Au Uncorked

Aussie Vineyards Participates in Wine Festival and Auction

Au was one of 100 wineries from around the world to participate at the 18th Annual Vintage Nevada Wine Festival & Auction, produced by the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) Alumni Association. The event featured over 600 wines, and was sponsored by Southern Wine and Spirits, Eldorado Hotel  Casino, Scolari's Supermarkets and Trader Joe's. 

The wine festival was held at the downtown Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. It included a private wine tasting for wine industry participants and was then opened to the public later in the evening.

The event was highlighted by a live and silent auction that raised over $30,000 to benefit UNR’s scholarship programs. Eldorado Hotel Casino, Scolari's Markets and Trader Joe's provided culinary specialties for the estimated 2,500 wine lovers who attended the event.

Items featured at the auction included an Au race hat and bottle of Au wine signed by NASCAR drivers Marcos Ambrose and Boris Said, which fetched $100.

Aussie Vineyards Runs Two Cars on the Gold Coast

Will Power will be joined by teammate Oriol Servia in the gold and green team colours next weekend when Aussie Vineyards backs two cars in the 2008 Nikon Indy 300, held on Australia’s Gold Coast. 

The two-pronged approach will include Power in the #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car, and Servia in the #5 car – usually a silver, blue and orange car. However, for the Gold Coast race, the Spaniard will join Power in flying the colours of the home team.

The Nikon Indy 300 will be the 19th and final race of the 2008 IndyCar Series and will be held on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia.  It is considered to be Australia's largest motorsport party both on and off the track.

It will be the first time the race is held for the Indy Racing League after 17 years as a Champ Car race. The race will not count towards the 2008 Indycar season points, as the race date is held after Chicagoland Speedway, which was preset as the season finale prior to the merger of Champ Car and IRL.

The cars of KV Racing Technology were unveiled in the pit lane of the Nikon Indy 300 circuit earlier in the week, with Power on hand to unveil the two thoroughbred IndyCar racing machines of the Indianapolis-based team.

Power and Servia are looking forward to the huge crowds cheering them on in Power’s native land, against an unusually strong field of contenders this year.

Save Mart & Aussie Vineyards Sponsor On-Line Consumer Contest

Barbara Hann of Chico, California was the winner of an on-line contest sponsored by Save Mart and Aussie Vineyards that was held in conjunction with the Toyota/Save Mart 350, part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The contest included an instant win game as well as a “Show Your Race Spirit” photo upload.

Hann won a $10,000 trip to Australia after she played the instant win game and entered a photo demonstrating her “race fan pride.” Her photo, title and short description were judged on creativity, originality and appropriateness to the theme. Thousands of on-line consumers participated in the contest.

Hann’s winning photo depicted herself, clad in a race helmet, as a passenger in a racecar ready for the upcoming NASCAR race.  She was awarded her prize at a local Save Mart store during a short ceremony that included a cake depicting a racetrack.

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 was held in June at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point in Sonoma, California.

Photo (above left):  Michael Croghan, Aussie Vineyards; Barbara Hann, contest winner; Alicia Rockwell, Save Mart Director of Communications; Tom Brown, Save Mart Store Manager. Photo (above right): Barbara Hann's winning photo.
 

 

Aussie Vineyards Supports City of Hope

 Au served as the official wine for the 35th annual City of Hope Black & White Ball, held at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco earlier this month. The event, sponsored by the California Grocers Association (CGA), raised over 1.3 million for City of Hope, one of the nation’s premier cancer centers. 

Au was served at all 110 tables and mentioned as the official wine for the event. In addition to helping an extraordinary cause, the event provided excellent exposure for Au wines among grocery executives on the west coast. Cecile Russell, senior vice president of Save Mart Stores, was honored at the event as “Grocer of the Year.”

Approximately 1,000 people attended the event, including Michael Croghan, representing Aussie Vineyards. Kevin Pollack entertained the packed house with his impersonations of famous celebrities.  

City of Hope, one of only 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers nationwide, is an independent biomedical research, treatment and education center dedicated to preventing and curing cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Power Has Best Race of the Season

Aussie Vineyard – Team Australia driver Will Power had his best finish on an oval track this past weekend at the PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Power made a fifth place finish after starting from 10th in the #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car and ran in the front part of the field throughout the 200-lap race.

Aussie Vineyards U.S. president Duncan Shaw hosted Joe Russo of Wein-Bauer, Inc., Aussie Vineyards’ Illinois distributor, at the race.

Power’s strong result leaves him in 12th place in the overall 2008 IndyCar Series Driver Standings and third in the Bombardier Rookie of the Year standings.

New to oval racing this year, Power and the Aussie Vineyards crew have used strong car speed and slick, efficient pit stops to improve throughout the season. This finish gives Power six top 10 finishes this season, including the Champ Car finale in Long Beach, California, as well as seven top 10 qualifying performances from 17 races in his debut IndyCar Series season.

Next stop for Power and Aussie Vineyard – Team Australia car will be at their home race, the Nikon Indy 300, on the streets of Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia.

Smart & Final Makes the Most of Race in Sonoma

Executives from the Smart & Final grocery store chain hosted approximately 100 top executives, store directors and their guests at a trackside reception at the Peak Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California to cheer on Will Power. 

Reception attendees included Smart & Final CEO George Golleher, Senior Vice President of Operations Tim Snee, Queensland Trade Commissioner Peter Beattie, Aussie Vineyard CEO Craig Gore and Aussie Vineyards U.S. President Duncan Shaw.

The reception was part of the integrated co-op sponsorship arrangement between Au wine, Smart & Final and KV Racing Technology. The Smart & Final logo was displayed on the #8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia car and the retailer enjoyed VIP credentials for the race. The Smart & Final logos also appeared on the Team Australia car at the Champ Car finale in Long Beach, California, earlier in the season when Power dominated the race to take victory to earn 53 IndyCar Series points.

Power had a strong start in the race, however brake failure early in the race derailed his chances at the podium. The 27-year old Australian native will look to put his bad luck behind him next weekend with the Detroit Indy Grand Prix at the Belle Isle street circuit in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo at right: Kevin Kalkhoven, Race team owner
Tim Snee; Senior Vice President, Smart & Final Store Operations; Craig Gore, CEO, Aussie Vineyards; Will Power, Team Australia driver.

Aussie Vineyards Part of Smart & Final Opening

The partnership between Aussie Vineyards and retailer Smart & Final continues to strengthen. Aussie Vineyards participated in a store opening of the grocery chain's newest store concept recently in Fremont, California.

The store opening event follows Smart & Final'€™s sponsorship of the #8 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia car at last weekend's IndyCar race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

Au was one of an exclusive group of wines served at the VIP reception and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate Smart & Final's fourth new concept store. The "Extra" store concept is a smaller club-type store that requires membership (but no fees).

Aussie Vineyards Director of Market Development Michael Croghan attended the event and mingled with city officials, local dignitaries and Smart & Final local store owners.

Originally founded in 1871 in downtown Los Angeles, Smart & Final Stores LLC operates 282 retail stores. Under the Smart & Final and Smart Foodservice banners, the company operates 247 non-membership warehouse stores for food and foodservice supplies in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and northern Mexico.

Aussie Vineyards Sponsors Queensland Trade Office Reception

Some of Australia’s most notable business leaders were on hand for a reception at the residence of Queensland’s U.S. Trade Commissioner, Peter Beattie, hosted by the Queensland Trade Office for the Americas, American Australian Association. Aussie Vineyards was an official sponsor of the event along with Greg Norman Australian Prime™, Coopers Brewery, Ramada Group and Qantas Airways. 

Some guests of note included Wally Mariani, senior vice president of the Americas for Qantas Airways; Susie Dobson, president of Australians in Film; Gavin Wood, Australian radio personality; and Sally-Ann Watts, senior trade commissioner for Austrade, formally the Australian Trade Commission, an agency of the Australian Government that aims to assist Australian businesses in entering overseas export markets.

Also attending the event were Greg Creed, president and chief concept officer for Taco Bell and Greg Dillon, Vice-Chairman and Director Emeritus of Hilton Hotels Corporation.

The reception was held at the former Queensland premier’s home in Los Angeles to introduce Mr. Beattie to well-connected Australians in Los Angeles. He outlined his plan to extend trade with Central and South America. His appointment to the Americas will extend thru 2010. Au wines and Coopers Beer were served with cuisine prepared by Wolfgang Puck that included Greg Norman Prime Beef.

Photo:  Peter Beattie, Queensland's U.S. Trade Commissioner

Power is a Strong Finish at IndyCar in Mid-Ohio

Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia driver Will Power had a strong showing this weekend as he earned his best IndyCar Series finish with fourth place in the Honda Indy 200. The race was held at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course in Lexington, Ohio.

The #8 Team Australia IndyCar sported the Fox and Hound® Pub & Grill logo, as well as the Aussie Vineyards mark for the race, as part of a partnership between Aussie Vineyards and the restaurant group. The co-sponsorship extends to the IndyCar race at the Kentucky Speedway in August and was part of the Indy 500 race earlier this season.

Power’s previous best IndyCar finish was eighth on the St. Petersburg street circuit in April. He qualified 12th in the early stages of the Mid-Ohio race and was able to move up the order quickly as a result of pitting to change from slick tyres to wets on the second lap. Heavy rains just moments before the start of the race made strategy crucial.

Power and the Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia crew will be back in action next weekend for the Rexall Edmonton Indy in Edmonton, Canada as the former Champ Car venue hosts its first IndyCar Series event.

Au Wines Welcomes Queensland Premier

Au Wine was served as the official wine for a reception last week at Bondi Bar in San Diego, California in honor of Anna Bligh, the Premier of Queensland, Australia. Bligh, Queensland’s first female premier, was in the United States promoting trade with her home state.

Over 150 distinguished guests attended the event, including Terri Irwin, widow of Australian naturalist Steve Irwin and owner of Australia Zoo in Queensland, Australia.

The event was the kick-off reception for the 2008 Biotechnology International Organization (BIO) Convention, held in San Diego. BIO is the world's largest biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business development and communications services for more than 1,150 members worldwide. In addition to producing great wine, Queensland is considered a world leader in the bio-sciences industry.

Photo above:  Terri Irwin joins Aussie Vineyards representative Michael Croghan at the reception.