Overview

Website Management

I led the website content and design elements for Taste Eden Valley Regional Wine Room, aligning storytelling with brand positioning, sales goals, and targeted visitor engagement. Managing content creation and sales orders via a Shopify dashboard provided an integrated platform for marketing 15 artisan wine labels and over 100 products, with detailed tasting notes to inform and convert customers.

SEO-optimised copy, measurable analytics, and integrated social media enabled targeted reach, campaign tracking, and audience engagement across Facebook and Instagram. Complemented by Mailchimp e-newsletters with embedded calls-to-action, the website drove online sales, wine club memberships, and ticketed events. As a digital tool for creating a measurable, data-driven platform while strengthening brand visibility, the website's success enabled artisan producers to leverage online capabilities for sustainable growth.

Event Campaigns

Under my leadership, Taste Eden Valley developed and executed innovative event campaigns that positioned the wine room as a benchmark for tourism, brand storytelling, and industry collaboration. Campaigns ranged from intimate experiences, including wine and chocolate flights, educational wine classes, private luxury vineyard tours, and an after-hours wine bar, to large-scale, award-winning initiatives such as the Taste Eden Riesling Festival, Australia’s first dedicated Riesling event.

Campaigns were strategically designed to increase brand visibility, drive consumer engagement, and elevate Eden Valley producers. Marketing initiatives incorporated multi-channel promotion across print, digital, and social media, with curated content, masterclasses, and immersive tastings creating unique consumer experiences. Beyond composing media releases and feature articles, combining creative event design with targeted communications strengthened the region’s reputation, supported producer growth, and reinforced Taste Eden Valley's leadership in innovative wine tourism and experiential marketing.

Print Media

As part of Taste Eden Valley’s marketing strategy, I led the creation and design of a suite of print media artefacts to promote the wine room, stakeholders, and the region. This included poster designs, street signage, flyers, postcard keepsakes, wine brochures, price lists, and more.

Each artefact reflected Taste Eden Valley’s brand style guide and high-end wine theme. Published content captured brand personalities and stories of 15 artisan wine producers, while supporting targeted campaigns, events, and seasonal promotions. By combining strategic messaging with professional design, these print assets reinforced brand identity, enhanced visitor engagement, and provided tangible touchpoints that complemented digital and social media initiatives, driving awareness, sales, and loyalty across domestic and international audiences.

Stakeholder Management

Taste Eden Valley was independently owned and operated as a central Barossa wine and tourism destination, providing 15 artisan wine labels direct access to consumers, trade, and media networks:

• Chaffey Bros. Wine Co - MOUNTADAM Vineyard - Eden Hall Wines - Henschke - Poonawatta - Healthvale Wines - Garden & Field - Irvine - Stage Door Wine Co. - Sorby Adams Wines - Brockenchack Wines - Dandelion Vineyards - Heirloom Vineyards - Torzi Matthews Wines - Z Wines - Rileys of Eden Valley - Gatt Wines.

• Occasional Collaborations: Pewsey Vale - Heggies, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers - Gibson Wines and more.

• Food Producers: Barossa Valley Cheese Co. - Trevallie Orchards - Saskia Beer, Torzi Matthews - Gumshire - Carmella Curries - Barossa Bark and more.

Together with a savvy team of employees, I influenced stakeholder direction and their brand management, guiding members to participate in events, tastings, and promotional initiatives that elevated their brands while showcasing Eden Valley’s iconic vineyards, wines, and heritage.

Each producer was managed individually, with quarterly reviews, sales audits and brand reports, providing market insight to help shape decisions, drive growth, and strengthen their competitive edge.

Membership agreements, negotiated as required, ensured alignment with quality standards, legal compliance, and collaborative marketing strategies. Through TEV’s invitational business group structure and paid memberships, producers gained from a high-profile cellar-door presence, industry networks, and tourism channels, while my leadership fostered a culture of shared vision, collaboration, and sustained regional impact.

Taste Eden Valley Regional Wine Room 2008 - 2021

Taste Eden Valley Showcased the Heart of Barossa’s High Country Wines…

“Melissa Raymond of Taste Eden Valley has been able to provide us with a solution for showcasing part of our Eden Valley wine range over weekend… Local, national and international guests who visit are welcomed into their beautiful tasting room and guided through both educational and sensory wine tastings by the team; a team that is passionate about sharing knowledge of the Barossa…

In the first year of Melissa’s ownership Henschke sales increased almost 34%, and have been climbing steadily since, with this year being on track to become the most successful year of our partnership. We have received positive feedback from our customers who are able to access a Henschke tasting experience outside of our opening hours.” Justine Henschke (Testimonial 2017)

Social Media

Guests enjoyed curated wine tastings, regional flights, private masterclasses, and educational workshops, along with onsite vineyard tours, to gain insight into wines, the people behind them, vineyard practices, and processes that make cellar-worthy wines. At the same time, Taste Eden Valley supported small producers through a shared space, where I developed and coordinated marketing/operational requirements, most notably, establishing the annual Taste Eden Riesling Festival (Australia’s first), as a strategy to increase brand visibility, reduce overheads and heighten the uniqueness of Eden Valley’s Riesling characteristics .

COVID events changed my career course; however, I reflect often and am proud of the efforts of many, including my team of staff and dedicated producers, who collaborated to strengthen Eden Valley as a wine region while creating a destination where visitors could explore its diversity, quality, and character.