New Zealand bound
Friday 6 November
It’s less than three weeks until I move from London to New Zealand. Now, I know it’s a long way away but you’d think I was going to disappear off the face of the earth! Whatever happened to the wonder of email, telephone and Skype?
I’ll keep you updated with general news – and the latest from the New Zealand and Australian wine industry plus I’ll still be writing for the UK publications including Harpers, Decanter and Food & Travel so you’re not rid of me yet.
Thanks to everyone who came to my leaving do on Tuesday. There were lots of familiar faces including the former head of Wines of Argentina, James Forbes. It’s just been announced he’ll be the new head of buying and marketing at Stevens Garnier in the New Year. Good luck to him in his new role.
The Australian Alternatives
Monday 2 November
This week it’s the tenth Australian Alternatives Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS). Last year I was lucky enough to be an associate judge to taste my way through hundreds of Australian and Kiwi Tempranillos, Sangioveses and Vermentinos.
Max Allen is chief of judges and, as it’s a decade old, asked all previous judges to “indulge in some uninhibited crystal ball-gazing”. What will Australian wine be like in fifteen or so years from now, he asked?
His questions included what varieties will we be drinking, what will be the pressing issues of the day and will the export market have changed much?
My first thought was that I expect the Aussie industry to be a lot smaller than it currently is – through both consolidation and a lack of water.
What will Australia be producing in 2025? I certainly expect to see more alternative varieties accepted into the mainstream as we have seen with Pinot Grigio. The rise of varieties better-suited to a warmer and drier climate means the likes of Vermentino, Fiano, Grenache, Mourvedre and Touriga Nacional will be edging Pinot Noir and Merlot off the Australian shelves.
But for consumers to become more aware of these varietals as acceptable alternatives to Cabernet and Shiraz, it requires the big brands to get behind these alternatives and bring them into the mainstream consciousness as well as shows like the AAVWS.
Will the UK be a major export market for you? Perhaps not. Our Australian market offer is still promotion driven and I can’t see us moving away from that unless the government clamps down on those promotions. With an increased number of wine consumers in the USA, the Far East, and Scandinavia this is perhaps a better market for Australian wines. Ok, we do have more consumers who want to trade up to Grange or Hill of Grace unlike many other markets but ask any importer how Aussie fine wine sales are going and the answer is they can’t shift them despite the quality clearly being there.
Yes, the UK is a mature market and we are steadily growing to understand there is more to the country than South East Australia but will most consumers know the Hunter or Clare Valley exist by 2025? I doubt it.
Issues of the day? Doesn’t history repeat itself? Plague, famine, drought, war, the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. Why is the next 15 years going to be any different? I expect to see GM vines, flavoured wines, wines much lower in alcohol - how about robots instead of winemakers - at least we won’t have to put up with their egos then!
I wish I was over there judging again – it’s the most enjoyable judging week anyone could have: beers, bowls and jam sessions in between a lot of tasting. Follow the show on facebook or log on to The Australian Alternatives Wine Show website
Retailers accused of paying ‘lip service’ to the green issue
Sunday 25 October
I’ve just attended a debate, which asked whether the promotion of environment credentials is a marketing ploy. The room was half-full at best, which is a sad indication of the importance of the green issue in the UK wine industry. Or perhaps everyone had gone on half-term a day early? Compared to the full-house at the recent low alcohol forum, it was a poor showing – I didn’t spot one major retailer.
It appears many wine producers are going green for the right reasons but retailers were accused of using the green message to suit their own agendas – making a profit. Unfortunately the supermarkets weren’t there to defend themselves, but there were some damning comments.
Michael Cox, UK director for Wines of Chile, which is one of the main producing countries leading the sustainability drive along with South Africa and New Zealand, said, “Most multiple retailers will pay lip service to green initiatives.”
The main problem is consumers see wine as a natural product and that means the word sustainable or organic on a wine label has less meaning than organic on a bunch of carrots. It goes some way to explaining why sales of organic wine have not kept pace with the rest of the organic industry. Cox added, “Having a social conscience does not appear to sell more bottles. The consumer is not prepared to pay a premium for organic wine because they don’t understand the concept. ”
Retailers are clearly doing things to help the environment such as the plastic bag reuse scheme but a cynic would argue it is only because the authorities have ruled they must reduce their plastic bag use. Angela Mount implied retailers didn’t give a damn about saving the environment – it is all about saving money. If the changes didn’t save money, then they wouldn’t do them. She argued bulk shipping and lightweight bottles improved margins for retailers, adding “I don’t believe the green issue is driven by the consumer. It is often a convenient ploy to reduce costs.”
Peter Darbyshire, MD of UK importer and distributor PLB agreed, “The green solution is to move the point of packaging as close to the point of sale. It is moving to the UK but sadly driven by retailers’ price motivation rather than the green agenda.”
Gris Area
Tuesday 22 September
New Zealand Pinot Gris is a “force to be reckoned with”, according to Villa Maria’s chief winemaker.
Considering there was hardly any Pinot Gris planted in the mid-1990s that’s a turn up for the books. There are now more than 1300 hectares planted – an increase of more than 800ha in three years. Consequently, most of the vines are pretty young and that means we haven’t seen the best yet.
Alastair Maling MW waxed lyrical about the potential of Pinot Gris at a Villa Maria event last night. “New Zealand Pinot Gris is coming together but it is still evolving. It is a very young variety in terms of planting. With vine age, we will see more concentration of flavour.
“At the moment we have to wait late for physiological ripeness so that’s why we have such high alcohol. With vine age, we will be able to pick earlier with the same flavour intensity.”
Germany vs New Zealand
When it comes to Riesling, the Kiwis are learning that they can emulate the Germans. New Zealand has the natural acidity to leave a little bit of residual sugar in their Rieslings and produce wines under 11% - or even 10%.
Maling admitted, “We were not making good Riesling back in the mid 90s. We used to pick the fruit late and were afraid to stop the ferment early but we have grown and we are prepared to experiment.”
Villa is now stopping its Riesling fermentations early, leaving a little bit of unfermented sugar in the wine and keeping the final alcohol level low.
Maling had the courage to put his Taylor’s Pass 2007 Riesling alongside Donnhoff’s Riesling (Nahe) and it stood up well. While it lacked some of the complexity of its German rival, it was lean, clean and characterful. It has high acidity and a low pH, which makes the wine seem drier than it is (27g/l residual sugar). And with 10% alcohol, it ticks the low alcohol box.
If the Kiwis can introduce the consumer back to low alcohol, off dry Rieslings, there may be hope yet for Germany. And yes, I am an eternal optimist.
Wackey project for ex-Cloudy Bay man
Wednesday 16 September
Kevin Judd is in London promoting his new venture Greywacke (pronounced Greywacky). After 25 years with Cloudy Bay, Judd says he wanted ‘more time with the gum boots on and less time running reports’. But he admits it means starting from scratch again. He’s having to do everything himself – he’s the winemaker, marketing director, and IT man rolled into one.
The 2009 vintage is his first and, in the words of the Beatles, he’s getting by with a little help from his friends. He’s sourced fruit from ‘people he knows’ and has rented winery space from mates at fellow Marlborough producer Dog Point. Many of his former colleagues now work at Dog Point and it’s become affectionately termed the ‘Cloudy Bay retirement home’. Even the gardener and accountant are ex-Cloudy Bay.
In the first vintage of a new venture, you’d imagine he’d have kept things simple with a Sauvignon Blanc and perhaps a Pinot Noir. But no. Judd has made seven different wines. There’s a barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and a botrytised Gewurztraminer. He’s made a Sauvignon Blanc in barrel with wild yeasts and will put two-thirds of it through malolactic fermentation to soften the harsh malic acid to softer-tasting lactic acid. It’s a Te Koko-esque approach, he says.
Judd’s first offering is his 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. It’s grassy, gooseberry-ish with heaps of lemon citrus and mouthwatering acidity. There’s about 4-5 grams of residual sugar giving a fuller mouthfeel.
He may be starting from scratch but with a quarter of a century heading up the country’s most prestigious wine operation, he’s certainly got things off the ground quickly. David Gleave MW, MD of Liberty Wines has taken on his wines, he’s just got a Danish importer, looks set to gain distribution in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and is on his way to the US next week to talk to a major distributor. Doors open for you even in an economic crisis if your name is Judd. And deservedly so.