FROM BAROSSA TO BORDEAUX (AND BEYOND)

In 1987, a British wine merchant had great success in selling his European wines by adding a completely new ingredient, Aussie and Kiwi winemakers.

In 1984, Tony Laithwaite had been invited by the New Zealand government to check out their 10-year-old wine industry. In 1986 he introduced Marlborough Sav Blanc to the UK before anyone there had heard of it - and blew their socks off!

Tony knew that New Zealand and Australia had "Come from nowhere to be probably the best winemakers in the world". Australian wine colleges produced many talented graduates with skills often lacking in Europe's sleepier wine regions. With a plane ticket in hand and the promise of a holiday job doing a second harvest of the year in France, Italy and Spain, many young winemakers simply could not resist. So, he recruited a few…

They came, and they conquered.

In three years, Tony had a full team of what he dubbed his 'Flying Winemakers' (what's more every major wine retailer in Britain had copied him). Locals, who often spoke little-to-no English, soon learned to mimic "No worries, mate" as their obscure little regions began beating famous names in competition... and sales!