Tourism and Hospitality
Tourism and Hospitality
Mr. Darren Gall is an expert in International Tourism and Hospitality Marketing, Brand Development and Management, Brand Equity and Strategy, and Business Planning and Marketing Project Management
Mr Darren Gall
International Tourism and Hospitality Marketing, Brand Development and Management, Brand Equity and Strategy, and Business Planning and Marketing Project Management.
Darren Gall has worked in the International Wine, hospitality, and tourism Industries for the past 30 years. He has experience in literally all facets of the industry, from grape growing and winemaking to product and market development, export, import, marketing and brand management, wholesale, retail and as a wine writer, wine show judge, trainer, and event curator.
Darren has lived and worked in Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and Margaret River and travelled and worked in over twenty-five countries around the world -as an ambassador for wine. Darren first began exporting wine to Asia a quarter of a century ago and has lived in the region since 2001, (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar) developing markets in most countries in the East and Southeast Asia regions.
Whilst Darren’s initial background has been wine-marketing, he completed the winery chief executive course at the Melbourne Business School as well as the Advanced Wine Assessment course at Waite Institute in Adelaide, he has also attended programs for the international ‘Masters of Wine Institute.’ He was the marketing director of two of Australia’s leading fine wineries and general manager of another.
Darren has also served on committees and working groups as a member of The Australian Winemaker’s Federation, the Australian Wine Export Council, the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, the Coonawarra Vignerons Association, and the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association.
Darren has been a guest speaker at several international wine conferences talking about the market for wine in Asia and he has served as a wine judge in many international wine shows around the world, including Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, and Japan.
In Cambodia, Darren was the founding director of AK Wines and a consultant on Business Development to Celliers d’Asie, two of the largest importer/distributors of wine in the country. He has worked as a consultant on specific projects for Warehouse Wine and The Vine Group in Vietnam, Cold Storage in Singapore, as well as Asia Wine Connection and Joval Family Wines across the region.
Darren also writes about food and wine and has written for countless newspapers and magazines in the region, he has previously contributed regular columns in Cambodia for the Phnom Penh Post, Khmer Times, and Asia Life Magazine. Has co-developed and was a contributing writer to the book, ‘Cambodia’s Top Tables with renowned British journalist Clive Graham-Ranger and has authored a book with Cambodia’s celebrity chef Luu Meng, called ‘Cambodia’s Seven Seas.’ He currently writes on food and wine for the Thalias Group and is a card-carrying member of the International Circle of Writers, whose offices are based in London.
Darren Gall was also the advising editor at large on Cambodia’s first wine magazine, ‘Premier’ and has his own website on regional food, wine, travel and lifestyle: www.vindochine.com Darren also served on the international advisory board of the charity ‘Wine into Water’.
Darren possesses and inexhaustible passion for wine and for the region in which he lives, he has dedicated his career to developing markets and forging an appreciation for wine, constantly presenting the world’s finest wines, and exploring ways in which they may become part of the lifestyle and culinary landscape in Asia.
It is a journey he has committed to for more than half of his lifetime, and he sees no end to that pursuit; to developing markets and within them, the careers of young professionals, nurturing talent and encouraging ambition in those who wish to find a pathway through the industry and who enjoy delivering happiness through great wine, gastronomy and hospitality.
Darren Gall is currently involved with several leading wineries as a Brand Ambassador in the Asia region and is chief winemaker at Red Mountain Estate in Myanmar. He is a brand consultant and supplier to several businesses in Cambodia and consults on training and food and beverage category development for a number of the country’s leading hotels and resorts. He also works with Liquid Assets and S Liquor in Cambodia in an advisory, mentoring, and training capacity.
In his spare time Darren likes to spend time with his family and is working on his next book.
Core competencies:
Brand development and management
Brand equity -strategy development,
International Marketing,
Business planning and development,
Team Building and teamwork orientation,
Marketing Project Management,
Human Resource management,
Training,
International Wine Judge
Category Analysis
Channel Development
Supply Chain Development
Memberships:
Darren Gall is currently or, has previously been a member of the following associations:
Circle of Wine Writers,
Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation,
Australian Wine Export Council,
Australian Wine Research Institute,
McLaren Vale Winemakers Association,
Winemaker’s Federation of Australia,
Coonawarra Vignerons Association,
Australian Sommeliers Association,
Hong Kong Sommeliers Association,
Wine Industry Association of Western Australia,
Margaret River Wine Industry Association
Shan State Winemakers Association of Myanmar
International Wine Judge
Winpac – Hong Kong (Associate Judge)
Hilton Wine Affair – Beijing (Senior Judge)
Bangkok Wine Show BITEC – Thailand (Senior Judge)
Vietnam Wine Challenge – Hanoi Vietnam (Senior Judge)
Japan International Wine Challenge – Tokyo Japan (Senior Judge)
Advanced Study
Advanced Wine Assessment – Waite Institute, Adelaide South Australia
Advanced Wine Executive Program – Monash Mt. Eliza Business College, Mornington, Aust.
Brand Equity Development – Australian School of Management, Sydney, Australia
Advanced Management and Leadership Studies – Western Metropolitan College - Melbourne
Masters of Wine Symposiums – Perth & Sydney, Australia
Australian Wine Outlook Conferences
Background:
In over 25 years as an ambassador of wine, Darren Gall has organised, conducted or been master of ceremonies of countless tastings, classes and lectures with many of the world’s leading Winemakers, Wine Writers and Wine Judges and he lists the wealth of experience gained from these events as one of the great rewards in the wine industry. He has said that “Wine is ultimately a shared experience, all about bringing people together and bringing them enjoyment.”
Darren Gall was a guest speaker for the Wine Industry Association of Western Australia at the 2006 Wine Outlook Conference where he presented an outlook on the market for Australian wine throughout Asia.
In 2005 Darren successfully oversaw the selection and importation of 15,000 vine and 2,500 Olive tree rootlings from Australia into Thailand for the further development of the Chateau des Brumes winery in Wang Nam Keow, in the Mekong Plateau highlands of Eastern Thailand.
Darren’s corporate writing has regularly included: Budget and report writing, Corporate Profiling, Advertising Script, Product Positioning, Media Script, Endorsements, Company history, Creative Copy, Catalogues, Brochures, Newsletters, tasting notes. As well as having been a corporate writer Darren has also written reviews and articles for a large number of publications in Australia and around the world and is a published author still writing books today.
Darren Gall served for many years on the International Advisory Board of the Non-Profit Organization, Wine into Water, which raises funds through the industry to provide fresh water wells to under-privileged villagers in rural Cambodia.
Darren is, or has written regularly for the following publications: Vindochine, Urban Flavours, Premier Wine Magazine, Word Magazine, Vietnam Golf Magazine, Asia Life Magazine, Vietnam Time Out Magazine, Expat Advisory Service, The Wandering Palate.com and is co-author of the books Cambodia’s Seven Seas and Cambodia’s Top Tables.
Darren Gall is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers, the world's leading international association of writers and communicators on wines and spirits.
Darren also maintains his own website, Vindochine, where he writes about wine, food, travel and experiences around Asia.
International Experience
Countries worked in:
Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China, (including Hong Kong, Macau & Taiwan), Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Britain, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam.
Other Countries worked with:
Canada, U.S.A., Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Ireland, Taiwan, Philippines. South Korea, India, Austria.
Selection of International Events Worked at:
Foodex - Japan
Wine Australia - Sydney – Melbourne
Taste Of Australia - Hong Kong
WinPac - Hong Kong
Hofex - Hong Kong
VinExpo - Hong Kong
Australian Wine & Dine experience - Malaysia
London Wine Trade Fair - England
Hofex - Singapore
Hofex - Thailand
Hilton International Food & Wine Experience - Beijing China
Raffles City Wine Exhibition - Singapore
Horeca - Malaysia
BITEC Bangkok Wine Show - Thailand
International Wine Challenge - Vietnam
Camfood -Cambodia
Australian Wine Roadshow - People’s Republic of China
Pinot Palooza - Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan
Some of the tasks undertaken:
University Lectures,
Five-star Hotel training and lectures,
Coordinator and host of dinners, lunches, PR events, Press calls etc,
Master Class coordinator and conductor,
Coordinator of Master Chef functions and events,
Wine tutorials and lectures, industry lectures and outlooks presentations,
International Wine Show Judge
Developing relationships with key international press and generating P.R.
Developing Brand Awareness strategies and Brand Equity Strategies,
Developing Supply Chains and Channel Strategies
Writing articles and media releases for various international food and wine publications
Senior Wine Judge
Darren Gall has spent over twenty-five years traveling, living and working in Asia. He is currently working in winemaking, import, export, business development and brand ambassadorial roles in the region, he is based in Cambodia.
Darren first began exporting wines to Asia in 1995 and moved to Thailand on a permanent basis in 2001, setting up his regional base in Bangkok, Thailand and representing the Australian and New Zealand Wine Industries across the region where he continues to work with importers of in a number of key markets, assisting them to successfully develop their wine categories and effectively market their wines.
Prior to that, Darren had spent the previous decade traveling across the world as Global Brands Manager of the Leconfield Wine Group. This period of Darren’s life saw him work in over a dozen different countries, establishing working relationships with twenty different countries in all. It was a most interesting period in his professional life where in his own words he would: “One day find myself standing in a vineyard discussing vintage conditions, the next day I might be in the winery for blending trials and the next I would undoubtedly be in another country giving a wine presentation. About half the year was running around between the company’s vineyards and wineries whilst the other half was spent working with Agents, importers, distributors and the various media and industry related bodies both in Australia and around the world.”
Darren’s initial education in the industry was greatly assisted by the Crittenden and Murphy families, two of the biggest names in wine retail in Australia at that time and the largest retailers if fine imported wines into Australia, which gave Darren his life-long passion and dedication to the ‘whole’ world of wine. Darren currently works with wineries based in virtually all of the major wine producing regions of the world helping to build their brands and sales with some of the largest wine importer / distributors in Asia.
He is currently chief winemaker for Red Mountain Estate winery in Shan State Myanmar.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Red Mountain Estate Vineyard and Winery 2019 – Ongoing
POSITION DESCRIPTION: Consulting Chief Winemaker
POSITION OBJECTIVE: Oversee the production of high quality table wine from vineyard to table.
Overseeing all vineyard production and winemaking for the company, since Darren took over the winemaking, wine quality has improved exponentially, sales have more than doubled and the winery recently collected a silver and bronze medal at the International Wine and Spirit Challenge 20204 in London, one of the world’s largest and mist influential wine shows and a first for Myanmar.
Vindochine: 2012 – on going
POSITION DESCRIPTION: Creative Director/Founding Partner
POSITION OBJECTIVE: Develop creative content and oversee design elements of site to deliver and attractive package to the market and attract strong advertising and industry support.
Writer: – on going
Darren Gall is a published author and literary contributor and is currently working on his next book. He writes or has written weekly and monthly wine columns for the Phnom Penh Post, Asia Life Magazine, Time Out Magazine, Vietnam, Golf Magazine Vietnam, Khmer Times and many others over many years and continues to do so.
References:
Adam Jacobs: Managing Director
Vitiwise Viticultural Consultancy: +61 8 8556 2111
Ginny Wolfe: Auscham Cambodia +855 96 706 9273
Tim Squires: Legend Food Cambodia +855 89 521 303
Christine Lin: CEO Red Mountain Estate, Myanmar +95 9770 888888