Media

Media Quotes – Mick Turner - Founder – The Drink Show & WineX

Why did you create The Drink Show?

“The drinks market is evolving rapidly, but many producers still struggle to connect with new audiences beyond their own region. The Drink Show was created as a more focused tasting platform designed around discovery, meaningful engagement and genuine commercial opportunity.”

Why host The Drink Show in Newcastle?

“Newcastle sits at the gateway to the Hunter Valley - one of Australia’s most recognised wine regions. It offers strong regional identity, excellent accessibility and a relaxed coastal setting that suits a premium wine-led tasting experience.”

Why launch WineX?

“Australia produces world-class wine, yet there’s still no true nationally positioned wine exchange bringing producers, buyers, distributors, media and hospitality together within a professionally curated environment. WineX has been developed to help fill that gap.”

Why position WineX around wine first?

“Wine remains the foundation of the premium drinks industry. It naturally attracts buyers, sommeliers, distributors, hospitality groups and engaged consumers seeking discovery, education and commercial connection.”

Will WineX include spirits?

“Yes - but selectively. WineX is intentionally wine-led, with a carefully curated allocation of premium craft distillers, international portfolios and emerging drinks brands designed to complement the broader tasting experience.”

How is WineX different from The Drink Show?

“The Drink Show is a curated NSW tasting showcase designed around discovery and engagement. WineX is the broader national platform - more trade-focused, nationally positioned and designed to facilitate higher-level industry connection across Australia and eventually internationally.”

What is the event format?

“The format combines dedicated trade tasting sessions with a premium consumer tasting experience later in the day. This allows producers to have focused commercial conversations while also building direct consumer engagement and brand exposure.”

Why deliberately limit exhibitor numbers?

“We intentionally cap exhibitor numbers to protect the experience for both exhibitors and guests. Smaller curated floors encourage stronger visibility, longer conversations and more meaningful product discovery.”

What makes these events different from traditional drinks festivals?

“These events are not built around crowd volume or entertainment-first programming. They sit somewhere between a professional trade tasting and a premium consumer experience, with a strong emphasis on quality interaction, discovery and commercial relevance.”

What kind of audience do the events attract?

“The audience is highly discovery-led - trade buyers, sommeliers, hospitality operators, media and engaged consumers who genuinely want to meet producers, explore portfolios and buy with intent.”

Why focus on one NSW showcase and one national platform?

“The strategy is based around concentration rather than oversaturation. The Drink Show acts as the NSW showcase, while WineX becomes the nationally positioned flagship.”

What is the biggest challenge in running these events?

“The biggest responsibility is delivering genuine exhibitor value. Producers invest significant time, stock and resources, so the platform has to create meaningful outcomes - whether that’s sales, buyer relationships, distribution opportunities or long-term brand growth.”

Tell us about the founder

“I created The Drink Show after observing how many large-scale drinks festivals prioritised crowd size over meaningful engagement. The vision was to build something more focused, commercially valuable and professionally curated for both producers and attendees.”

Where do you see the events evolving?

“The immediate focus is establishing a strong NSW showcase in Newcastle while developing WineX into a nationally recognised trade and tasting platform with growing international relevance.”

Closing Quote

“At their core, these events are about discovery - meeting the makers, building relationships and experiencing the diversity of Australian and international wine in a more focused, engaging and commercially meaningful environment.”

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