontario wineries, Grape growers and government groups.
2. Grape Growers of Ontario
   This association plays as an advocate for al processing grape growers in Ontario ensuring their grape growing needs are met. Their mission is to work with industry partners to achieve sustainable growth and profitability by creating an improved environment for Ontario-grown grape products.
3. The Vineland Innovation Research Centre
   The objective of this organization is to become the world-class researcg institution and international hub for horticulture and floriculture research,  innovation and commercial activity.

Adelaide, Australia: Home of the Australian Wine Innovation Cluster

Australian Wine Regions (green)

With South Australia producing such a large proportion of Australia’s wine output, Adelaides centrality to all Australian wine regions and the wine innovation cluster is ideally located to service industry needs at only 6km from the city.  As you can see in the photo to the right, Adelaide is surrounded by many wine regions which are scattered predominately throughout Southern Australia.

The cluster itself brings together five leading research agencies that address the needs of the grape and wine sector in Australia. These firms and institutions are major contributors behind the Australian wine sector and have constantly contributed research and innovation. Although these firms, agencies and institutions are inependent, they have a unique “synergy” which brings them together:

“it is in the cluster mode that the synergies appear: the boundaries can quickly disappear and focus the combined capabilities of the partners on any problem in any part of the industry value chain”

The 5 major partners in the Australian Wine Innovation Cluster are:

1) The Australian Wine Institute:
AWRI has contributed development and research and integrated solutions for the wine sector in Australia for more then 50 years. Studies include biochemistry, organix and analytical chemistry, chemical engineering and fermentation management.

2) CSRIO  Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Organization:
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization located in Adelaide. CSRIO contributes to improving the production, processing and marketing of grapes and grape production. Research includes: improving wine, dried rootstock and grape varieties and improving characteristics such as disease control.

3) Provisor Property Incorporated
Provisor is a resource provider for research and development, technical consulting and contract research and  development. The company specializes in area of product development, efficient manufacturing, pilot scale winemaking services and environmental management. The company’s major clients include research  agencies, wine companies, grape growers and grape suppliers.

4) SARDI: South Australia Research and Development Institute
Delivers the innovation to enhance the food, fibre and bioscience industries and living environmental systems. Their mission is to meet specific industry priorities, increase productivity and economic de- velopment performance, pursue innovation in environmental industries, attract investment and develop  infrastructure.

5) The University of Adelaide
Established in 1874, the University is ranked in the top 1% in the world in 11 research fields. The schools is world renown for its studies in agriculture, food and wine. Major research is on topics such as viticulture, horticulture, wine science, biometrics, grapevine physiology and microbial biotechnology.

Niagara’s Need for Business & Marketing.

Although the creation of wine is solely the artwork of the Oenology and Viticulture (the science of wine production) the business and marketing aspect behind the finished product plays a huge role in the success of the wine; much like any other product in today’s markets. With the rapidly growing wine industry in Niagara, there is a growing demand for business and marketing.

How does Niagara plan on fulfilling this need?  The answer is quite simple:

Over-view of Brock University located in St. Catherines, ON.

There are plans to expand Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture institute, which was opened back in 1997. The expansion will include a deeper focus on Business and Marketing, although Science studies will also be of major focus as it is the institute’s known reputation. Debbie Inglis, the newly appointed director of the institute states that it’s time to go “go beyond science and take a closer look at the business and marketing side of wine”

This idea will be vital for the emergence of the Ontario Grape and wine research cluster while includes a range of partners including: grape growers, wineries, the Vineland Research and Innovations centre, Niagara College, The University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of  Agriculture, Food and Rural affairs. The groups’ aim is to coordinate grape and wine research.

To read the article in the newspaper article, please click HERE