smallwineries.com.au

The Canberra Times - November 8, 2000

smallwineries.com.au is a wine website with a difference. Not only is it a purely Internet-based retailer, but its sole aim is to market the products of smaller Australian wineries. And its headquarters are right here in Canberra. Karen Goldspink and her partner, Perrin Field, moved to Canberra specifically to set up their company, because of its central location to the major wine-producing areas of South Australia, Victoria and NSW. After more than 14 years of working in the wine industry, Goldspink was inspired to set up the site because of her aversion to the increasing aggregation of wholesale and retail channels. Goldspink was working for BRL Hardy in the Clare Valley when she was asked to move to the Hunter Valley to open its Hunter Ridge winery. Once she had accomplished that, however, the wine marketing graduate from South Australia's Roseworthy College decided to branch out on her own.

“I'd done what I wanted with them and I really wanted to get out and do my own thing for the small guys,” she said. “I saw Internet technology as a way of bringing small wineries together.” She moved to Canberra in April 2000 and established an office in Manuka and a warehouse in Fyshwick, before launching her website in October 2000. One of her reasons for choosing Canberra as her base was the ACT Government's “active promotion of wanting to support business”. She hasn't been disappointed. “I've been absolutely surprised and delighted with every dealing I've had with the ACT Government.” She joined its Something Ventured program, which for a small fee provides contacts and a business mentor, all of which she has found invaluable.

She was also pleasantly surprised by the ACT's liquor licensing laws, her application taking one day to process, compared with six weeks in NSW. “In NSW, they did everything they could to try and stop me getting a licence.” Goldspink stresses that shoppers will not find bargain lots of mass-produced brands on the site. Instead, they will find quality wine from small, privately owned wineries producing less than 100 tonnes a year, and in some cases, less than 10 tonnes. The limited production capacity of the wineries means that shoppers will be able to select from a “constantly changing, marvellously diverse” range of wines. Around 150 wines from 40 wineries are listed, with several local wineries included.

Saffy the Winehound, named after a stray dog rescued by the site's author, is the search engine for the site, guiding shoppers through the selection process. “Basically it's just like a shop,” said Goldspink, although some of the stock would be impossible to obtain in bottle shops. “People log in and buy whatever they want, whenever they want.” Shoppers can select from the Winehound's tasting dozens or put together their own mixed dozen, an option which Goldspink feels is important, “since Internet retailing cannot provide the opportunity to taste”. Wines can be dispatched anywhere in Australia. Users can elect to join the Winehound Club if they wish. Membership is free and entitles members to first option on wines in very limited supply, newsletters, updates and invitations to special tastings and dinners.

If customers submit their personal styles and preferences, the Winehound will even undertake to select their wines for them. “We're a small business working for small businesses and because of that we want to offer a personalized service,” Goldspink said. She also likes to treat her suppliers as customers: none of the wineries pay a joining fee and she guarantees never to undercut cellar door prices. Goldspink aims to highlight a different wine each month and will endeavour to present interesting snippets about all the wines. “We will be talking about the cellar door as well as the wine, in the hope that people will be inspired to visit the wineries ... so it will have a flow-on tourism effect as well.”

smallwineries.com.au or phone (02) 6260 7773

© Christine Salins

Back to list of wine stories