Online wine retailer Vinomofo has bought Melbourne-based events company Revel, which produces the famed Pinot Palooza.

Vinomofo will retain all of Revel’s staff – including founder Dan Sims (pictured above with Vinomofo founder Justin Dry) – with a raft of new events planned for 2022. It’s the 10th anniversary of Pinot Palooza next year, whic will be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in May and June.

Sims said: “After a number of years of talking about collaborations and shared opportunities with Justin Dry, I’m pleased to announce the suite of REVEL events have been sold to Vinomofo with myself, and the entire team, staying on to further build the event brands and more. Here’s to exciting times (and projects!) ahead. Just. Stoked.”

Vinomofo chief executive Paul Edginton told The Australian: “As our customer base grows year-on-year, we are seeing demand for a more extensive offering, with tactile, engaging, fun experiences at the top of the must-have list,” he said.

“Today’s news to acquire Revel further builds our capabilities to continue meeting the growing needs of our customers who love wine, food and the adventure of experiencing it all.

“We’ve watched as [Revel has] cultivated their offering and remained dedicated to creating remarkable experiences that people could love and learn from.

“As a similarly savvy company, we saw that and admired what they achieved.’’

Sims said he was “pumped for what’s to come” after a difficult 18 months due to the pandemic. In 2019, Pinot Palooza was held in a dozen cities in five countries, involved 500 wineries and attracted 15,000 visitors. When lockdowns started in March 2020, Revel’s cash flow ground to a halt within 24 hours, as around 75% of its revenue came from ticket sales. 

“COVID-19 has been devastating for the entire event industry economic ecosystem,” Sims recently told Drinks Digest. “But when we can run the festivals, we know people will respond in kind. People want to get out and have some fun and engage with people. So yes, I’m very much looking forward to it.”