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Gore dines out on Aussie win

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Gore dines out on Aussie win
The Gold Coast Bulletin
2nd June 2007

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CRAIG Gore's full-bodied push to have Yanks drink Aussie Vineyards' wine has achieved corker results.

Less than two years old, the company, backed by the Gold Coast entrepreneur, shipped off more than 75,432 cases of its wine to the Americas since September last year.

The sales have injected around $15 million into the Queensland economy.

The result puts Aussie Vineyards among Australia's leading wine exporters to the US, a market worth $1.2 billion to this nation each year.

The company also claims to have topped its Gold Coast rival, Sirromet, as the largest exporter of Queensland wines to the US.

Aussie Vineyards produces the wine on the Gold Coast, sourcing the grapes from Queensland's Granite Belt and other wine regions.

Mr Gore this year sold a 50 per cent stake in the company to philanthropist/entrepreneur Lord Michael Ash-croft in a deal understood to be worth about Stg 25 million ($61 million).

Aussie Vineyards began as a joint venture between Mr Gore and Gold Coast businessman John Fish.

The two men ended the venture in February last year in a move that gave Mr Gore full control of the company.

Aussie Vineyards cost about $20 million to establish over two years and, following the Lord Ashcroft purchase, is valued at more than $120 million.

The company's penetration of the US has been built on Mr Gore's association with the Nascar and Champ Car racing series through his Team Australia which races under the Wright Patten Shakespeare (WPS) banner.

WPS is committed to about 40 race events this year.

Aussie Vineyards has established a cellar-door operation on Mt Tamborine which, Mr Gore said, has achieved sales growth of about 45 per cent a week since opening earlier this year. However, its main focus is the US.

"The partnerships that we have created through both the Champ Car and NASCAR marketing programs now see Aussie Vineyards wines for sale in more than 5000 outlets throughout the United States," said Mr Gore.

"We are now looking to double that number of outlets as soon as possible."

The company was also looking to explore other ventures through Lord Ashcroft's UK associations.

Mr Gore said the sales were a boost for the Queensland wine industry.

"We've always known that Queensland wines are among the best in the world and now the rest of the world is starting to sit up and notice," he said.

"Queensland wines are as good as those of any region in the country and they are starting to win major awards throughout the world."