read

Embrace the Grape: Robin Shaw’s passion for wine, and life, is contagious! We know you’ll love learning about her journey building Wine Tourism Australia

A Note from Jim Morris and Hope Katz Gibbs, hosts, the Women Who Make Us Wine Radio Show — We are thrilled to introduce you to Australian entrepreneur Robin Shaw, a truly amazing woman who is on a mission to help wineries throughout her beloved country sell more wine to more people, more often, for more profit. With that goal in mind, she founded Wine Tourism Australia (WTA) in 2012.

“We help regions maximize their tourism potential through the development of effective direct sales strategies, world-class cellar door venues, and innovative visitor experiences,” explains Robin, who has developed tailored workshop and enterprise programs for Australian wine.

During our regular Sunday brunch celebration interview, we talk with Robin about:

  • How, since 2005, Robin and her industry colleagues have worked with almost every wine region in Australia and hundreds of small wineries.
  • WTA’s focus on developing and maintaining ongoing relationships with industry associations and individual businesses that actively seek advice and practical solutions.
  • Some of Robin’s favorite Australian wineries: Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch, among others!
  • How WTA partners with other consultants to deliver a suite of services for industry organizations, regional associations, government departments, and individual enterprises covering branding and storytelling, strategic planning, cellar door benchmarking and mystery, and more!Abut

We know you’ll be as impressed as we are about Robin: In 2004 received a prestigious Winston Churchill Fellowship to undertake a world study tour of wine regions, investigating innovative wine tourism operations that could be applied to Australian wineries.

“The information gained informed the content of several industry resources and programs, including The Australian Wine Tourism Toolkit, and a series of Wine Skills & Wine Tourism Workshops across the country,” shares the woman who is responsible for producing the National Wine & Food Tourism strategic framework titled: Harnessing the tourism potential of wine and food in Australia, 2020.”

About Jim Morris, the Napa Valley Wine Guy

Since 2000, his focus has been on the Northern California wine scene (Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino). From his home in Healdsburg, CA, this native has been through wildfires, surges in wine sales, and the pandemic. Through it all, his sense of humor and good nature have remained in good form.

It’s no surprise then that Jim is known as the Chief Evangelist as a senior-level adult beverage professional — a gent who dives into whatever he is doing with gusto and enthusiasm. Case in point — his current job as Vice President of Guest Relations for Charles Krug Winery, Napa Valley’s oldest winery.

“My goal is to create a memorable wine experience for everyone who visits us,” shares Jim. “At Charles Krug, we have an obligation to share our remarkable legacy and lead the way for Napa to become a cultural hub through wine, art, food, and history.”

And Jim insists that it is his mission to remove the pretension of the wine business. “Wine is complex enough. When you are starting as a student of this industry, there are really only two wines made in the world — yummy and yucky.”

That is why we are putting Jim’s expertise to work with the January 2021 launch of the Women Who Make Us Wine podcast show on the Inkandescent Radio network.

In the coming year, our guests include women who are rocking the wine business as winemakers (there are so many!), sommeliers, winery owners, and other influencers and experts who will teach us each week about the gifts of the grape.