Australian Vintage sharpens European focus

Wine producer Australian Vintage is stepping up its European ambitions with the creation of a new business manager post.

Tim Lockwood

The company, whose brands include McGuigan, Nepenthe and Tempus Two, has hired Tim Lockwood, former European sales & marketing manager for Grant Burge Wines. He will take up the Berlin-based role of Australian Vintage business manager for Europe on 1 September.

In addition to his seven years with Grant Burge, Lockwood brings extensive experience from his time working in Germany for the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation, where he coordinated marketing activities and market entry for wineries into continental Europe, as well as implementing the AWBC’s media and education strategy.

Welcoming him to the team, Julian Dyer, general manager UK & Europe for Australian Vintage, commented “The appointment of Tim Lockwood and with it the opening of a branch in Europe is a real coup for us. AVL has seen a tremendous growth in the UK market in the last 12 months, and with our McGuigan wine brand now being the fourth largest in this market, we feel the time is right to expand further into Europe.”

Lockwood described himself as “delighted” to head up this move by Australian Vintage into “mainland Europe´s dynamic and certainly diverse markets.” He observed: “The strong and varied brands in the portfolio, nurtured by the multi-award winning winemaking team, led and inspired by Neil McGuigan, is a terrific base from which to grow AVL’s presence. I am excited to continue bringing the best Australia has to offer to the knowledgeable wine markets of the continent.”