The world’s first wine produced by women to raise funds for women in wine

The Australian Women in Wine Awards today announce the release of hear me roar, the world’s first wine produced by women where 100% of profits go to assist women to flourish and succeed in their chosen profession in the wine industry.

 hear me roar is a 2018 shiraz sourced and blended by four of Australia’s top female winemakers from parcels in the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Eden Valley and McLaren Vale regions of South Australia.

• Sue Hodder, Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate, Coonawarra
• Emma Norbiato, Calabria Family Wines, Barossa Valley
• Rebekah Richardson, Irvine Wines, Eden Valley
• Corrina Wright, Oliver’s Taranga, McLaren Vale

The wine is expected to be released on Thursday 21^st February 2019. Quantities are strictly limited and a minimum order of six bottles is required, with free Australia-wide delivery. Pre-orders are available here, via the Irvine Wines website. Irvine Wines have generously funded the project thus far and are assisting with the sales process.

 The brand name hear me roar is a clear and deliberate reference to the iconic Helen Reddy song released in 1971 and taken up more widely as a rallying cry for change.

All proceeds from the sale of the wine will go towards scholarships, mentoring programs and professional development for women in the Australian wine industry. Information on how to apply and the selection criteria will be made available in June.

“This is an exciting next stage in the way we are able to support Australian women in wine,” said Jane Thomson, founder and chair of the AWIWA. “While the awards continue to provide an important platform to champion the success of women, we also recognise that more action is needed to retain women in all roles of the industry at greater levels. Releasing this wine is a means of generating the funding we need to make that happen.”

Rebekah Richardson, of Irvine Wines, said that while the winemakers who volunteered their time and expertise have been integral to the project, it’s been the involvement of so many other people and companies in the Australian wine community that have brought hear me roar into existence. “The amount of support received has been fantastic,” said Rebekah. “And it’s a great reminder of what we as an Australian wine community can do when we come together.”

Those companies who have donated services and products to create hear me roar include:

• denomination – label design
• Irvine Wines – winemaking, production and sales support
• Wynns Coonawarra Estate – wine and winemaking
• Calabria Family Wines - wine and winemaking
• Prowine – bottling
• Visy – cartons
• Vinpac International - caps
• Multi-Color Global Label Solutions – labels

The wine is available via the Australian Women in Wine Awards website www.WomenInWineAwards.com.au/hear-me-roar

About the wine:

hear me roar was blended by the winemakers in October 2018 at Irvine Wines in the Eden Valley, and is medium-bodied in style highlighting beautiful, bright fruit, a layered palate and fine velvety tannins to finish.

About AWIWA:

The Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) was founded in 2015 to acknowledge and reward the work of women in the Australian wine industry, and industry leaders who champion equality and fairness for all sexes in the workplace. They are the first and only awards program for women in wine in the world. 

The Advisory Board 2019 are:

• Jane Thomson (chair): Founder and MD of The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society
• Jeni Port: Melbourne-based wine writer
• Corrina Wright: CEO & Winemaker, Oliver’s Taranga, McLaren Vale
• Toni Carlino: Wine marketing specialist and independent consultant
• Rebekah Richardson: winemaker, Irvine Wines, Eden Valley
• Sami Gilligan: Gilligan Contracting, McLaren Vale
• Sarah Collingwood: CEO, Four Winds Vineyard, Canberra District 

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Hi-res images and bottle shots available here.