Sommeliers, on-trade wine buyers and independent merchants attending the Australia and New Zealand trade tastings next week have the added incentive of potentially winning a once in a lifetime trip to Australia. Simply by attending any of the three tastings - London on January 27, Edinburgh on January 29 and Dublin on February 3 - and answering a couple of written questions will put you in contention of being one of the six buyers chosen to go on this special trip.
The UK wine buyers with some of the producers they met during the last Wine Australia wine buyers' trip to the country in 2024
The trip, hosted by Wine Australia’s Emma Symington MW, will cover seven wine regions across three states. The buyers will get the chance to meet winemakers, visit wineries, get into the vineyards, taste new vintages and new styles, and get up to date on the Australian wine scene. From family-owned wineries passed down through generations to trailblazing disruptors who push the boundaries day after day, the winning buyers will get the lowdown on Australian wine straight from the growers, makers and all those in-between.
To help set the scene two of the guests from Wine Australia’s last trip in 2024 share their experiences: Martina Larnach, head of wine at Super 8 Restaurants in London and Stuart Skea, group head sommelier of Lyla, Aizle, Noto and Tipo in Edinburgh.
Tell us about your trip with Wine Australia - why were you so keen to go on this trip?
Stuart Skea: I was incredibly keen to go on this trip, having only visited Australia in maps, textbooks and by drinking an awful lot of their wines. I was fortunate in that my first serious wine job, in 2008 at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh, we had a serious Australian wine list.
Stuart Skea says his first trip to Australia went "far beyond his expectations"
Leeuwin Art Series, Giaconda, Clonakilla, Jasper Hill, Mount Mary, Rockford, Moss Wood, Wendouree and Yarra Yering were my first introductions to Australian fine wine - much of it with serious bottle age, wines of complexity grace, elegance and refinement - so it has been a long love affair.
Martina Larnach: I was excited to learn more about Australian wine in general and visit lesser-known regions. And who better to go with than Wine Australia? We visited a fantastic range of regions and wineries, tasted a wide variety of styles of wine, visited wineries large and small, and ate some amazing food!
How did you find the trip - did it live up to your expectations?
Skea: It went far beyond my expectations. It was a real deep dive into many different aspects of the wine industry in Australia.
Larnach: The whole trip was incredibly well organised. Emma Symington MW was a fantastic host and I felt incredibly lucky to spend nearly two weeks with a MW on hand to answer any questions and provide me and the rest of the group with a deep understanding of Australian wine and its regions.
What were the highlights from the trip and what you got most out of it?
Larnach: The sunrise hot-air balloon ride over Yarra Valley looking at all the vineyards from above - that was one for the bucket list. A very special experience, and well worth the 3am alarm clock.
Skea: There were so many highlights. It was wonderful to see the proliferation of old vines in Australia, from Hunter Valley to the Barossa. Incredible to visit the oldest own-rooted Grenache and Semillon vineyards at Cirillo, taste the wines and meet Marco, one of the very few people to have tended these vines - a memory that will last a lifetime.
Also visiting the Smart vineyard in Clarendon in McLaren Vale and meeting Wayne Smart who is still tending vines plated in 1922 by his grandfather.
I loved meeting legends of the wine trade and personal heroes – such as Sarah Crowe of Yarra Yering, Timo Mayer, Luke Lambert, Melanie Chester of Giant Steps, Ken Helm in Canberra, and Dr Dylan Grigg.
What surprised you the most and surpassed your expectations?
Martina Larnach says she was surprised and interested to find so many wines made from super old vines in Australia
Larnach: The amount of extremely old vineyards and how well they are looked after, how much research and preservation is involved in protecting them.
I was also humbled to meet so many amazing women in wine - winemakers, vineyard managers, wineries owners, some true pioneers and legends of the industry!
Skea: Hunter Valley Shiraz was a revelation with its silky tannin structure and savoury character. The sheer quality and potential of McLaren Vale Grenache, but also Shiraz and white Rhône varieties and blends. Also Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, especially from Piccadilly Valley, and a highlight was the single-site expressions from Gentle Folk.
How have you been able to use the experience in your day jobs?
Skea: Much of a sommelier’s job is as a conduit - a storyteller to represent the wine grower and relate this with passion to guests in the restaurant. This is so much easier after putting 'boots on the ground' touching the earth, tasting, talking and learning.
Have you listed more Australian wine as a result of the trip?
Larnach: We have incorporated more Australian wines into the wine list at Brat Restaurant and we are planning on expanding the selection even more throughout 2026.
Are there areas of Australian winemaking and the styles they are producing that you would like to see them focus more on?
The previous buyers' trip to Australia took them to all the key wine regions including here in the Barossa Valley
Larnach: A wider focus on lesser-known grape varieties. There is so much more to discover - not only Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache…what about delicious Cinsault, Gamay, Savagnin…?
Skea: The sheer quality and diversity of styles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from cooler sites like Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Geelong, Mornington Peninsula and Adelaide Hills. The quality is world class and each region has a distinct terroir stamp.
Hunter Valley Semillon deserves a renaissance, with its freshness, drinkability, incredible ageability and lower abv.
What styles and regions suit your restaurant and customers best?
Skea: Stylistically, modern Australian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Hunter Valley Semillon.
Larnach: Lighter style red wines, with less extraction and very gentle use of oak barrels, and more mineral, leaner and fresher style Chardonnays. Kind viticulture and respect for the soil is always a bonus.
You can find out more about the trip and how to enter by clicking here.
The two written questions to consider are:
- What is the opportunity for Australian wine in your business?
- How you would utilise a visit to Australia to raise the profile of Australian wine?
Closing date for entries is February 20.
Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2026
Australia and New Zealand joint trade tasting will take place in London, Edinburgh and Dublin
There will be more than 1,000 wines in London, 450 wines in Edinburgh and 350 wines in Dublin. The line-up covers 57 regions across Australia and New Zealand, and features 30 grape varieties.
In London, don’t miss the ‘Sommelier Selections’ table to taste the 40 Australian and New Zealand wines that most excite sommeliers. Selected by some of the UK’s top sommeliers, these are the Australian and New Zealand wines that have ignited a love for the region or with special significance. From iconic names such as Giaconda and Kumeu River, to alternative varieties like Savagnin, Petit Manseng, Chenin Blanc and Zweigelt there is much to discover.
London: January 27. 10am-5pm. Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls, Elverton Street, London, SW1P 2QW. Register here.
Edinburgh: January 29. 11am-5pm. Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1 Festival Square, Edinburgh, EH3 9SR
Dublin: February 3. 12pm-5pm. The Alex Hotel, 41-47 Fenian Street, Dublin To register to attend, please email jean@jeansmullen.com.
