So its been a long time between drinks for this blogger but I must say in between Christmas, New Year and the start to a very busy year, its been hard to get on here and have a yarn.

Australia Day... The day of the year us Australians should feel proudest of what we have achieved as a country. For some of us, its the pride we feel having settled here from another land, making Australia our home. For others, its celebrating the generations of being here, sharing the spoils our beautiful country has to offer..

For us at the Stonefish camp its about celebrating being "Australian to the Bone" in which we live life to the fullest, good food, wine and company in tow.
What does Australia Day mean to you?

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So after getting fed up with dodging through the maze that became our HQ due to a dire overstocked situation, we finally found a new warehouse that met all our (many) needs and we bit the bullet and moved!

The whole team got together and put all their manpower and smarts together and we got it all moved, right to the tiniest paperclip.

For all the address details of our new warehouse, please see estatewines.com.au, and please note all our phone and email details are the same.

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Ok so we didn't win, but we did get something super spesh.

As you all know, Estate Wines were nominated for 2 great awards (Best Exporter in Agriculture and Young Exporter of the Year for our very own Joanne Papanikitas) in the NSW Premiers Awards held in Sydney on Oct 20th. 

While Jo missed out on her award, (needless to say however, in her 2nd year of exporting, just being nominated is simply outstanding) Estate Wines got a very smooth Highly Commended in their category, which is like a glorified Runner Up. Glorified simply because its only issued out if there has been an application simply too good to miss out on a prize. 

So after a great night with the team eating and drinking merrily, we waltzed on home (ok, caught a few taxis) armed with our plaque ready to seize the next year of export with all the confidence in the world knowing we just have a super product to share.

A huge thank you to our loyal consumers, clients and our magnificent team for making this very special achievement memorable and satisfying for our early years in export.

And as usual... Cheers!

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After 10 years servicing NSW, ACT and in the last 3 years, QLD and VIC, Stonefish Wines are expanding in full force!

We are at a stage where its not only possible to service other parts of Australia, but we have the means and manpower to finally do so.

In previous times, our distributor Estate Wines has supplied directly for Stonefish Wines in NSW, ACT and QLD, with VIC being outsourced to another distributor. In a big and bold move for the brand, Estate Wines have appointed two reps in VIC to exclusively sell our brands, along with our very own footballer/wine merchant Zenon Caravella to service the Adelaide and SA region. In addition, we have just appointed a rep in WA to spread the word as well so it looks like...

Stonefish Wines are going National!

Again, thank you to our loyal consumers, this exciting expansion would not have been possible without you and of course, our incredible team and Stonefish and Estate Wines.

Go Stoney!

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So the nomination categories for NSW Premier's export awards have been announced and just as we hoped, we managed to be nominated in 2 of the categories we felt were most deserved.

Our darling Export Manager Joanne Papanikitas has been nominated for Young Exporter of the Year, and our Exporter and Distributor Estate Wines has been nominated for Best Exporter in Agriculture.

As for judgement day, the big awards ceremony is on October 20th, where our dedicated team will dine on a lavish dinner (and our fingernails in anticipation for the winner announcements) while mingling with NSW's finest exporters. Its always very interesting to meet exporters in our field and others, doing our country proud in producing some of the finest produce and goods our resources allow us to offer the world.

Again, Stonefish Wines are incredibly humbled to be amongst these fabulous few.

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This week saw big Peter Pap visit Bali to case out the Indonesian market.

Indonesia is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination for places other than just Bali, although our Bali is still an Aussie favourite and is where we saw PP visit to see some new places, and meet some new faces.

Every day, our office is inundated with enquiries from customers, outlets and agents worldwide about where they can purchase Stonefish Wines and of late we started to see an increase in demand from Indonesia. Big Peter Pap soon realised it was time to pack his sun screen (and of course, Stonefish samples) and pop on a plane to Bali.

To say that the trip started off a tad tumultuous was an understatement. All buckled up and ready to go, shortly before take off, the crew captain announces that they will not be travelling and will disembark due to some kind of fault (the less they knew the better). A collective group of sighs soon filled the plane and in a huff with everyone fighting for their on board luggage, the guests soon stomped off the airbridge with PP heading straight to the lounge where he immediately ordered a G & T while waiting to be called back to the new and hopefully fault-free plane.

Waiting, waiting.

Quite a few G & T's later and a bit of banter with travel partner Gavin, big PP was told that they will not fly today and will have to return the next day.

Fast forward some 18 hours, and PP found himself in Bali, staying in a lovely area called Seminyak. Gavin, a Bali veteran, showed him some sights and took him to some magnificent establishments, with two being absolute standouts, the Kudeta in Seminyak and the Red Carpet Champagne Bar (which stocks the biggest range of Champagne in Asia).

But of course, the trip was not entirely leisure, in fact as PP would say (very convincingly) - even the magnificent restaurants are all work, work, work.

I've said it before PP, can I be you if I am reincarnated?

On a somewhat serious note though, there were a lot of meetings that involved the distribution of Stonefish Wines in Indonesia, one in particular with an agent that supplies a large group of some 500 top hotels spread across the country. It was a positive experience, and we hope to be able to discuss our options further down the track. (Perhaps PP should send his loyal blogger Kat next time to do the honours of negotiation? I promise I'll work really hard PP!)

Well, until next time folks... Cheers! Who know, you may see me write from my bungalow in Bali, but I won't hold my breath...

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There is nothing more satisfying than seeing all your efforts and passion come to fruition through some level of acknowledgment. 

Acknowledgement comes in different ways, and in our case it ranges from being at a restaurant and seeing the table next to you be delivered a bottle of your wine, to things such as awards and nominations for achievements in your field.

This week, we found out that our National distributor and International exporter, Estate Wines was nominated in the 2011 Premier's Export Awards in one of 5 categories, which have not yet been announced. Just the thought of wine drinkers in all parts of the world sharing our wine not only excites us,  but motivates us to continue to produce a high quality product that our consumers have come to expect.

However exporting isn't just about taking orders and shipping them off to various exotic parts of the world, it is an area filled with paperwork, logistics, meticulous planning and rules and regulations (according to country) that if things aren't done correctly, your goods could be stuck at customs for months on end.

You think travelling overseas and ensuring you have no sharp objects (do tweezers count?), flammables (deodorant?) and a toiletry bag that contains all liquids under 100ml (ditch that moisturiser now before airport security does) was difficult and confusing? Try sending products for consumption to other countries... Its not easy.

When Joanne Papanikitas accepted the role of Export Manager, she realised pretty quickly it wasn't just a glamorous life of travelling the globe promoting our brands. 

Along with our Managing Director, she is the person responsible from all things export, from Sales and Marketing to waving our container goodbye while it leaves our shores.

Of course, once it arrives at its destination, the success of our brands lay completely in the hands of our fabulous distributors, who work closely with our Export team to ensure they have what they require to adequately promote our products. 

On October 20th, we'll find out whether, as new exporters, Estate Wines have won an award, and if they haven't, we are still incredibly proud for being nominated. Joanne and her team have done a phenomenal job getting our brand out there and these are great signs that all is looking pretty rosy when it comes to the global attraction of Stonefish. Well done!

In other news, we are super pleased to announce our enormous success at the highly acclaimed FBAT Wine Challenge, in where two of our Stonefish Varietals were overall winners in Premium Categories. Both Stonefish Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and Stonefish Shiraz 2006 took the gongs for both premium awards so we are incredibly proud and privileged to not only have been a part of the challenge, but to have won. 

Thank you.

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Notes from beautiful Thailand- a Stonefish adventure

I visited one of my favourite countries in August, primarily to attend two wine dinners where Stonefish Wines were being featured, but also to catch up with my agents and visit some of my customers. 

I’m fortunate in my travels that I meet and welcome into my life lots of different people from various cultures who live quite a different life to me.  The common denominator between us being a passion for what they do and not being afraid to get in and get their hands dirty to achieve their goals in life.

On my first day in Bangkok, I met such a person. Kiwi Dave I call him and he was introduce to me by a well known Hotelier from the Gold Coast, Tom.  An expat of 20 years, a family man who's witty and passionate about life- and I don’t just say that because he loves the Stonefish Range (but of course, it helps) !  I’m sure we’ll see more from him.

On my overseas trips I love catching up with people I've met from previous trips. I always try to meet up with my friend Mark, a welcoming and gregarious Aussie expat who owns a bar called Bar 4 in Nana-  “the place” to be if you are an Aussie expat.  I feel very much at home (and very proud) when I walk into his bar as I'm surrounded by signage and banners- all Stonefish! 

I ate at a most amazing restaurant called The Seafood Market and Restaurant while in Bangkok.  It’s slogan was, “if it swims, we have it”- and they certainly did! There were quite a few strange creatures, so I chose carefully and selected the chilli crab which was prepared spectacularly in a kitchen filled with 35 chefs and just as many assistants.

No trip to Bangkok would be complete without a visit to my favourite restaurant, Gai & Joel Global Flavours, http://www.gaiandjoel.com/ which boasts a menu full of internationally inspired gastronomical delights! I would return over and over just for their Tenderloin Tournedos. Bellissimo, divine!

If you’re after a great steak while in Bangkok, you can’t go past the Landmark Hotel where you will also be able to select from the whole Stonefish Range.  The Grand Hyatt is also one of my favourites and not because they sell more Stonefish than anyone in Bangkok, but it is home to 'Spasso', a beautiful bar that serves wicked cocktails and has great live music. It always proves to be a delightful wind down to a busy day of meetings or shopping.

The next leg of my trip found me again in beautiful Pattaya also to visit agents and customers where there are always so many new and exciting opportunities. The Hilton Hotel is stunning with beautiful views of the area and I hope to stay there again on my next visit.

On this trip, I met with Massiri, the Food & Beverage Manager and her charming associate Jeena from the Holiday Inn Hotel, who have been fantastic supporters of our wines for some time now. I very much enjoyed how the meeting evolved into an early dinner with a most entertaining and interesting group.

My last meeting in Pattaya involved a few relaxing Gin and Tonic's with an interesting gentleman by the name of Aloysius Michal of the beautiful Dusit Thani Hotel on Pattaya Beach, watching the world go by. I hope to work with Michael soon.

The final leg of my trip landed me in Samui as a guest of the Banyan Tree Hotel. My goodness, what a stunning establishment- I never wanted to leave! I was the representing guest at a wine dinner showcasing the Stonefish Range and Flying Finix for 30 of Samui’s most influential and well known lovers of fine food and wine. Many thanks to the charming General Manager Fredrick Arul- it was a most successful wine dinner.

The following day, I enjoyed a superlative lunch at Zazen in Samui. It was a delightful experience with a talented and passionate young manager!

If there weren't enough fantastic dinner's and lunches on this trip, there was one still to come. It was at a charming restaurant in Samui called 'The Red Snapper' where I shared a beautiful evening proved with interesting guests from many local hotels. While being entertained by a local jazz band, the guests thoroughly enjoyed Stonefish Wines and raved about our dessert wine of the Stonefish family, Flying Finix.

So many people make my journeys pleasurable and exciting and in no particular order or reason I would like to mention the following people I met on my trip:

Scott Bowen, General Manager - Centara Villas Samui

Anuchart Poldeeh, Food & Beverage Manager - Chaweng Buri Resort & Spa, Samui

Thirawat Chomchoey, Food & Beverage Manager – Peace Resort Samui

Sujin Butrajarn, Food & Berverage Director – Impiana Resort, Samui

Siwat Thitipornwatthanakul, Wine Sommelier – Four Seasons Hotel, Bankok

Massiri Chaleenwan, Food & Beverage Manager – Holiday Inn, Pattaya

David Ashworth, General Manager – Sixth Sense Hideaway, Samui

Juliane Pach, Executive Food & Beverage Manager – Sixth Sense Hideway

Fredrick Arul, General Manager – Banyan Tree, Samui

Jan Michael Leinung, Food & Beverage/Events Manager, Zanen Boutique Resort & Spa, Samui

Adthapong Visutyothapibal, Food & Beverage Service Manager – Sheraton Pattaya Resort

Theerasart Garijit, Food & Beverage Manager – The Tongsai Bay Hotel

Keep enjoying our wine and of course, keep in touch.

Cheers!

Peter Papanikitas

P.S I've taken some super snapshots to come. Stay tuned!

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Welcome one and all to the first installment of the official Stonefish Wines Blog!

Its been a long time coming but Stonefish Wines have taken to the Social Media scene like a duck takes to water. We are Twitterers, Facebookers, and now Bloggers. Who knew that ten years ago when Stonefish Wines started as a one man band in the ultra-competitive Sydney wine scene that today we would be a team full of hard working, dedicated individuals with one simple goal- to make great wine for the everyday consumer. You!

There is nothing better than connecting with our consumers who ultimately reflect who we are as a brand- high quality, top value, and great for a laugh! We like to think that a bottle of Stonefish (or 'Stoney' as its called in familiar surroundings) is the dinner gift from many a guest, regular accompaniment to many a meal, or simply the companion of a couple of friends, sharing stories on the verandah or in front of a fire.... Bliss!

Of course, a blog wouldn't be a blog without a current update of the happenings of Stoney, and right now, the big man himself, Peter Papanikitas is in Thailand spreading the good word. Koh Samui has been a particular sweet spot for our brand, where- thanks to our super Thai distributor- we are listed on some fantastic wine lists and have been part of many a wine dinner, most recently at the superb Banyan Tree Resort. Peter's trip has so far been ever-fruitful, and as much as we're sure from down here in reality we enviously know he's throwing back a few cocktails by the lagoon, he's working tirelessly to show everyone how great Aussie wine can be.

We'd love to hear from you! Have you got a great Stonefish story?

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