Helping Aussie winemakers crack US markets

Australian winemakers can now access an online tool to help them target the United States market thanks to the Australian Government’s Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC) grants program, a component of the Agribusiness Expansion Initiative (ABEI).

The USA Wine Market Tool is a jurisdictional map that can be filtered by wine laws, market structure, channel availability and wine producer preference, highlighting US states based on filters including tiers of pricing opportunity, commercial opportunity, information about legal constraints on alcohol sales, direct-to-consumer models and distribution structure by state.

“The US market holds great potential for Australian winemakers, but it is not an easy market to crack,” said Tony Battaglene, Chief Executive of Australian Grape & Wine. “Businesses looking to export into the USA need to look at it as not a single wine market, but rather 51 market opportunities, each requiring a unique approach to sales and distribution.

“This tool is a new concept for exporters as it shows the whole of the USA with state boundaries, commercial features, population, visa and household income trends overlayed with wine buyer information and purchasing conditions in each state. Wine businesses can now search, with confidence, the most suitable jurisdictions to suit their business and product offering.”

Nikki Palun, from Susuro Wines, said: “This is a really powerful tool for any winery wanting to enter the US market. It’s really easy to use and has given me deep insights that would normally be out of my reach from a cost perspective. I have been able to quickly work out which regions within the US are best suited for my wines and also create a channel-specific strategy for each of my brands based on up-to-date and relevant data. As a small winery without a lot of time or resources, this tool has been truly invaluable.

“Our best opportunity to mitigate the impacts of the trade disruptions with China is to diversify our exports across a broader range of markets. The strategic industry and government partnership approach under ATMAC is supporting the wine sector by funding practical tools that can help grass roots producers navigate their way through the realities of complex export markets,” Battaglene said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Tommy Lee Walker