Another Kiwi vineyard bites the dust
Thursday 19 August
Can we really say we’re surprised that another New Zealand vineyard has gone under owing a whopping $24 million (£10.8m)?
No.
There’s been a slow trickle of grape-growing and wine producing companies that have gone into administration in the past year but I believe Awatere Vineyard Holdings’ demise could push the flood gates open.
Vineyard plantings have tripled since 2000, with grape prices falling as much as 50% following two consecutive bumper harvests, in 2007 and 2008. There have been a host of new entrants to the industry with romantic dreams of making their own wine or investors wanting to jump on the bandwagon and make a quick buck. If only they had done their research before making the plunge, they would have found that the soil wasn’t flecked with gold.
Central Otago producers Anthem Hodings and William Hill winery, and Marlborough’s Cape Campbell have already fallen victim to the oversupply and economic downturn and others will follow.
It’s a sad situation for those affected but the imbalances that have been created in the last three years need to be redressed. We’re likely to see the bigger companies getting bigger as they swallow up vineyard land; vineyards will be pulled out and replaced with other crops, and life will go on. Hopefully, the industry will have learned its lesson too.
Newcastle ladies love rosé & lemonade
Monday 26 July
I’ve had an abstemious weekend in preparation for a triathlon. So, I was designated driver at Newcastle races on Saturday where my dad’s horse was running (badly). Unbeknownst to us, it was ladies day and, the Geordie lasses really put on a display of What Not to Wear and spray tans. It was sponsored by Matalan which gives you some idea of the calibre of clothing on display.
You wouldn’t think the UK was still suffering economic woes, considering the amount of Champagne the bars were selling. If you are an importer or sales rep, try and get an account with a racecourse. It seems to be a goldmine.
The other drink ordered on many occasions at the bar (when I was having a glass of water – joy) was rosé and lemonade. The ladies of Newcastle have decided that pink wine spritzers are quite the thing. I’d never thought of drinking rosé spritzers before – and I’m not sure rosé producers have either. Rosé on the rocks, yes, but never with lemonade.
Rosé continues to fly in the UK. According to recent figures released by the Wine & Spirit Trade Association, sales of rosé wine increased 21.4% in value in the past year, with volumes ahead by 18.4%.
WSTA chief executive Jeremy Beadles said: “Given the fact that sales of other wines in bars, clubs and restaurants are down over the course of the year, the big rise in rosé is all the more striking.”
“The recent good weather will have continued to boost its popularity.” Yes, Jeremy – and its new role as a spritzer.
Wine producers and retailers are always claiming they want the wine to reach the consumer as the winemaker intended but then they don’t have any control over what people add to it. I suppose rosé with lemonade is a Pimm-type quaffer on a hot afternoon and I ought to try it before dismissing it like a wine snob. So, that’s something I’ll do this week now I’ve dragged myself through a swim, bike and run.
Resveratrol and the men in white coats
Tuesday 25 May
The latest herbal remedy renaissance is resveratrol. I can’t walk into a chemist to buy a packet of plasters without being confronted by an all-singing all-dancing resveratrol offer. Yesterday there was an ad on the radio extolling the virtues of it and I found myself telling the radio it should just have a glass of wine.
Obviously, a radio can’t hear me nor drink wine, and the men in white coats have been alerted of my latest penchant for talking to the radio. But come on, there’s a global wine glut. Why do we need to take a tasteless pill for something we can obtain from a delicious glass of wine? Beats me.
So what wines should you look for if you want to up your resveratrol intake? Reds should be top of your list. Research has found red wines have ten times more resveratrol than whites – damn, there goes my excuse for having another glass of Riesling.
In the red corner, Muscadine has the highest concentration of resveratol of all grape varieties but how often do you see Muscadine on the shelves outside of the USA? And if you did, would you want to drink it?! Pinot Noir also tends to have high levels of resveratrol whereas Cabernet Sauvignon has lower levels. According to the bible, a.k.a The Oxford Companion, cooler regions tend to produce wines higher in resveratrol, so think Burgundy, Washington and New Zealand - not Australia or India.
If there’s a market for selling resveratrol pills, then surely there’s a gap in the market for wines high in resveratrol. Well, so it seems, but that gap has already been identified by a Hunter Valley winery. Pendarves has created a Resveratrol Enhanced Wines that contains between 1,500% and 10,000% of the ‘normal’ levels of the antioxidant resveratrol. It claims resveratrol levels in its ‘Wine Doctor’ red wines are increased from 3-6mg/l to about 100mg/l, and those in its white wines are also increased from 1mg/l to about 100mg/l.
But does it taste any good? I’ll seek out a bottle and let you know. If you’ve already tried it and been impressed/distressed, let us know.
Time for indies to become the ‘everyday’ option
Wednesday 31 March
Eight out of 10 bottles of wines are bought in the supermarket in the UK. What a sorry state of affairs for independents. Add the fact that promotional offer is the most influential factor in a British man or woman’s buying decision and market looks like a dismal prospect.
But don’t despair! The latest research
from YouGov poll suggests there is a place in our hearts and shopping baskets for specialists and wine merchants. The survey shows that wine drinkers actually value expertise and variety of choice above price, despite more than half (53%) admitting they didn’t buy wine from their local wine merchant.
Interestingly this contrasts with previous research by Wine Intelligence that suggests recommendation by shop staff is fairly low in importance when it comes to buying wine. Their 2008 survey showed us Brits were most influenced by grape variety and promotional deals.
However, if the latest YouGov research is to be believed then things are looking up for wine merchants with a decent range and informed staff. Most British adults buy their booze from the supermarket (74%) no doubt because it’s convenient and there are some pretty decent ranges (M&S & Waitrose, in particular). But the indies need to start playing the card that they are for everyday drinking, not simply special occasions.
The research also shows that drinkers aged 45 and over, especially women, are least likely to buy from their local wine merchant.
Is it because it’s intimidating, perhaps? These women have money in their pockets and love wine. Go out there and entice them through your doors. Give them a reason to shop at your store, and they will come.
Let’s stop the Pinot Gris snobbery
Tuesday 16 March
Winemakers generally dislike Pinot Gris: it’s not that aromatic, normally has low acidity and let’s face it, it doesn’t set anyone’s world on fire in the same way as Riesling or Pinot Noir.
But it sells. And that means it’s a money spinner which keeps the wine business in business. Last week I ended up in a bit of a debate with a Master of Wine and a few other journalists about Pinot Gris. It ain’t my grape of choice but if people like drinking it, who am I to argue?
My friends love it: they’re successful, smart women in their late ‘20s and early ‘30s and Pinot Gris or Grigio is an easy-drinking wine that doesn’t cause any major issues to their palates. It’s great with food, makes some fabulous late harvest wines and I’m happy to drink it. I admit I’m not the biggest fan and this trend may be a passing phase before we move on to the next grape du jour but getting snobby about it makes the wine industry seem very far-removed from reality.
What’s more, in Alsace Pinot Gris is considered one of the four noble varieties. When I was speaking to Paul Pujol, winemaker at Prophet’s Rock (see blog 15 March 2010), and former winemaker at Alsace producer Kuentz Bas, he said: “The big discovery in going to Alsace was tasting older Pinot Gris. I was surprised by how it tastes if it’s grown in the right sites.”
We may try to sell Riesling and Pinot Noir to wine drinkers but we’re fighting an uphill battle. Let’s educate the consumer, says the wine industry, but most people have more pressing things to do with their time than learn about grape varieties. If people are drinking Pinot Gris then at least they are drinking wine and not beer or bourbon. They can then move on to the delights of other varieties in time.