Granite Belt wines are being profiled in Japan thanks to the support shown to a visiting Japanese wine journalist by locals in the Queensland Wine Capital.
Covering the 2008 Granite Belt vintage is on-line Japanese magazine “Wine-Tree www.wine-tree.com
The publication is the initiative of Miss Akiyo Kato, a 31 year-old Japanese wine writer and marketing professional.
The young writer came to the Granite Belt in January 2008 and has spent four months gaining insight into the area’s wine industry. She has been posting her news from Queensland’s premier wine region 3-4 times a week.
Miss Kato has been delighted with the interest Japanese readers both in Japan and Australia have shown in learning about wine from an area that is new to them.
Wine-tree consists of the following six areas and is updated three to four times a week and the average number of users is 120 in a day and is increasing.
* Grape varieties in Granite Belt, including those marketed under the ‘Strange Bird’ trail.
* Unique Climate/Soils and local activities for wines.
* Wineries on the Granite Belt.
* Winemaking - from vineyard to table.
* Wine Words - (types, tastes, production procedures, etc).
* Evaluation of wines in the Granite Belt.
To keep writing these, Miss Kato continuously visits wineries, gathering information, tasting, and sometimes even helping winemaking to experience the process. She has also attended a three-phase wine appreciation course at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism in Stanthorpe. This course was to broaden her knowledge of the wine industry in the Granite Belt.
Miss Kato has a career background as a brand manager of wines and spirits brands in global alcohol company DIAGEO and started Wine-tree to establish a new area of wine category in Japan.
She has been assisted in her initial research for Wine-Tree by the Granite Belt Wine & Tourism as part of its programme to work closely with the media. Miss Kato said she believes this website has potential to link the total Granite Belt wines to a shopping site in future.