Virtual community for wine lovers

Lovers of Adelaide Hills wine have a new, online community of their own, thanks to a research project at the University of Adelaide looking at the use of social media by the wine industry.

As part of the project, the Adelaide Hills Wine Region has launched its new virtual 'Wine Room' - an online, interactive community forum complete with a program of events that showcase the best the region has to offer.

The Wine Room is connected to the website of the Adelaide Hills Wine Region. Funded by the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC), the Wine Room is supported by the University of Adelaide's Wine2030 Research Network and the Business School.

Dr Roberta Veale, marketing lecturer with the University's Business School, has spearheaded the initiative as part of her GWRDC-funded research project 'Wine As A Social Bond', which is the first study of its kind looking at the use of social media by the wine industry.

"The Wine Room is a place where fans of the region's wine can go online and chat to their favourite winemakers, enjoy live streamed wine and food matching events, watch interviews with key wine personalities, and discuss their favourite wine experiences," Dr Veale said.

"Already there is a whole calendar of online events, with members able to log in at the scheduled time to view and participate in each event."

Dr Veale said the Wine Room represented a groundbreaking strategy for the Adelaide Hills wine industry.

"To our knowledge, no other wine region has employed this technology and these types of consumer engagement strategies - combining community building and social media tools - as a marketing device for the region as a whole," she said.

For last month's launch of the Wine Room, an 'online tasting' was conducted by Hahndorf Hill Winery. Registered members of the Wine Room were able to log in and participate in a live, streamed tasting of wine matched to gourmet chocolate, during which they could comment on the experience, pose questions to the Hahndorf Hill vignerons, and engage in wine tasting from the comfort of their own homes.

"In time, we expect to see members of the Wine Room hosting their own events and showing their fellow community members what the region and its products mean to them," Dr Veale said.

Dr Veale and colleagues are also working on a brand community with Mt Surman Wines of the Clare Valley and a collaborative project with the Barossa Grape & Wine Association.

Membership of the Wine Room is free. To become a member, simply register at: adelaidehillswine.com.au/wineroom/register

Marketing is taught at the University's Business School. For more information about the School, go to: business.adelaide.edu.au