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.

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 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.

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.

Power is on Top at the Long Beach Grand Prix

From the very first corner, the #8 Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia car seemed to be completely unstoppable with Will Power securing a dominating victory at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend.

Power led 81 of the 83 laps to take the prestigious victory at the 34th running of the famous event, which marked the final race sanctioned by Champ Car.

Will Power drove the green and yellow Team Australia Champ Car at the race that included a prominently displayed Smart & Final logo. The Smart & Final grocery retailer joined Aussie Vineyards to promote the race and Au wines in its stores throughout California.

Points from the Champ Car race will count towards the 2008 IndyCar Series, with Power’s win elevating the young Australian up to fifth in the series standings as well as giving him the lead in the Bombardier Rookie of the Year standings after three races.

Danica Patrick, who won yesterday’s Japan Indy 300 in Motegi, Japan and made history as the first female winner of an IndyCar race, was also credited with points for her victory.  Both events were considered points scoring events for the newly unified IndyCar Series.

Australian singing sensation Michael Johns was on hand for the victory as a guest of team owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Craig Gore. Johns commented after the race, “Will and the Team Australia boys obviously did an amazing job today and I was proud to be able stand and sing the Australian national anthem as Will collected his trophy.” 

Power will race next weekend in the #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone for the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval. For highlights of the race and Power's victory, click below.

For more photos, click here. 

Warriors Fan Wins Australia Trip through Joint Promotion

The Golden State Warriors were not the only winners at last week’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Halftime brought victory to one lucky fan, who won a deluxe trip for two to Australia as part of a promotion sponsored by Aussie Vineyards, Save Mart stores and the Warriors.

California resident Jerry Villa won the trip in the Spirit of Australia competition. Contestants were challenged with catching the most beach balls dropped from the ceiling of the ORACLE Arena. Villa emerged victorious and will enjoy a trip down under valued at $5,000. All contestants were awarded a case of Au wines.

Aussie Vineyards is an official promotional partner of the Golden State Warriors and recently teamed up with Save Mart stores for a fan promotion that included a number of elements, including in-store promotions, Warriors game promotions and retail contests.

Fans had the chance to enter the Save Mart Sweepstakes at participating stores for a chance to win valuable prizes. Three first-prize winners received two tickets to see the Warriors play the Clippers at the ORACLE Arena and the chance to win the Australia trip at halftime.

The Warriors defeated the visiting Clippers 122-116. Golden State scored 42 first-quarter points and withstood a fiesty Clippers team to earn its 48th victory. The win moved the team back into a tie for the eighth spot in the West.

For more photos, click here.