Au Uncorked

Power Has Impressive Indy 500 Debut

Will Power, driving the #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car, placed an impressive 13th at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Despite only having raced on two oval tracks prior to the Indy 500, Power finished on the lead lap in his debut at the famed “Brickyard.”

Power now sits eighth in the 2008 IndyCar Series points standings and maintains his lead in the Bombardier Rookie of the Year standings.

Several Team Australia supporters made the long trip from Queensland to Indianapolis, including Aussie Vineyards Chairman Craig Gore and winemaker Jon Heslop. Aussie Vineyards  President Duncan Shaw also attended the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Scott Dixon became the first native of New Zealand to win the Indianapolis 500 in an exciting, hard-fought race.

An estimated 375 million households worldwide watched the televised race.

Power on the Diamond

Clad in his favourite Au shirt, Team Australia driver Will Power had the honour of throwing out the first pitch at a recent Detroit Tigers game in Comerica Park against the Seattle Mariners.  While Power appears to be more suited to motorsports, his Major League Baseball debut was strong, as he threw the ball over the plate with no bounces. The appearance was part of an IndyCar Series promotion. The Tigers beat the Mariners 12-8 at home.

Aussie Vineyards Partners with Fox and Hound® Pub & Grill

A recently announced partnership between Aussie Vineyards and the Fox & Hound Restaurant Group will add more excitement to Team Australia’s quest for an Indy 500 victory later this month.

The Fox and Hound® Pub & Grill will have logo placement on the #8 Team Australia car at the world’s most famous race, as well as at Indy races at the Mid-Ohio Speedway in July and the Kentucky Speedway in August. 

Diners in seven Fox and Hound locations in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky will be able to enjoy Aussie Vineyards’ portfolio of Au wines by the glass. Au point-of-sale and promotional items, including flags, pens, beads, table tents and menu inserts will be part of the overall promotional package for each location.

Wine tastings and driver appearances will also be held in each market in conjunction with the IndyCar series. The first of these were held in Indianapolis last week and received great reviews. Will Power and Oriol Servia were on hand at the Fox and Hound restaurants at 4901 E. 82nd Street in Indianapolis and 14490 Lowes Way in Carmel, Indiana to meet fans and sign autographs.

Fox & Hound Restaurant Group owns and operates entertainment-themed restaurants under the Fox and Hound® and Bailey’s brand names.  Each brand provides a social gathering place that offers high-quality food, drinks and entertainment in an upscale, casual environment.

2008 Harvest Focus of Celebration

According to Aussie Vineyards chief winemaker Jon Heslop, 2008 is looking like one of the best seasons in some time as the Australian harvest season wraps up, so it seems like a good time to throw a party!

Aussie Vineyards will host a “full-bodied” afternoon picnic ⎯“A Golden Afternoon, Vintage 2008” ⎯on Sunday, May 18 from 1 – 4:30 pm to celebrate this year’s harvest. The afternoon’s events, held at beautiful Aussie Vineyards in North Tamborine, Queensland, will include live music from Jon Whitten and Blue Feat, and a delicious barbeque feast. 

This year’s harvest for both red and white is expected to be quite good, with high natural acidity in all varieties. It was a somewhat unusual season that included a dry and very cold winter throughout June, July and August, and good spring rain in September that was very welcome. The summer months were exceptionally cool, with temperatures 3-4 degrees below normal. There was some concern about excess rains later in the season, however, the rain held off for harvest.

Newcomers - Including Power - Have Chance to Win Indy

According to a recent article on IndyStar.com, there is plenty of opportunity for a newcomer to walk away with victory at the Indy 500 later this month.

Team Australia’s Will Power, sponsored by Aussie Vineyards, was one of the rookies cited in the article by Curt Cavin as having a shot at the prestigious title this year. Cavin interviewed a number of Indy veterans including Tony Kanaan, a heavy favorite this year, who said he is not discounting the chances of the newcomers. Former 500 winner Bobby Rahal cited Power as one who he thinks can overcome inexperience to win the race.

Factors such as preparedness, knowledge, engineering and strategy were cited as more critical than in the past and may help newcomers overcome inexperience.

With as many as 13 rookies in the 33-car field, the world’s most famous motorsports event promises excitement again this year. The race will be held on May 25.

To see the entire article, Download indy_star_article.pdf

It’s Been a Banner Year So Far …

Enthusiasm was certainly running high at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, as Will Power turned in a spectacular victory. So high, in fact, that the Aussie Vineyard Champ Car banner seems to have been stolen!

As the last official race of Champ Car, we can only speculate that the banner that depicts the green and yellow Team Australia champ car inside an Aussie Vineyards wine bottle is now considered a collector’s item.

Smart & Final Partnership Starts Victoriously!

Long Beach, California was an excellent place to be last weekend if you were part of the Aussie Vineyards/Smart & Final team, as Team Australia driver Will Power managed a spectacular win at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Over 300 Smart & Final executives and employees enjoyed hospitality at the trackside chalet while watching the first race—and the first victory—of the season for the grocery chain’s sponsored car. The logos of Smart & Final and Henry’s Farmers Market, owned by Smart & Final, were displayed prominently on the #8 car.

Chairman and CEO George Golleher and Senior Vice President of Store Operations Tim Snee attended the race and enjoyed visits with Will Power, who signed autographs. American Idol contestant and Australian singing sensation Michael Johns was also there to lend support to his fellow Australian, as well as to sing the Australian National Anthem.

Smart & Final and Aussie Vineyards have teamed up for two races for the 2008 IndyCar season. In addition to the Toyota Grand Prix, Smart & Final will sponsor Team Australia in August at the Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

In order to maximize the race sponsorships, Smart & Final and Aussie Vineyards developed a full slate of promotional activities throughout California, including circular advertising, in-store signage and displays, as well as a direct mail campaign to over 4 million households featuring the race and Au wines.

Additional consumer and employee promotions are planned for the late summer race in Sonoma.