Winework Projects

Meerea Park Project
Peninsula Estate Project
Interniche Indent Project
Realcold Project
The Wine Magazine Tasting Project
Marlborough Wine Tours Research Project
Punchbowl Winebrokers Consulting Project
Punchbowl Winebrokers Sales Support Project
Via Pacifica Virtual Office
Via Pacifica Export Project
Fine Wine Online
Wine NZ Magazine Tasting Panel

Client: Meerea Park Wines, Hunter Valley, Australia

Established in 1991, Meerea Park is one of the Hunter Valley's leading boutique wine producers. Their wines are of uncompromising quality and have been awarded an avalanche of medals, trophies and critical acclaim.

Meerea Park wines are available to wine enthusiasts in Australia and are represented in Asia, the UK and USA by prestigious, specialist wine distributors. When Garth and Rhys Eather of Meerea Park decided to investigate exporting into the New Zealand market, they approached Winework Solutions for help.

We assisted them in finding a New Zealand importer and distributor who would understand and share Meerea Park's wines and philospophy and who would work with them to see Meerea Park positioned in the finest restaurants and retails stores.

Client: Peninsula Estate, Waiheke Island, New Zealand

When Geoff and Rose Creighton invested in one of Waiheke Island's original wine producers, Peninsula Estate, they wanted to inject new life and vigour into the brand, while enhancing the estate's reputation for quality and value.

Winework Solutions undertook a comprehensive market report for Peninsula Estate, investigating and targeting areas critical to the Creightons' understanding of their businesses target market. Our report assisted Peninsula Estate to re-align and re-launch their brand with new labelling and packaging, a new distributor and a better understanding of their brands' strengths, effective price points.

Client: Interniche Indent, Auckland, New Zealand

Interniche Indent import wines, beers and spirits on behalf of a broad group of New Zealand retailers. As part of the standard documentary requirements administered by the Ministry of Health, Winework Solutions were engaged to visually inspect a shipment of branded spirits and to confirm the authenticity of their packaging.

Using digital photography, reference materials and the internet, we were able to supply Interniche and the Ministry of Health with a report fully verifying the authenticity of the products, as required.

Client: Refrigeration Engineering, Auckland, New Zealand

As part of a sales incentive program for their Realcold brand, Refrigeration Engineering approached Winework Solutions to provide them with a short run of premium quality table wine, packaged under their own label.

Winework Solutions undertook the project from order to delivery. We located supplies of a suitable, award winning wine, designed a B.O.B label using the Realcold logo, arranged printing and label application and delivery of the completed product into Realcold's warehouse.

Client: The Wine Magazine, Australia

In December 2000, Winework Solutions coordinated a major tasting of New Zealand Riesling and Pinot Noir for Australia's prestigious "The Wine Magazine". A sister publication to 'Australian Gourmet Traveller', The Wine Magazine is Australia's foremost publication for wine lovers.

Our role included grouping the wines by variety, geographic region, vintage and style, then cataloguing the wines and arranging them into practical flights. Our portable computer and specialised software enhanced speed, accuracy, flexibility and efficiency.

We set up the venue, and then ensured the smooth and accurate running of the tasting, satisfying the panellist's individual tasting requirements and styles. At day's end, the panellists could relax and enjoy a customary beer, leaving the clean up to us.

Tasting took place over 2 days with a panel of international experts including Bob Campbell MW, Nick Bulleid MW, Huon Hooke, Joëlle Thomson, Paul White, Peter Bourne, Andrew Caillard MW, Peter Forrestal and Kayte Nunn.

The Wine Magazine said, "We thank... and Colin Ford and his team from Winework Solutions for the superb manner in which they organised and conducted the tasting."

Client: Marlborough Wine Tours, Marlborough, NZ

Marlborough Wine Tours conduct personalised tours, for wine lovers visiting New Zealand's most famous wine producing region. Many of their happy customers wanted to send a few cases of their favourite, newly discovered wines back to their home country to enjoy once their vacation was over.

Cherry from Marlborough Wine Tours found that with almost every destination, she could help. All except the USA. Strict laws regulate the movement of alcoholic beverages into and around the USA, and these laws are different for every State and are administered by differing authorities.

Winework Solutions was able to identify and contact the relevant authority in each of the 50 United States plus the District of Columbia, to request detailed instructions relating to how Marlborough Wine Tours could best help their guests enjoy New Zealand wines at home. As replies were received we forwarded the information to Cherry, saving her valuable time and helping Marlborough Wine Tours to act legally and responsibly while giving their customers accurate advice and every assistance.

Client: Punchbowl Winebrokers, Auckland, NZ

Founded in 1990, Punchbowl is a diversified group of businesses involved in the ownership, management and leasing of infrastructure for the kiwifruit industry.

Punchbowl Winebrokers is a new division of the firm that has come about as an extension of the company's existing trading relationships with Chile. Punchbowl were offered exclusive distribution rights within New Zealand for Viña San Pedro, a significant and well respected player in the international wine industry and Chile's second largest exporter of wine.

Although Punchbowl Group has a wide range of skills in importing and exporting, warehousing and transportation, in management, administration and in sales, they knew they did not have wine industry experience. Winework Solutions gave them access to the professional wine industry expertise they required on an affordable, as needed basis.

Our involvement began with evaluating the quality and marketability of Viña San Pedro's wines for the New Zealand marketplace. We then helped Punchbowl formulate a business plan that would accommodate the Viña San Pedro brands and Punchbowl's aspirations for the future. The plan was developed and is being implemented so as to merge into their existing business systems and resources.

Latterly, Winework Solutions has produced price lists, product information sheets and sales aids, we've introduced Punchbowl Winebrokers' manager, Grant Feasey to key potential trade customers and we have compiled and sent media kits to re-introduce Viña San Pedro to local wine writers.

We continue to be closely involved with Punchbowl Winebrokers as a resource for Grant to draw upon for important or urgent projects and for day to day sales support.

Client: Punchbowl Winebrokers, Auckland, NZ

Winework Solutions produced a range of high quality, full colour product information sheets, pricing schedules and retail profit calculators for Punchbowl Winebroker's Gato Blanco, Gato Negro, 35 South and Castillo de Molina wines.

Our specialised computer equipment and software means we were able to produce these materials quickly and affordably and make them available to Punchbowl Winebrokers and their customers in a variety of really useful ways.

We produced high quality, affordable colour laser copies for short and long run jobs and we burned CD copies of high-resolution photographic images, suitable for reproduction in print ads and glossy magazines.

Punchbowl Winebrokers sales materials are now available for their trade customers to download from our website in PDF (Portable Document Format). This ensures that trade customers, writers, magazines and printers have instant access to artwork, photographs and text that is of uniform, high quality and produces a strong and consistent brand image.

Client: Via Pacifica Imports LLC, California, USA

Via Pacifica Imports of California is a 'start-up' established in February 1999. Via Pacifica used our facilities and services in New Zealand while establishing their business importing and selling fine New Zealand wines in the United States. During their set-up and first 12 months of operation, we hosted their New Zealand office, manning phone, fax, cellular, email and post services. We even provided an extended period of service on location in the US assisting with the establishment of the business there too.

Having a New Zealand presence gave confidence to Via Pacifica's suppliers in New Zealand and made the flow of information between countries simple, smooth and efficient.

Via Pacifica are now well established and have developed their own lines of direct contact between their US operations and NZ suppliers.

Client: Via Pacifica Imports LLC, California, USA

In late 1998, Colin Ford of Winework Solutions was working in California and studying viticultural practice. In a chance meeting, he was approached by Howard Kalmer, President of Via Pacifica Imports about Kalmer's ideas for importing and distributing New Zealand wines throughout California and the US.

It was apparent from the beginning that it was a great idea. The Kalmers had the business background and where-with-all to turn their love of New Zealand's wines into a business success. But they lacked in depth, professional knowledge of wine, the New Zealand wine industry, its players and NZ business practice.

Colin returned to New Zealand and in 1999 they set about creating the business, manning offices on opposite sides of the Pacific. It was decided that having someone with in depth knowledge of the local industry based in New Zealand would not only ensure the smooth flow of information and facilitate setting up the business but would also be a positive expression of VPI's commitment to the venture.

Colin's first task was to find the brands and producers that would form a highly successful stable of high quality, handmade wines for the speciality retail and restaurant market in America. A group of eight was arrived at, based on Colin's professional assessment and providing a range of regions and winemaking styles. Howard and his wife Shelly then came to New Zealand and were introduced personally to each company principal to whom an approach had been made. Of those original eight suppliers, every one elected to go with Via Pacifica:

Waiheke Vineyards (Te Motu) - Waiheke Island
Crab Farm - Hawkes Bay
Alpha Domus - Hawkes Bay
Thornbury Wines - Hawkes Bay / Marlborough.
Lake Chalice - Marlborough
Huia Vineyards - Marlborough
Lawson's Dry Hills - Marlborough
Highfield Estate - Marlborough

Next, Colin assisted in developing and securing contractual agreements and establishing initial orders for inventory.

With initial shipments underway and sales and marketing expertise employed in the US, Colin travelled back to the US. There he spent three months involved in trade tastings, staff training, speaking to sales reps and consumer groups and 'on the road' with sales staff meeting trade buyers.

After just 12 months of trading, Via Pacifica Imports are well established as the leading importer of 'boutique' New Zealand wines in the US.

Client: The Fine Wine Delivery Company, Auckland.

The Fine Wine Delivery Company is one of New Zealand's most dynamic and successful retailers and direct marketers of wine.

In 1999, Jeff Poole, proprietor of The Fine Wine Delivery Company, was keen to develop his business's Internet presence but was dissatisfied with the results he had achieved with his initial web site.

Winework Solutions' Colin Ford introduced Jeff to John and Melody Anderson of Wayfarer International Ltd in June 1999. Ascertaining Jeff's goals and requirements for the site, Wayfarer set about designing a solution from the ground up and in the process, developed a whole new concept in presentation for wine retail; Browsing.

Winework Solutions became involved in the project more directly by writing around 500 of the original, individual product 'tasting' notes for the site. The notes were required to be not only descriptive and informative, but also to fit with the fun, relaxed feel of the site as a whole.

Launched in mid August 1999, in November it was made a finalist in the annual Net Guide awards for 'Best E-commerce or Shopping Site' and has since also been included in their 'Big 50' - the 50 best food and wines sites from around the world.

In late 2002, a major site redesign was implemented by Straker as part of a project to integrate The Fine Wine Delivery Company's IT systems and Winework Solutions and Wayfarer continued to work with The Fine Wine Delivery Company until May 2003.

Client: Wine NZ Magazine, Auckland

Wine NZ is a high-quality, glossy, bi-monthly wine publication for the consumer, featuring news, new releases from New Zealand's wine producers and editorial content focussing on this country's wine and food lifestyle.

Prior to each edition, editor Martin Gillion compiles wines on a particular theme, often a featured variety. A panel of experienced tasters, generally from within the wine industry, then put the line-up through their paces. The wines are tasted blind and reviewed with an eye toward selecting wines readers will really enjoy.

Winework Solutions' Colin Ford has been a regular panellist, bringing his formal tasting expertise gained over many years of professional tasting, as an Associate Judge at the Royal Easter Wine Show and through his involvement in the Institute of Masters of Wine Education Program.