Golding Wines setting its sights on growth

02 Sep 2021
Rising from the ashes following the 2019 Adelaide Hills bushfires, Golding Wines has gained traction by adapting to the post COVID-19 market and setting its sights firmly on growth.

Operating since 2002, the winery has firmly established itself as a destination of choice for the discerning wine drinker and despite facing several setbacks following the 2019 bushfires, followed closely by the COVID-19 pandemic, has bounced back, and is set to expand into the US market. 

In what will be a first for the business, Golding Wines will soon have access to a support network in the US after the winery successfully applied to the US Market Entry Program, which is delivered by Wine Australia and supported by the South Australian Government. 

As one of 16 South Australian wineries to participate in the program, the Lobethal based winery is on track to achieve its goal to continue expansion in international markets. 

Through the program, Golding Wines will have access to real-world guidance and market introductions with Wine Australia to provide advice on how to approach the US market and align with consumer demand. 

Founder and Managing Director of Golding Wines, Darren Golding, said he looked forward to taking their vision for a high-quality, cool climate wine and introducing the US market to their product. 

“Up until this point, we have only exported a small portion of our total production to China and Singapore,” Mr Golding said. 

“We are continually looking for new opportunities to support the growth of our brand. 

“After consolidating our position in the domestic Australian market, we applied to be part of the US Wine Market Entry Program as we see the US market as a huge opportunity for our brand to take the next steps towards growth in production as well as solidifying our presence in a new international market.” 

Golding Wines will use the funding to take advantage of growth opportunities presented by the US market and said the US Market Entry Program will support the winery in its efforts to diversify exports into the US market. 

“With the disruption that COVID-19 has caused to international travel it is invaluable to have the expertise from Wine Australia personnel on the ground in-market to advocate and promote our brand when we cannot physically be there ourselves.

“We would like to build relationships with a select number of distributors to achieve distribution in five key regions in the US, focusing on areas that are yet to be saturated by Australian wines, allowing our brand to stand out from the crowd,” Mr Golding continued.

“We see the opportunity to promote our own brand to the US consumer, but also in broader terms it would be great to achieve further recognition of the Adelaide Hills as a wine region of note, producing high quality cool climate wines, within the US market”

“We selected the US market as one of interest as we have identified that the opportunities currently available there align well with our business and our plans for growth.”

The size and diversity of the US market is what attracted Mr Golding to submit the application.

“It is a large and diverse market, and key factors such as the opportunities for growth in the mid-tier price bracket as well as a keen interest in the market for lighter style cool climate varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, mean that it is a market that we feel will suit our brand,” Mr Golding said.


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