Toasts for tourism ventures

By DITA DE BONI

The seriously affluent world of wine tourism rolled a step forward yesterday in two of the nation's production hotspots.

In the country's largest grape growing region, Marlborough, Montana Wines officially opened its multimillion-dollar Brancott Winery Visitor Centre to the accolades of the Prime Minister and a host of the wine world's leading lights.

The complex, near Blenheim, hopes to attract double the 100,000 visitors that already filter through the company's Southern winery, by offering a 200-seat restaurant, wine-education facility, tasting rooms and retail outlet - all finished with enough grandeur to ensure visitors an "authentic aged winery experience," says the company.

The centre, named after Montana's trading moniker in the United States, will host New Zealand's first wine tourism conference in late November. It is home to the company's largest winery, processing 20 million litres of wine yearly.

At the same time, in the country's second largest production area, the Hawkes Bay, an initiative with similar aims was unfolding. A triumvirate of the private sector, commercial tourism industry and local authority unveiled the brand initiative "Hawkes Bay - Wine Country."

The new branding thrust will coincide with the establishment of the Hawkes Bay Food Group and the "Wine Country Food Trail," which will put on the map a collection of farm-gate, artesan food producers and food destination outlets specialising in the region's epicurean product.

The group will complement a new Food and Wine Tourism Council.

Saatchi & Saatchi's Wellington agency favourite Kim Thorp, a Hawkes Bay resident, has led a Communications Project Group involved with a new brand design for "Wine Country" and a strategic marketing plan for the groups.

The Hawkes Bay hosts over 700,000 tourists each year, generating around $250 million in revenue. Just 81,000 of those are international tourists, but that relatively small proportion are "very high yielding," says Hawkes Bay Tourism's general manager, Hamish Lowry.

"Clearly we are primarily a domestic destination. But one thing both groups have in common is that the reason they come is for the wine experience, as well as art deco."

Tourism and wine interests hope to be able to lure one million tourists to the area by 2005, focusing on family groups and DINKS (double income, no kids) consumers in the 20-40 age bracket.

"It might sound grand, but we want to make Hawkes Bay one of the great wine and food regions in the world," says Mr Lowry.

Asked if the city had the infrastructure to support its lofty ambitions, Mr Lowry said the only thing lacking was a "four-star plus hotel with over 100 rooms ... But it will happen."

Other sources have told the Business Herald that private investors are interested in applying for consent to build hotels in both Napier and Hastings, and are canvassing major hotel chains to operate potential ventures.

About 48 wineries are listed for the Hawkes Bay area, the majority of which have signed on to become part of wine trails. The idea for a consolidated regional approach comes from areas like the Barossa in South Australia, where wineries chip in to promote wine tourism.

Hawkes Bay's initiative comes as foreign interest in viticultural land grows.

About $12 million was spent on grape-growing land by three foreign-owned firms in 1998. And Brisbane-based businessman Terry Peabody has invested $20 million in the local Craggy Range Winery.

Montana is also expanding in the Bay, receiving permission this week to expand its Church Road winery to process 3500 tonnes of grapes that had formerly gone to Gisborne for processing.

The Tom McDonald Cellar, as it is called, will double processing capacity at the site, which also features a 200-seat restaurant.

Hawkes Bay Tourism, tourist operators and winemakers say an integrated approach to marketing the area is ripe and ready for harvesting.

A steering committee, led by local winemaker and entrepreneur Graeme Avery, wants to take advantage of the impression the region's wines are carving out in the wider tourism market.

The Wine Institute's annual report, released last week, said New Zealand wine exports reached $168.8 million in the June 2000 year, despite making up a tiny 0.2 per cent of the world wine market.