(Left to right) Simon, Helen and Shannon at Jacob’s Creek. Image courtesy DrinkWise

Pernod Ricard Winemakers are using DrinkWise scratch cards to help guests monitor their alcohol consumption whilst tasting, and have distributed over 10,000 cards through their Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo cellar doors in South Australia.

DrinkWise CEO, Simon Strahan, said the educational campaign is aimed at helping consumers make better choices when tasting wines.

“With approximately eight million visitors to wineries across Australia annually and tastings available at the many cellar doors on the tourism pathway, consumers need an easy and effective means to track their drinking, especially if they are driving. The more than 200 South Australian cellars doors are typically located a long drive away from cities, so it’s imperative that visitors know how much they’re consuming in order to make responsible choices. This is why it’s great to hear that our Stay tasteful while tasting initiative has been such a success at Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo, two of South Australia’s leading cellar doors.

“DrinkWise works with government, police, community and the alcohol industry in a whole of community approach to deliver these important messages, when and where people are purchasing or consuming alcohol. The innovative Stay tasteful while tasting scratchie cards demonstrate visually that six 15ml tastings is approximately one standard drink, enabling consumers to actively think about their alcohol consumption and make safer, healthier and more responsible decisions.”

Helen Strachan, who is Pernod Ricard’s legal, public affairs, communications and S&R director, chair of the National Wine Foundation and a DrinkWise board member, said she was proud of the role that Pernod Ricard Winemakers was playing in helping consumers make responsible decisions.

“I am proud to see the widespread adoption of DrinkWise’s Stay tasteful while tasting initiative at cellar doors across Australia, including in our Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo cellar doors, where our guests to just those two cellar doors have now used over 10,000 tasting tracker scratchies.

“By identifying the need to embed responsible drinking as part of the cellar door experience, DrinkWise has achieved a societal change ensuring wine tasting is an inclusive, responsible and safer experience for everyone. Our cellar door guests now have access to engaging educational resources, such as innovative scratchies and standard drink references, empowering our customers to monitor and manage their alcohol consumption.

Front of house manager at Jacob’s Creek Shannon Kruschel, said that the DrinkWise initiative helped Pernod Ricard focus on the importance of responsible hosting.

“The scratchies are a huge hit with guests – they are a talking point with our staff to help guests understand why we have them and educate on how many tastings equate to a standard drink.”

The initiative has been a key contributor to Jacob’s Creek receiving Pernod Ricard Winemaker’s Responsible Hosting certification, an accreditation aimed at ensuring responsible serving of alcohol standards are met globally across Pernod Ricard venues.

Precinct manager at Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo, Zoe Wilde, said that the message of moderation is an important one when it comes to ensuring guests have safe experiences.

“When we talk about ‘Responsible Hosting’ in the cellar door world and especially if we think about how much other information our hosts share during the experience, it can seem like just one more thing to do, but Stay tasteful while tasting is so easy to implement and it is such an important message for our guests.

“The DrinkWise collateral has also helped us achieve several criteria required for Responsible Hosting certification and is included as part of our consumer education, governance and duty of care strategies. I’d encourage all cellar doors and venues in South Australia to ensure this initiative is front and centre at their venues so it continues to be part of the norm when consuming alcohol at cellar doors.”

‘Stay tasteful while tasting’ is a national initiative, in partnership with Australian Grape & Wine and the National Wine Foundation. Since the initial campaign launch in 2022, over 1,800 winery cellar doors, wine festivals and events, and tourism associations across Australia have been sent resources to help them educate their guests about the importance of moderation by utilising the education resources provided by DrinkWise, including scratchies, signage and digital resources.

To keep track of their tastings, wine lovers can grab their DrinkWise scratchies at Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo cellar doors, the Barossa Visitor Centre, as well as a range of other cellar doors, wine festivals and events and tourism associations across McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra and Clare Valley. Cellar doors who’d like to access DrinkWise’s free Stay tasteful while tasting resources can contact [email protected].

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