WithWine was established by former Macquarie Banker and Apple executive Richard Owens in 2012. The company’s General Manager, Ben Copeman-Hill said “Our mission is all about getting customers to buy directly from wineries and making that experience memorable. Over the last year, we have assembled a great team to drive the DTC business forward. Andrew Caillard MW will work as an advisor and assist us in reaching our goals.”
Caillard, one of the most influential members of the Australian wine industry was co-founder of specialist wine auctioneers Langton’s, which was sold to the Woolworth group – Australia’s largest wine retailer - in 2009. While remaining associated with Langton's, and creating its respected Fine Wine Classification of Australian Wine, he also became the group’s Wine Principal, working with its several brands, including the Dan Murphy’s retail chain and the online merchant, Cellarmasters.
DTC is growing globally in the wine industry but the need for it in Australia has become more urgent since savage tariffs imposed by China in 2020 slashed exports to that market and Covid lockdowns handicapped domestic and international wine tourism.
Andrew Caillard said “The history of Australian wine is punctuated by market shocks and the reliance on a few gatekeepers…I have joined the WithWine team because it has a great culture, a sense of purpose and believes in the cause of Australian Wine. Those are ingredients for an exciting journey!”
