The State, Columbia, S.C., C. Grant Jackson Column: S.C., Australia Indulge in Winemaking

By C. Grant Jackson, The State, Columbia, S.C.

Jan. 9–South Carolina continues to deepen its ties to commercial interest with its sister state of Queensland, Australia.

A new brand of Queensland wine will start showing up on grocery shelves on Jan. 18.

The “Susan Gilmore” label by Ballandean Estate is a joint venture from the Australian winery, which first entered the United States through South Carolina, and Columbia-based Purple Valley Imports.

The wine is being made for exclusive distribution in the U.S. and Canada. Distribution in South Carolina will be handled by Carolina Wine Source of Charleston.

Gerard Kelly, head of Purple Valley Imports, is an Australian living in South Carolina.

Purple Valley and Ballandean co-own the brand and have contributed financially to the project.

The partnership is following the model of Yellow Tail, a popular Aussie wine.

A small Australian winery, Casella Wines, partnered with W.J. Deutsch & Sons, one of the largest U.S. wine importers, to create Yellow Trail. Launched in 2001 with 25,000 cases, Yellow Tail has sold more than 21 million cases worldwide.

“Let’s hope for the same result, but even one one-hundredth of the success would be fantastic,” said Ian Henderson, export manager for Ballandean Estate.

Henderson brought Ballandean wines into the United States through South Carolina in 2002.

The Ballandean deal was the first commercial agreement to result from the sister-state relationship.

“I have been to South Carolina seven times since 2001. I don’t think people from Georgia visit South Carolina that often, but clearly the time spent in the market, the contacts I have made, and the ever-increasing awareness of Queensland there is starting to pay financial dividends,” Henderson said.

Unfortunately, Ballandean’s relationship with its original S.C. distributor didn’t last. The Ballandean label is no longer available in South Carolina.

An S.C. trade delegation visited Queensland in early December and was introduced to the Susan Gilmore label.

Queensland and South Carolina’s relationship has continued to grow.

At an event in Philadelphia last June, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie signed a statement of intent on biotechnology collaboration between the two governments.

“We’ve agreed to spend the next two years exploring ways in which both our states can benefit from collaborating on biotechnology research, development and commercialization,” Beattie told the S.C. delegation attending BIO2005.

The event also saw the signing of a letter of intent between the Queensland University of Technology and Clemson University to collaborate on plant transgenics, or the study of gene transfer.

AUSTRALIA COURTING TRADE & INVESTMENT

The Australian government also recently appointed a designated trade representative based near Charlotte.

Marty Cotton has been named district manager for the Australian Trade Commission. He will work to increase trade and investment opportunities between the Carolinas and Australia.

Australia and the Carolinas have increased their commercial connections over the years.

Exports from the Carolinas to Australia exceeded $640 million in 2004, and Australia is the ninth-largest market for S.C. goods.

In addition, 31 Australia-owned companies are in the Carolinas and employ more than 5,000 workers.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The State, Columbia, S.C.

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