A Bottle of Red. A Bottle of White. And Podcasting.

The Australian wine industry has taken the hi-tech route in its communications strategy by taking the podcast path in order to educate people about its wines. And it seems to have worked. The first podcasts describing Australia's wine regions have been downloaded more than 10,000 times since being launched in April this year.

The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (Wine Australia) has benefited from this new media with 15 per cent of website traffic visiting the podcasts, claimed Lucy Anderson, Manager of International Marketing and Communications with the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation (AWBC).

"Narrated by Australian wine writer Max Allen from his book Crush, Wine Australia's first series of podcasts have proved a popular addition to our marketing efforts," said Lucy, "There's nothing intimidating about it” she continued, “the use of technology in wine education makes it easy and fun for anyone that has an interest in wine and wants to learn. This is an innovation that will benefit all of the Australian wine industry as it quickly and easily facilitates knowledge transfer. "By enabling people to simply download a host of regional information and listen to it on their computer or iPod we've taken Australia's wine regions to the world. The popularity of the podcasts and flexibility of the medium has prompted us to launch a new varietal series and additional episodes of Crush. "There are now 47 episodes available with a new series of vodcasts showcasing the diversity of varietal wines from across Australia. Presented by Ben Glaetzer - one of Australia's own 'Regional Heroes' - Ben comments on how the region dictates the style of wine that ends up in your glass and then talks through the variation you might expect to find between enjoying a Coonawarra, Limestone Coast, Riverland or Margaret River Cabernet, for example."

To access the Wine Australia podcasts or multimedia files visit www.wineaustralia.com (Resources) or go to the iTunes music store and search for 'Wine Australia' or 'Regional Heroes' and subscribe for free