A SENIOR Riverland wine industry figure has been travelling the region with an internationally renowned photographer to shine a new light on local grape growers and winemakers.
Riverland Wine recently launched its Riverland Uprising project, with photographer Matt Wilson selected to capture images of the region’s vineyards and wineries.
Riverland Wine executive officer Lyndall Rowe – who travelled with Mr Wilson – said the project was aimed at generating new demand for locally produced wines.
“We have an extremely enthusiastic management committee, and we’re looking for ways to benefit the small to medium producers who have Geographic Indication (GI) wine,” Ms Rowe said.
We want to help them get into bigger markets, whether it be statewide, interstate, or export.”
Ms Rowe said Mr Wilson – whose work has featured in more than 40 magazines worldwide – had extensive experience in wine industry photography.
“I looked at a number of photographers, but Matt’s work stood out because it’s so different,” she said.
“He’s a lot of fun to work with, and he’s very good at pulling a bit of fun, and personality, out of people.
“He specialises in portraits, but photographing people in a left-of-field way.
“We had some really enthusiastic participants in those sessions. So when those images come out it should show our producers in a different light to how they’ve been seen before.”
The $63,000 project was supported in part by state government funding through PIRSA.
Ms Rowe – who was appointed to the executive officer role in January – said meeting Riverland growers and winemakers had been a personal highlight of the project.
“We wanted to shoot on location, so we covered from Morgan to Renmark,” she said.
“That involved visiting a number of different locations, whether it was a vineyard, or a winery.
“(For example) we photographed 30 people playing cricket at the beach at Lock 5.
“Being new in this role, it gave me the opportunity to get to know more of our members, and to really start building a relationship, which is so important.”
Ms Rowe said developing strategies to target new export markets was a priority for Riverland Wine.
“It’s all about the people behind the products, whether they are grape growers, or producing wine,” she said.
The project is about increasing demand for sales of Riverland-branded wine, helping producers develop their capability, and promoting the Riverland as a producer of quality, and interesting wine.
“There’s no fix for losing the China market. Our local producers are going to be feeling that for some time to come, but we can keep chipping away at things, particularly with small and medium-sized producers.
“That’s helping people diversify into other markets, helping them tell their stories… and we have expert-led workshops coming up.”
Ms Rowe advised Mr Wilson would return to the region to visit more members of the local wine industry.
“Matt has confirmed he will come back to do a second photography session with us...” she said.
“This is all about inclusion and participation as a community, so we would encourage people to get in touch and be involved.”
Any local grape growers, or wine producers, seeking further information regarding the Riverland Uprising project can contact Lyndall Rowe via email.