Exclusive access to award-winning wine, invitation to dinners with globally renowned chefs, and new points-earning opportunities. These are just a few of the benefits that will be available to members of a premium new wine and food community launched recently for Qantas Frequent Flyers (FF). epiQure is a FF member-only on-line community available to all 7.8 million members to discover the Qantas cellar's diverse collection of wine, dine with globally renowned chefs and be part of a community with a shared appreciation of the finer things in life. Qantas Frequent Flyer CEO, Simon Hickey, said, "While there may be existing wine clubs, epiQure stands out as a program that offers much more than access to wine." Among the key benefits for epiQure members: > The opportunity to purchase wine selected by the Qantas Wine Panel for the First and Business Class Cellars as well as access to limited release wine vintages available only through epiQure online. > Exclusive points earning opportunities. Members will earn three Qantas FF points for every $1 they spend when buying wine and event tickets. > No charges on wine delivery within Australia until June 2012 > The chance to earn four points per dollar when dining at over 250 partner restaurants > The epiQure website www.epiQure.com.au forms the centre of a passionate community bringing together wine and food lovers, winemakers, producers, chefs, and industry experts to share knowledge and experiences. Members will get the first serve of up-and-coming chefs at the top of their game, get the inside scoop on new restaurants and have access to celebrity recipes. Simon Hickey added, "According to our research, one of the key areas of interest for Qantas Frequent Flyer members, apart from travel, is in the food and wine arena, so we developed a premium program to cater to those desires by drawing on Qantas' exclusive access to wine vintages and industry experts." Among the Australian chefs to be part of the community is Qantas in-flight consultant and multi-award winning chef, Neil Perry. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce dan Neil Perry will host the inaugural epiQure showcase event at Rockpool Bar and Grill in Sydney and Melbourne in July. To join epiQure, members can pay $99 or 13,000 points and receive a welcome gift valued at $130, three points per dollar on cash purchases of wine and event tickets, 2,000 bonus points after purchasing their first case and access to all the exclusive events and online community.(mar)