The Margaret River Wine Industry Association has signed a formal agreement with the Federal Government’s AusIndustry (Department of Innovation, Industry, Science & Research) for a Small Business Online grant to the amount of $152,335, GST inclusive.  This funding will support the Association’s ‘Uncorking the Web for Wineries’ project, designed to assist grape growers and wine producers to deliver best practice eCommerce.

Leah Clearwater, President of the Association said today “The Association gratefully acknowledges the support provided by AusIndustry. It will be an incredible help in assisting the greater regional wine industry meet the present challenges we are facing.  The Board is strategically focused on providing tangible platforms for the Margaret River wine industry to grow and develop in a range of areas, particularly online commerce and internet marketing. We are very pleased to take this opportunity to partner with Dr Cam O’Beirne and his company Free the Wine again in implementing a project that will increase the innovative profile of our region. We have already achieved great success with Cam in the past on our very popular Margaret River podcast series’.

Over the next two years ‘Uncorking the Web for Wineries’ will deliver information on best practice and use of the internet and web for grape growers and wine producers in developing and sustaining their businesses.

Dr Cam O’Beirne outlined the cornerstone objectives as being “eBusiness development, targeted training and strategic mentoring services to the Margaret River wine industry.  The project will use multiple methods to educate and enhance the skills of people within the wine industry including seminars as part of the ‘Uncorking the Web Workshop Series’ and one to one training under the ‘eWine to One’ stream, along with other innovative new media techniques such as online resourcing and podcasting.”

“In today’s rapidly changing communication world utilising a Web 2.0 framework will allow the ‘Uncorking the Web for Wineries’ project to enable all wine businesses, small or large to maximise their participation in the digital economy”, said Dr O’Beirne.

The first ‘Uncorking the Web for Wineries’ workshop is scheduled for early April 2010 with more information available from the Association website (www.margaretriverwine.org.au) shortly.