Prepare 29 chefs, add 150 grocery stores, stir in 100 recipes, season with product displays and sauté on high until sold. That's the hot new recipe for Stonehaven's sales success in the south.

As the exclusive Australian wine sponsor of the "Great Chefs of America" cooking with wine demonstrations, Stonehaven Vineyards of Australia is offering consumers great learning and tasting experiences right in their own grocery stores and moving product out the door with them. Last summer, Stonehaven sponsored these cooking and tasting demonstrations in Georgia supermarkets and sales surged as a result. Gayle Martin, brand director for Stonehaven's U.S. importer, Banfi Vintners, testifies to the program's success. "In the Georgia Publix stores sales rankings, we went from 8th to 5th in the Australian wine category and in all Atlanta stores that use scanners to track sales, we jumped from 12th to 5th indicating a 669.3% volume sales increase over the year before. We attribute the majority of this growth to the in-store cooking demonstrations," she said.

This month, demonstrations will take place in over 150 Publix grocery stores in Georgia and Florida. Twenty-nine member chefs of the "Great Chefs of America" will teach shoppers how to prepare simple "meal solutions" in a fun and interactive atmosphere. Each session lasts about three hours, and in that time 75 to 100 dishes are prepared.

"Chef Mike Monahan is founder of "Great Chefs of America" and He recruits talented chefs to teach consumers how to cook fantastic meals that are quick and easy. "With these demonstrations, everyone wins," says Chef Mike. "The stores love them for the entertainment value, sponsors see their products fly off the shelves because people get the chance to taste them, and most importantly, customers love them because they offer a new idea for dinner complete with easy instructions and ingredients at their fingertips." Chef Mike also hosts two popular Atlanta area radio programs; "The Fan" which has a tailgating party theme and "Chillín & Grillín with Chef and the Fat Man" which Stonehaven supports as the exclusive wine sponsor.

Stonehaven wines includes three distinct tiers of regional varietals: a Premium Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz/Cabernet blend, all from the broad South Australia appellation; and a Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon in both the Limestone Coast tier and region-specific Reserves. The winery, opened in 1998, is located in prestigious "Limestone Coast," growing region. The area is recognized for its temperate maritime climate, ideal for white wines, and Terra Rossa soils, a prime component for growing important red wine grapes. Stonehaven's vineyards were planted over the past 25 years by leading Australian wine producer BRL Hardy, who developed Stonehaven to focus on the Limestone Coast's unique terroir.