From Vine to Victory: Small scale winery secures distributor and wine award in Japan with Stephanie Henderson-Grant

In this episode of the Jandals in Japan podcast, hosts Jayne and Catherine discuss various topics from the current rice shortage in Japan to the unique process of wine distribution with guest Stephanie Henderson-Grant, Managing Director of Ataahua Wines Limited in New Zealand. Stephanie shares her journey from working in the wool industry to establishing her own vineyard, winning the Double Gold Sakura Award at the Sakura Japan Women's Wine Awards, and overcoming the challenges of entering the Japanese market as a small-scale winemaker. The episode highlights the importance of patience, effective communication, and adaptability when navigating international markets.

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In this episode you’ll hear:

• How a small scale New Zealand winemaker was able to export to Japan
• Winning an award in Japan and what that means in the Japanese market
• How to work successfully with your Japan distributor
• The importance of communication and patience when it comes to working with distributors from other countries, in this case, Japan

About Stephanie

Stephanie Henderson-Grant is the owner and managing director for Ataahua Wines Ltd.

Stephanie’s love of wine and the NZ wine industry began almost 30 years ago when she started selling wine in NZ for a local wine producer. For the last 15 years, they have been producing wine under their own brand Ataahua Wine.

Ataahua Waipara Sauvignon Blanc 2022 was recently awarded the “Double Gold Sakura Award” in the Sakura Japan Women's Wine Awards 2024 in Japan. Double Gold Wines have an average score at 93-100 points across all categories and just 6% of the total entries receive this award.

Connect with Stephanie

Website: www.ataahuawine.co.nz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ataahuawinesnz/

Links

Ataahua Wines for purchase in Japan: https://item.rakuten.co.jp/ohshu/hnz22aataahua6/

Jandals in Japan is brought to you by Catherine O’Connell Law and PodLaunch with Jayne

Connect with Jayne and Catherine

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