Our First B2B Wine Tasting in Australia: Why We Chose a 56th-Floor Suite

A more personal tasting format gave buyers time to explore 67 wines and spirits, discuss their programmes and build conversations beyond the usual trade-fair rhythm.

In late June we organised our first B2B tasting event in Australia and we deliberately broke the usual model.

No exhibition hall. No booth number. Instead: a private suite on the 56th floor of a hotel in the city centre, 67 wines and spirits open, prosciutto on the table, Italian music in the background. Buyers arrived one appointment at a time, tasted at their own pace, and talked, really talked, about their programmes.

Why the different format?

At a trade fair, a buyer may have only a few minutes between two other booths. The private format gave us up to forty-five minutes with each buyer, creating more space for detailed and memorable conversations.

For Melbourne and Sydney, two markets where relationship-building plays a central role, that trade-off is easy.

The numbers behind the week

More than 68 buyers were approached in the weeks beforehand through trade lists, LinkedIn and direct calls, with three to four follow-up contacts per target. Fourteen meetings with importers were held, ranging from national retail groups to on-trade specialists in Sydney. Personalised follow-up recaps, including pricing, were sent within days of the final tasting.

What we learned from our B2B wine tasting in Australia

In these meetings, coherent ranges often created a clearer entry point than isolated SKUs. Buyers responded well to ranges offering both an accessible entry point and a clear step up. Different channels focused on different tiers of the same range, from retail programmes and by-the-glass selections to independent bottle shops. A large part of the work is matching the right wine to the right buyer.

Samples and negotiations are now moving, account by account. Melbourne, Sydney, see you next year.

Your Wine Rep organises private B2B tastings across Asia-Pacific, including Australia, for its wine and spirits producer partners.

Part of the tasting line-up, prepared for one-to-one buyer meetings in a more relaxed setting.

Melbourne from the 56th floor - the setting for our first private B2B tasting in Australia.