bubbles - Drinks trade

Transcription

your news, your views
October/November 2014 issue 43
DRINKS:
SPIRITS
MIXING IT WITH VODKA
DRINKS:
FEATURES &
INSIGHTS
PETER BRIEN RETIRES
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST
FAMILIES OF WINE
CHAMPAGNE SALON
WHISKY GIRL - LAURA HAY
SPECIALTY RETAILERS
AUSTRALIAN
DRINKS AWARDS
- TURN OVER
BUBBLES
CHAMPAGNE,
SPARKLING &
DRINKS:
BEER
THE WORLD OF BEER
DRINKS:
WINES
VICTORIA
CHAMPAGNE,
SPARKLING &
PROSECCO
PROSECCO
VICTORIAN
WINE REGIONS
AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING LIQUOR INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
THE JOHNNIE WALKER, BLACK LABEL AND DOUBLE BLACK WORDS, THE STRIDING FIGURE DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED LOGOS ARE TRADE MARKS. ©JOHN WALKER & SONS 2014.
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Contents
Contents
Contributors
Matt Kirkegaard
is a Brisbanebased freelance
beer writer who
has developed
a national reputation as an
independent beer educator and
advocate.
October/November 2014
26
Winsor Dobbin
has been a
journalist for
over three
decades. Winsor
is a former sports writer and
foreign correspondent, but now
writes about wine, food and
travel for a range of national and
international publications.
Ken Gargett is a
former lawyer,
winner of the Vin
de Champagne
award (which
he credits as being “a long time
ago”) and freelance wine writer.
Ken is a regular wine contributor
to drinks weekly.
47
34
78
98
84
drinks trade
INSIGHTS
FEATURES
REGULARS
44 ALSA Conference
10News
26 Peter Brien
Ben Canaider
is a monoaward winning
drinks writer
and lifestyle
commentator. Ben has also written
for television and is a regular
contributor to radio. In between,
Ben has also managed to write a
number of award winning books.
47 World of Beer
24 Global News
28 Australia’s First Families
of Wine
54Vodka
42 Aussies Abroad
32 Whisky Girl - Laura Hay
72Victoria
45 Beer & Cider
34 Champagne Salon
78 Champagne, Prosecco & Sparkling
52 Spirits & Liqueurs
37Henkell
38 Specialist bottle shops
64 G. Vine Bartending
competition
67Wine
86 Champagne, Prosecco &
Sparkling Tasting Panel
96 Trade Activity
98 The Eye
94 drinks Library
drinks trade
07
Editor’s note
CREDITS
PUBLISHER the drinks association
EDITORIAL
Editor’s
Note
PUBLISHING EDITOR Ashley Pini [email protected]
MARKETING DIRECTOR Leone Cruden
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Hannah Sparks
[email protected]
EDITORIAL & SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
[email protected]
Lauren Hunter INTERN Sarah Ayre
CONTRIBUTORS
Welcome to the October/November edition of drinks
trade magazine. This is a very special edition for the
drinks industry as we celebrate the winners of the
Australian drinks Awards, recently held at The Star
in Sydney. The inclusion of exclusive interviews with
the winners and a detailed look at each category has
made this a bumper edition of 160 pages - the largest
publication of our eight year history.
Dave Upson, Matt Kirkegaard, Winsor Dobbin, Ken Gargett,
Ben Canaider, Nigel Weisbaum
DESIGN
ART DIRECTOR Evelyn Rueda [email protected]
SENIOR DESIGNER Gilly Bibb, Glenna Gabriel
ADVERTISING
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Eoghan Hennessy [email protected]
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Chris [email protected]
You can simply reverse the edition if you want to get straight to the winners,
or take your time and check out the pages of our regular October/November
edition. This issue is packed with interviews and features, along with our annual
Champagne, Prosecco and Sparkling tasting panel.
This month it’s all heating up, leading into the most important trading period
of the year. There’s nothing new when you hear that the industry is ‘doing it
tough’, and I’ve fielded a number of views that tell me that there’s little point in
focusing on the difficulties we face, but rather how we can be doing it better,
with some useful suggestions on how the drinks industry should be working
closer together to bring us to a common goal. With that in mind we bring you
insights into those excelling in our industry, particularly specialising in their areas
of expertise. Turn to page 38 and 39 to see the specialist bottle shop insight.
This edition we feature high quality mixers to go with your premium spirits,
while also looking at mixing with vodka. Rarely given the coverage it deserves,
the mixers in our bars and on bottle shop shelves have such an impact on the
quality of the final drink; logically you would expect it to get the attention it
deserves. drinks trade spoke to a number of on-premise venues to get their
view on quality mixers, the feature (including vodka) starts on page 54.
It’s all about the bubbles at this time of year and we’ve got this well covered.
We also welcome Winsor Dobbin’s article on prosecco, booming across new
and older markets alike. Ken Gargett shares his knowledge on vintage versus
non-vintage (NV) Champagne and our own Hannah Sparks talks all things
sparkling. As if that wasn’t enough, Ben Canaider shares his Victorian wine
region expertise.
Cheers!
Ashley Pini
Publishing editor
www.drinkscentral.com.au
Produced and contract published by:
DIRECTOR: Ashley Pini
GENERAL MANAGER: Melinda Virgona
169 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point NSW 2060
Ph: 02 9492 7999 | www.hipmedia.com.au | facebook.com/drinksmedia
ABN: 42 126 291 914
All enquiries to:
the drinks association
Locked Bag 4100, Chatswood NSW 2067
www.drinkscentral.com.au
ABN 26 001 376 423
The views expressed in drinks trade are those of the respective contributors and are not
necessarily those of the magazine or the drinks association. Copyright is held by the drinks
association and reproduction in whole or in part, without prior consent, is not permitted.
Other drinks association publications include:
drinks weekly
drinks guide online
drinks guide
drinks yearbook
Member of Publishers Australia
08
drinks trade
[email protected]
ACCOUNTS: [email protected]
GRANGE • BIN 707 • RWT • MAGILL ESTATE • YATTARNA • ST HENRI
RESERVE BIN A • BIN 389 • BIN 407 • BIN 150 • BIN 28 • BIN 51 • BIN 8 • BIN 2 • BIN 9
1844
THE PENFOLDS COLLECTION. A FAMILY OF FINE WINES, EACH WITH A DISTINCT
CHARACTER, QUALITY AND PROVENANCE. A TESTAMENT TO THE ENDURING ‘HOUSE STYLE’
AND WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY THAT PENFOLDS HAS PROUDLY UPHELD SINCE 1844.
NUMBERS CAN BE EXTRAORDINARY
PENFOLDS.COM
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News
NEWS
Industry news from global markets
2014 RIVERINA WINE SHOW RESULTS
The Wine Museum in Griffith played host to the 40th annual Riverina
Wine Show in September, which saw the 2013 Santolin Wines
Individual Vineyard Chardonnay take home Best Still Wine of Show.
For the fourth year in a row, a Barossa riesling won the Best Dry,
Floral Style White Trophy and yet again the Hunter Valley dominated
in the Best Semillon category.
Heathcote shiraz again impressed the judges, not only claiming
the Shiraz Trophy for the second time this year, but also the Best
Popular Premium Red Trophy, thanks to the De Bortoli Windy Peak
2013 Shiraz.
WFA 2014 OUTLOOK
CONFERENCE
The Winemakers’ Federations of Australia
(WFA) 2014 Outlook Conference, which
took place in Adelaide earlier in October,
highlighted a need for the Australian wine
industry to unite.
Tony D’Aloisio AM, President of the WFA
said: “An important pre-requisite to our
industry taking charge of its future is unity.
An effective unity or united voice is the only
way of maximising our chances of success.”
Following the conference, the WFA has
begun to implement Actions surrounding
profitability across supply and demand,
health and alcohol, oversupply and
supermarket power. A full list of the actions
can be found on the WFA’s website.
AUSTRALIAN DISTILLERS ASSOCIATION
ANNOUNCE NOVEMBER 12 CONFERENCE
Australia’s peak industry body for craft distillers, The Australian Distillers Association (ADA), has
announced its new Executive Committee and renewed commitment to further strengthen the
burgeoning Australian craft distilling community.
The new Executive Committee, selected at the ADA’s recent Annual General Meeting, will be
led by recently designated president Stuart Gregor from Four Pillars Gin and newly elected vice
president Cameron Syme, from Great Southern Distilling Co.
To inject new life into the Australian craft spirits industry, the ADA will hold a conference on
November 12 in Melbourne to discuss future plans.
BROWN-FORMAN
CORPORATION
QUARTER YEAR
RESULTS
Brown-Forman Corporation has released
financial results for its first quarter that
ended July 31, 2014. According to the
results, the company grew net sales by 3
per cent to $921 million, and Australia also
registered solid gains in the quarter.
Darry Osborn OAM and Wolf Blass AM at the WFA
Outlook 2014 Conference.
10
drinks trade visit www.drinkstrade.com.au for daily updates
WOLFGANG BLASS AM TURNS 80
Australian wine industry icon Wolfgang Blass AM turned 80 on 2
September.
In celebration Wolf Blass created the limited edition Master
Langhorne Creek Pasquin Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2012 and
released the 2014 Wolf Blass Luxury Collection, both distributed
by Treasury Wine Estates in Australia.
TASTE
CHAMPAGNE
In August, Tysen Stelzer hosted
Taste Champagne at the Sydney
Maritime Museum. According to
Tysen, Australia has been placed
among the fastest growing
Champagne markets in the world,
with a growth rate topped only
by China and Russia. Australia’s
growth remains more remarkable
however, due to the fact that
both China and Russia each
consume a mere quarter of the
volume of champagne consumed
in Australia.
AperolSpritzAU
GET READY FOR
OUR SUMMER
CAMPAIGN
WHERE VODKA GOES TO GET READY
Vodka Cruiser is owning pre-drinks this summer, with
an integrated media campaign worth over $1 million,
focusing on radio, women’s magazines and social media.
Half of all Light RTD sales are made over Summer,*
don’t miss out on the key consumption period.
An extensive
partnership
with Nova FM
Brand ads,
advertorials,
and editorials
37K+ Facebook
likes, and social
bloggers as reps
2014
NOV
2015
DEC
JAN
FEB
RADIO
MAGAZINES
RETAIL MEDIA
SOCIAL/DIGITAL
Contact your Asahi Premium Beverages
representative or call our customer service
line on 1800 090 378 to find out more.
*Aztec MAT to July 2014. Summer is defined as Nov 2013 to Jan 2014.
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News
EBIQUITY MERGER
THE BOTANIST
GIN LAUNCHES
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST
FORAGED COCKTAIL
COMPETITION
This spring, The Botanist Gin is holding The
Botanist Foraged Cocktail Competition for the
first time in Australia.
The competition, now open for registration,
will be narrowed down to just 40 bartenders,
who will be challenged to get creative and
come up with a bespoke and seasonal cocktail
made from foraged, local ingredients. Entrants
will need to document their cocktail creation
and judges will be looking for innovation,
passion and creativity.
The winning prize is a trip to Islay in Scotland
to meet The Botanist’s Master Distiller Jim
McEwan of Bruichladdich distillery. The
Botanist Gin is distributed by SouthTrade
International in Australia.
CONGRATULATIONS
Sandra Clarke from Tyrrell’s Wines notched up
28 years of service at the Hunter Valley-based
winery in August.
Sandra said commenting on her time at
Tyrrell’s Wines: “My 28 years at Tyrrell’s,
working directly with Bruce, has seen many
changes and an evolution…from Bruce and
I doing everything from export (with Bruce
travelling overseas six months of the year),
sales and marketing, and managing the
business as a whole...and how over the years
technology has morphed the way Tyrrell’s
conduct their business globally.”
Leading media consultancy business Ebiquity has merged with its sister company Faulkner
Media Management. The merger sees the two combine offices at a new location in Sydney,
both operating under the Ebiquity name.
The transition in Australia has been anticipated since Ebiquity’s global head quarters acquired
Faulkner Media in 2011. The alignment came about as Ebiquity saw opportunity to align Faulkner
Media’s advertising intelligence capabilities with its own media consultancy capabilities.
Head offices globally have now each begun to merge with Faulkner Media in their respective
countries.
“Essentially both businesses compliment one another”, Richard added. While Ebiquity’s
advertising monitoring services will continue and remain the same,
with Faulkner Media the company will now also offer advertising
intelligence services. This includes services such as pitch and agency
reviews, spend estimates, training and media consulting, and media
benchmarking, Richard told drinks weekly.
Additionally the merger now extends Managing Director at Ebiquity,
Richard Basil-Jones’ role to oversee the Media Consultancy and
Ad Intelligence services for both the Australian and New Zealand
business.
The new address:
Level 10, 50 Miller Street, North Sydney NSW 2060
T. 0292 997 911
TWE 2014 FULL YEAR RESULTS
TWE has announced its 2014 full year results, reporting
EBITS of $184.6 million and net sales revenue per case up
by 7.9 per cent. The full year dividend however remained
unchanged from the previous year at 13 cents per share.
“Having taken the necessary steps in the final quarter
of fiscal 2014 to drive improved performance, including
increasing consumer marketing, reducing TWE’s cost base
and addressing structural challenges within the business,
I am confident the company is now positioned for future
success,” CEO Michael Clarke added.
NEW WINGARA
WINE GROUP CEO
Following seven years as CEO of Australia’s Wingara Wine
Group, Diego Jimenez returned to Spain to resume a senior role
with Wingara’s parent company Freixenet. Jose Maria Ferrer
assumed the role of CEO mid-August after Diego’s departure.
Jose Maria joined Freixenet in 1989 and has previously worked
for the brand as President of Freixenet USA and recently as
General Manager of Freixenet, Spain.
drinks trade
13
News
RAISE the BAR
It’s interesting
talking to venue
managers and
owners about
the challenges of
running a profitable
operation. Often
the conversation
swings towards
the need to keep
wage costs down.
A
lot of analysis is
done around the
percentages of wages and margins. Of course monitoring
costs is critical in a successful operation, but is it sometimes done to
the exclusion of actually raising revenue? This kind of management is
reactive rather than proactive.
Management would certainly take the time to ‘counsel’ a supervisor
who has let staff stay on roster for too long, but often overlook the
opportunity of training the team to sell more product.
If our strategy changed to focus on increasing the revenue from
existing patrons, the wage cost percentages would naturally improve.
Getting new customers in the door is a tough gig when compared
to increasing the spend-per-visit of our existing patrons. The best
marketers we have are our service team if they are trained to perform
properly.
Guests do not only visit our establishments because they are hungry
or thirsty; what people are looking for is an experience, and the human
players in that exchange are critical. There are so many options in
today’s consumer driven world and that makes it more important to
stand out.
Food, beverage and surroundings can be swiftly devalued if the
service team is not delivering what your venue promises.
Encourage your team to ‘play the part’, to:
• Genuinely engage with customers;
• Identify opportunities to enhance consumer’s experience; and
• Make customers feel like they belong in your venue.
Loyal customers return because they remember how they felt during
previous visits.
By Dave Upson, Managing Director, Train My Venue
(online hospitality and tourism training
www.trainmyvenue.com).
14
LION H1 TRADING UPDATE
Lion has announced its trading update for the half-year
ending 31 March 2014. Results show that volumes
across Lion’s total Beer, Spirits & Wine businesses in
both Australia and New Zealand declined by 2.5 per cent.
Lion’s market-leading portfolio in craft however
continued to flourish, with James Squire 150 Lashes
Pale Ale and The Chancer Golden Ale achieving doubledigit growth.
FIVE RED STAR RATING FOR
CHÂTEAU TANUNDA
Château Tanunda has received a Five Red Star rating in the James
Halliday Australian Wine Companion for the third year running.
Additionally, the Château Tanunda 100 Year Old Vines Semillon scored
96 points, while over twenty of Château Tanunda’s wines received
ratings over 90 points and ten wines scored 94 points and above.
Château Tanunda is distributed by Australian Food & Beverage
Group in Australia.
TWC LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
Australian eastern seaboard distributer The Wine Company has
launched a new website. The website has been redesigned to provide
the trade and general public with an in-depth insight into The Wine
Company’s history, services, and portfolio offerings.
www.wineco.com.au now features a new online request form for
account applications and current TWC price lists. Viewers can now also
sign up to The Wine Company’s monthly eNewsletter via the site.
HARDYS CELEBRATES
A CENTURY
POL ROGER OFFICIAL
CHAMPAGNE PROVIDER
FOR POLO IN THE CITY
SERIES 2014
French Champagne House Pol Roger will
partner with Waterford Crystal as the
official Champagne provider for the Polo
in the City Series 2014, to be held on 15
November.
Australian Brand Manager for Champagne
Pol Roger, Tim Evans, said the alignment
between the exclusive Champagne house
and Polo in the City was a natural fit.
Polo in the City was established in 2006
with the aim of introducing the sport to a
wider audience and attracting new players.
Pol Roger is distributed by Negociants in
Australia.
New agreements to distribute to South Africa
and Mexico, means that the Hardys brand is
now distributed to 100 countries – a milestone
achievement.
For fifth generation Hardys family member
William ‘Bill’ Hardy, this tremendous achievement
reflects the hard work and talent of the Hardys
team.
“We have recently undergone some packaging
upgrades and launched a number of products,
so it’s been a busy 12 months. Reaching over
100 countries is testament to my great, great
grandfather’s vision, and I am sure he would be
very proud to reach a century,” said Bill.
Hardys is distributed by Accolade Wines in
Australia.
DIAGEO RELEASES
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Diageo has released preliminary results for
the year ended 30 June 2014, which show
the company’s net sales up by 0.4 per cent,
while its fourth quarter net sales were up by
0.8 per cent. The results also showed positive
consumer trends in Diageo’s higher priced
categories, with Diageo’s reserve brands net
sales up by 14 per cent.
ALSA RETAIL INSIGHT
NEW MODULE
The Australian Liquor Stores Association
(ALSA) has launched a new module to its
Retail Insights Program. The new module
- Getting the Most from your POS System aims to highlight the value of information a
POS system can offer retailers.
Mal Higgs ALSA Retail Insights Project
Manager explains: “Many retailers are
unaware of the number and depth of
reports that are available from these various
systems. These reports are an essential tool
in managing a complex business such as a
liquor store.”
WOLF BLASS OFFICIAL WINE PARTNER FOR
2015 ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP
Australian wine brand Wolf Blass will be the official wine sponsor of the International Cricket
Council Cricket World Cup 2015.
The partnership will see Wolf Blass wines exclusively poured at the seven stadiums hosting
matches in Australia next year.
The 49-match ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 tournament will kick off with Australia going head-tohead with England on 14 February in Melbourne.
drinks trade
15
News
SYDNEY TO HOST 2015 BACARDÍ LEGACY GLOBAL
COCKTAIL COMPETITION
For the first time in its history, the BACARDÍ Legacy Global Cocktail Competition will be held in
Sydney, in 2015.
Caroline Hipperson, BACARDÍ Global Brand Director said: “We are very excited to be bringing
the BACARDÍ Legacy to Sydney next year. It is a perfect opportunity to celebrate and showcase
a growing and influential Australasian bar culture.”
CUB CHIEF
MARKETING
OFFICER RESIGNS
Carlton & United Breweries (CUB)
announced that Peter McLoughlin, Chief
Marketing Officer, stepped down from
his role on September 1 due to personal
reasons.
CUB’s Chief Operations Officer Mike
Walsh said that Peter’s energy, positive
approach, broad business acumen, and
loyalty are among the many attributes that
will be sorely missed by CUB.
As the company looks for a replacement,
Richard Oppy has taken over the day-to-day
management of the marketing team.
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF HUNTER VALLEY
WINEMAKING
2014 is being hailed as the “vintage of the century” in the Hunter Valley, backing onto a standout
2013 vintage. And this was reflected at the recent 2014 Hunter Valley Wine Show.
This year 20 trophies were awarded to Hunter Valley wines. Standout awards included the
Dry White Wine of the Show, which was awarded to Tyrrell’s 2006 Vat 1 Semillon, while the
Innovation Trophy, a new trophy, went to the De luliis Shiraz Touriga Nacional, and Draytons 1978
Tawny Port won the inaugural Silver Bullet award.
16
CONTINUED SUCCESS
FOR YEALANDS FAMILY
WINES
Yealands Family Wines continues to celebrate
on the back of more success this year, after
receiving four gold medals at this year’s NZ
International Wine Show.
The company was awarded the gold medals for
four of its wines from the recent 2014 vintage,
including the Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc
and Pinot Gris, Yealands Estate Land Made
Series Pinot Gris and Yealands Estate Single
Block L5 Sauvignon Blanc.
INTRODUCING A NEW
MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
Matured in a higher
proportion of sherry casks,
which are known to deliver
richer flavours
Chivas Regal Extra uses the
rarest malt whiskies in the
blend for intense, deep
flavours
RICHER TASTE, MORE GENEROUS SPIRIT
To order Chivas Regal Extra and POS materials, contact
your Pernod Ricard Account Manager or call Customer
Service on 1300 363 153
News
Peter Gago
CHINA’S BIGGEST SEARCH ENGINE LAUNCHES
IN AUSTRALIA
RECORDS SET AT
WINEMAKER OF THE
YEAR AWARDS
Peter Gago, Chief Winemaker at Penfolds, has
set records as the first dual recipient of both the
Winemaker of the Year Award and the Len Evans
Award for leadership at the Gourmet Traveller
WINE Winemaker of the Year Awards for 2014 in
association with Perpetual.
Chairman of Judges Peter Forrestal commented:
“Not only is Peter Gago an inspirational
winemaker, but his tireless efforts worldwide as
a roving brand ambassador have transformed
his importance to Penfolds and broadened
our perception of the kinds of leadership a
winemaker can offer. He has a rare talent as a
winemaker that melds an astute and refined
palate, an inclusive leadership style and a clear
sense of historical perspective, which enables
him to draw on Penfolds legacy in fashioning
modern-day wines.”
At the end of September Baidu (www.baidu.com), the largest search engine in China, was
officially launched in Australia.
Owning a total 81 per cent of the search engine market in China, Baidu has a reach to over
508 million users – the equivalent to all Google Users in Europe and Asia, and is among the
top five websites in the world.
Official agent of Baidu in Australia, Bellimark, together with Incremental Marketing, will begin
to integrate the search engine in this market over coming months. This launch provides a
significant opportunity for the drinks industry to gain access to the Chinese market and widen
its audience.
“Baidu provides Australian businesses with the opportunity to advertise to the Chinese
population through the biggest search engine”, said Michael Robson, Digital Director,
Incremental Marketing.
The launch is incredibly timely considering current prominent discussions surrounding
the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement, with the President of China to visit Australia in
November for further negotiations with the Australian government.
To find out more about advertising on Baidu contact Michael at
[email protected] or on 0407 914 102.
INCREASE TO LIQUOR LICENCE FEES
Effective as of September 1, new applicants and existing liquor licence holders are now subject
to an increase in the applications fees for liquor licences, approvals, and authorisations to support
the processing costs.
More information about the liquor licences can be found online at www.olgr.nsw.gov.au
OYSTER BAY WINES
AUSTRALIA
RE-NAMED
Oyster Bay Wines Australia PTY Limited has
changed its name to Delegat Australia PTY
Limited.
The change reflects the company’s global
initiative to align itself with its parent company
Delegat - maker of Oyster Bay and Barossa
Valley Estate wines.
Asides from its new Australian name, the
company confirms that all other contact
details remain the same.
18
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1
News
DAN’S CONNECTIONS
Dan Murphy’s has recently launched a new initiative, which aims to help
its customers find usually difficult to find products. The new initiative
named Dan’s Connections works by linking customers to specialist and
boutique suppliers across Australia and overseas.
This is a fantastic opportunity for boutique suppliers who previously
wouldn’t have had access to the market nationally; selling primarily
through their cellar doors, restaurants and at local bottle shops.
Additionally Dan’s Connections allows suppliers to have virtual
consignment, which means they hold the stock, not Dan’s. Moreover,
suppliers are able to self-manage their range on the site.
HANDPICKED WINES UNVEILS NEW
COLLECTION
Handpicked Wines launched its new Collection and Vineyard releases
through a curated art experience at the prestigious Olsen Irwin
Gallery in September. Guests were invited to not only taste these
wines, but to experience them through sight, smell, touch and
sound.
Guests also got the chance to mingle with Gary Baldwin, Chief
Winemaker, and Chris Messerle, Senior Vineyard Manager, as they
talked through how Handpicked Wines has progressed in a relatively
short time since its foundation.
Handpicked Wines recently picked up Best Victorian Wine at the
VIC100 Wine Awards for its 2013 Collection Mornington Peninsula
Pinot Noir.
Handpicked Wines is
distributed by DMG Fine
Wine in Australia.
Turn to page 76 for
tasting notes.
TWE REJECTS SHARE PROPOSALS
The Board of Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has rejected the recent
proposals from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., and Rhône
Capital L.L.C.
TWE shareholders said they felt the offer of $5.20 per share
undervalued the company. The Board, management and major
shareholders believe instead that the company will drive value
through plans such as reducing overhead costs and changing the
Penfolds release dates, for example.
TWE’s Chairman Paul Rayner said: “The Board’s focus continues
to be to act in the best interests of all shareholders. Following the
receipt of the initial, indicative proposals from the two parties, we
believed it was in shareholders’ best interests to grant those parties
the opportunity to conduct non-exclusive due diligence. That process
has now concluded and the Board is confident in the strategic
plans to grow the company and is looking forward to working with
management to deliver value to its shareholders.”
SS&S BEST WA ON-PREMISE TEAM
Samuel Smith & Sons (SS&S)
WA team has been recognised
as the best wine supplier to the
restaurant and catering industry
in the state, receiving the long
service provided award from the
Restaurant and Catering Institute.
“In a competitive market, Samuel Smith & Sons continue to focus
on our three tenets of knowledge, service, and friendship to our
customers,” SS&S Director of Strategy and Treding, Mr. Waterman said.
20
MAURICE
O’SHEA
SHIRAZ 2015
OF THE YEAR
McWilliam’s Wines 2001
Mount Pleasant Maurice
O’Shea Shiraz was named
as the 2015 Shiraz of the
Year in James Halliday’s
most recent Australian
Wine Companion. The
Maurice O’Shea Shiraz
pays tribute to legendary
Hunter Valley winemaker
Maurice O’Shea,
produced from the same
vineyards as O’Shea worked on.
PETER DRY WINS
2014 MAURICE
O’SHEA AWARD
DE BORTOLI WINES
REFRESHES ITS DEEN
VAT SERIES
De Bortoli Wines re-released its Deen Vat
Series with a new look in September.
The label and series pay tribute to Deen De
Bortoli – the brands founder – recognising
his choice of easy drinking varietals, as
well as his tradition of hand chalking the
vats, which lends itself to the name Deen
Vat Series.
The new bottle design is available through
De Bortoli Wines.
Peter Dry, long-standing wine industry
teacher, researcher, viticulturist, editor and
writer, has been announced as the 2014
Maurice O’Shea Award winner.
The Maurice O’Shea Award is held every two
years and awards an individual or group for their
outstanding contribution to the wine industry.
Peter now joins the most highly regarded group
of people in the Australian wine industry.
McWilliam’s CEO Robert Blackwell said:
“Peter’s contribution to the wine industry,
through his research, teaching positions and
industry roles, has been significant. There are
few winemakers and viticulturists who have
not been touched in some way by his work.”
CCA 2014 FINANCIAL RESULTS
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has released its 2014 financial results for the half year ended 30 June
2014, which reflect difficult trading conditions in the Australian business.
The results show that CCA’s overall earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation
declined by 10.1 per cent, while net profit after tax declined by 19.0 per cent. Specifically in Australia,
difficult trading conditions resulted in a 14.1 per cent decline in Australian beverage earnings.
Left to right: CEO Rob Blackwell, Nick Dry (Peter’s
son collecting the award on his behalf) and Chairman
Jeff McWilliam.
CRUSH WINES OFFICIAL
WINE PROVIDER FOR
POLO IN THE CITY
SERIES 2014
Crush Fine Wines has become the Official
Wine Partner of the Waterford Crystal Polo in
the City.
The partnership will see the boutique wine
brand provide a selection of its range at all five
national polo events, first starting in Sydney
on November 15, before heading to Brisbane,
Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide. Janek Gazecki,
co-founder of Polo in the City, commented on
the partnership: “It’s important to work with
people that understand the event and we are
excited about working with Crush.”
drinks trade
21
News
NEW COCA-COLA SKUS
AUSTRALIAN WINE
INDUSTRY’S FIRST LIFE
MEMBER
Industry Veteran, Phillip Laffer, has been named
the first ‘life member’ of the Australian wine
industry; an announcement made during
the welcome reception at the Winemakers’
Federation of Australia Outlook Conference
earlier in October.
The accolade honours Laffer’s exceptional
leadership and contribution to the wine industry
in Australia; a career spanning more than 50
years working within a number of prominent
Australian wine companies, including
Lindeman’s and Pernod Ricard.
Coca-cola South Pacific has added a new 250ml slimline can format for its COCA-COLA, COKE
ZERO, DIET COKE, COKE with Vanilla, FANTA, LIFT, and Sprite soft drinks, in order to help address
obesity in Australia.
The new SKU features the $2 maximum price mark on the pack, which is the first time this visual
has appeared on the COCA-COLA formats in Australia. The brand chose to market the new low
price-point in this way to appeal to consumers and drive value and growth in the category.
The release is being supported by an innovative multimillion-dollar multi-channel marketing
campaign.
The new SKUs are distributed by Coca-Cola Amatil in Australia.
NEW DRINKWISE CAMPAIGN
DrinkWise, in a joint initiative with its alcohol industry contributors, has released news of its
latest campaign - ‘You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise’.
The new campaign aims to encourage Australians to moderate their drinking at public events,
and at home.
The campaign was made public during this year’s AFL Finals Series, after DrinkWise won the
backing of the AFL. The message was visible at grounds, in print, television and radio spots.
‘You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise’ was initially launched in response to consumer
research, which found that this was a desired message to be promoted. DrinkWise Chief
Executive John Scott says the response to the new campaign has been positive.
CAMPARI 2014 FIRST
HALF RESULTS
NEW CRAFT
DISTRIBUTOR IN
AUSTRALIA
Campari’s 2014 First Half Results show
positive results, with First Half sales at 686.1
million (EUR), representing an organic change
of +3.8 per cent and Group net profit of 57.3
million (EUR), representing a -0.5 per cent
difference.
Bob Kunze-Concewitz, Chief Executive
Officer comments: “On the back of a weak
first quarter impacted by Easter timing, the
expected robust recovery in organic sales in
most key brand market combinations led to
positive full first half 2014 results.”
New Zealand craft spirit distributor Neat
Spirits has expanded into Australia via the
merger of distributors Local Craft Spirits and
Sa’Pere Drinks.
Neat Spirits aims to showcase a number of
international craft brands with its portfolio,
including East Imperial Mixers, The West
Winds Gin, 666 Pure Tasmanian Vodka,
Plantation Rum Range, Pierre Ferrand Cognac
and Liqueurs, Citadelle Gin and Vodka,
Little Drippa Cocktail Coffee, and Moa Beer
(Melbourne Market Only).
22
WHAT DOES COFFEE
AND WINE HAVE IN
COMMON?
K
GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO
LIQUOR ACT REVIEW
The NSW Government has released its response to the statutory
review of the Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor
Administration Act 2007.
The review consulted both industry and community, and resulted in
91 recommendations, which aim to improve the regulatory framework
for both acts. All 91 recommendations have a focus on increasing
transparency to and efficiency of the acts, and to promote a risk based
approach to enforcement and compliance.
In response to the review several new measures will be actioned:
1. Escalating sanctions for licensed venues caught selling alcohol to a
minor;
2. The introduction of a package of 12 late trades a year, which will
allow some venues to drop from 2am or 3am closing back to midnight,
but still be open later for key community events;
3. The creation of a new licence sub-category that will provide a lower
annual licence fee for small wineries, distillers and craft brewers,
recognising their lower risk profile;
4. And the development of a tiered training scheme to improve industry
competencies and compliance by tailoring training for different industry
sectors.
arsten Ranitzsch, head of
coffee for Nespresso, was
recently in Australia launching
the latest, and strongest, in the range
of professional coffees - Nespresso
Ristretto Intenso.
Clocking 12 on a scale that had
previously only gone to 10, Ristretto
Intenso is not for the feint hearted. But ask Karsten about the
process behind the coffee blend and similarities across the wine and
spirits world are apparent.
From fermentation, through to blending, terroir and single origin
offerings, many of the same lessons can be learnt when looking to
develop quality in the product.
“Over the years, coffee has been treated in much the same way
largely due to tradition and cultural influences.”
“There are a lot of commonalities between the coffee process
and what you find in wine and even whisky making. In coffee we’ve
found around 1,000 aromas that are developed in the roasting
process. Volatile and fragile aromas, that, over time, are over-layered
by bitterness and cocoa notes.”
In a recent survey commissioned by Nespresso and conducted
by Galaxy Research, Australian’s love of coffee was confirmed,
and what we hear anecdotally was backed up with statistics from
the 1,175 coffee drinkers surveyed. One in three said they would
actually refuse to drink an instant coffee if offered, while 80 per cent
admitted to viewing and commenting on a host, based on the quality
of the coffee.
Moreover eighty-seven per cent of Australians admitted to giving
specific instructions when ordering their coffees, with everything
from strong or double shot (42 per cent) to not too hot (15 per cent).
It’s clear that these days it’s not just about the food and alcoholic
drinks on offer, but people have high expectations when it comes to
their coffee, and rightly so.
Nespresso
Event- Mark
Baulderstone,
Shannon
Bennett,
Karsten
Ranitzsch
drinks trade
23
Global news
GLOBAL NEWS
Industry news from global markets
AVL EXPANDS INTO
CHINA
Australian Vintage
Limited (AVL) has
announced a longterm, strategic Chinawide distribution
agreement with COFCO Wine & Spirits Co Ltd.
– a division of China’s largest food processing
manufacturer and trade, COFCO.
The agreement sees AVL function as the Australian strategic partner for the newly
established Wine division of COFCO.
WILLIAM GRANT & SONS
ACQUIRES DRAMBUIE
Premium spirits business and independent Scottish family
distillers, William Grant & Sons, has acquired Drambuie Liqueur
Company Limited – owners of the iconic Drambuie whisky liqueur
brand.
William Grant & Sons Chief Executive, Stella David, commented:
“We have a passion and a reputation for nurturing and building
brands. Drambuie is a natural fit for our portfolio, it has a very rich
history and a great story to tell, and we are delighted to be in a
position to start to re-engage with existing drinkers and to connect
the brand with an entirely new generation of consumers”.
At the time of print McWilliam’s Wines was still the distributor of
Drambuie in Australia.
WG & SONS TOASTS
TO THE OPENING
OF THE TULLAMORE
DISTILLERY
William Grant & Sons’ $50 million investment
in the Tullamore Distillery has come to fruition,
as the new distillery opened its doors in
September.
The opening of the Tullamore Distillery marks
the return of whiskey production to Tullamore following a 60 year lapse and is reflective of
resurging growth in the Irish whiskey sector.
The new distillery features four hand crafted copper stills, six brewhouse fermenters, and will be
capable of producing the equivalent of 1.5 million cases of Tullamore D.E.W. annually.
24
RECORD ATTENDANCE
AT WINE AUSTRALIA
TASTING IN JAPAN
Wine Australia hosted its largest ever tasting
in Tokyo in September, with a record number
of 18 Japanese importers who showcased
over 300 wines from 48 various Australian
wineries and winemakers.
Regional Manager for Asia, Hiro Tejima,
commented: “Securing the largest turnout
we’ve ever had at our annual tasting
demonstrates the renewed excitement and
interest in Australian wine in the Japanese
market.”
TAYLORS WINES
CELEBRATES SUCCESS
IN CHINESE MARKET
At this year’s
China Wine and
Spirits Awards,
Taylors Wines
was awarded the Clare Valley Wine of the
Year trophy for its 2010 Taylors Winemaker’s
Project Barrel Selection Clare Valley Shiraz
(yet to be released). In total Taylors won 21
medals.
Overall, Australian wineries dominated this
year’s awards, taking home 446 medals in
total.
Enjoy Banrock Station responsibly.
Our new look is sweet,
and it’s coming soon!
Change is good.
For more information contact your Accolade Wines Area Manager or 131 492
THANKS!
Helping Protect Our Beautiful Planet
since 1995
TOGETHER WE’VE
GIVEN AU$6 MILLION
TO OUR ENVIRONMENT
SO FAR
Interview
THE RETIREMENT OF LONGSTANDING
LIQUOR RETAIL LEADER -
PETER BRIEN
This year, after almost two decades as Chairman of South
Australia’s largest independent liquor retailer – SipnSave - Peter
Brien retired. drinks trade caught up with Peter to ask him about
what trends he’s seen during his time in the industry – what the
position of independents was in 1966, in comparison to today.
drinks trade: Your family has been the licensee of Alberton Hotel
in South Australia since 1940. Did you work anywhere else before
taking over the licence?
Peter Brien: I’ve virtually worked in the Alberton Hotel since I left
school.
DT: When you took over the family business in 1987, what was the
prospect then of being a licensee?
PB: Well it was probably pretty marginal before gaming became big,
but then that was a cash boost in which we could use to improve the
pub.
DT: And you were appointed as Chairman of SipnSave in 1966?
PB: Yes. I was appointed to the AHA board in 1988 and then I became
Vice President of the AHA in 1994. In those days the AHA were the
controlling interest of SipnSave and usually the Vice President became
the Chairman of SipnSave.
DT: When you began as Chairman, what did your role entail and
what was the outlook of the business?
PB: Well basically it was to make sure we were competitive against
stand-alone bottle shops; they had stolen a bit of the market from us
and we needed to catch up.
DT: Did AHA breakaway from SipnSave after that?
PB: The AHA had to relinquish their controls of SipnSave to maintain
their tax-free status.
DT: What was the position of independent retailers in comparison
to chains when you first started as Chairman, and how has that
changed throughout your career?
PB: Our biggest opposition then was the stand-alone bottle shops.
During that time the chains had just started to buy into bottle shops;
not so much hotels, that came later. It was during the mid-90s that they
started to purchase bottleshops and that was when we began to see
the beginning of the involvement of the chains in a serious way.
26
drinks trade
DT: What have been
the main challenges
in your career as
Chairman of an independent
retailer?
PB: Our biggest asset was having
our own wholesaler, well an
interest in our own wholesaler.
We had a fairly big interest.
Having that helped us remain
competitive.
DT: You were instrumental
in creating the joint venture
between SipnSave and the
Liquor Marketing Group (LMG)
in 2005. What were you hoping
to achieve through the joint
venture?
PB: To be quite blunt, the only
thing we needed out of joining
LMG was critical mass. I think
we lead LMG in our marketing
and sales organisations and I
think we probably still do.
DT: What do you think will be
the position of independent
liquor retailers over the next 10
years? What challenges do you
foresee?
PB: I think there will be
probably less independents,
but better independents. I think
independents will have to do
things differently, like supporting
wineries and suppliers who can’t
get a look-in in the chains.
DT: Tony Hurley has now been
elected to take over your role
as Chairman. How is Tony
positioned to help continue to
grow the business?
PB: I think he’s an excellent
choice and his family has interest
in about ten or 11 hotels. They’ve
already got a pretty large footprint
in the industry so I think he’ll be
excellent.
DT: What do you have planned
for your retirement?
PB: A little bit more golf, a few
more lunches, and just generally
relaxing and enjoying life. I still
have a keen interest in the
Alberton; my son from England,
he’s still running it and my
daughter’s still involved.
Enjoy Banrock Station responsibly.
…and a new year, new look
for our table wines
Change is good.
For more information contact your Accolade Wines Area Manager or 131 492
THANKS!
Helping Protect Our Beautiful Planet
since 1995
TOGETHER WE’VE
GIVEN AU$6 MILLION
TO OUR ENVIRONMENT
SO FAR
AFFW
Australia’s
FIRST FAMILIES
of WINE
In 2009, 12 of Australia’s leading family owned Australian wineries came together to form
Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW). Together, the 12 represent generations of winemaking,
which have not only upheld the Australian wine industry, but have driven it to where it is today.
The group formed to celebrate and share their story. Spanning 16 of Australia’s infamous wine
regions and four states, here, and in coming issues, drinks trade helps these families’ stories to
be heard, speaking of their heritage, history, the custodians of their lands and the future of these
family businesses – the next generation.
Katherine Brown
BROWN BROTHERS (VICTORIA)
By Ross Brown
I
t was in 1885, at just 18 years of age, that John Francis Brown
convinced his father to plant vines on their Milawa property in north
east Victoria, forming the first ten acres of the family vineyard.
However, it was not plain sailing from here, and the early days of
the business and vineyard saw difficult times including a collapse in
industry prices, phylloxera insect, the Great Depression and the First
World War. Yet John Francis persevered and the vineyard continued.
In 1935 John Francis Brown’s son, John Charles Brown, joined the
family business. John Charles’ determination to focus and grow the
wine business, as well as his inquisitive and scientific mind, saw him
experiment with new grape varieties, cold fermentation and focus on table
wine, when the rest of the area was still dominated by fortified production.
Later, during a time of steady growth for the industry, in the ‘60s,
‘70s and ‘80s, a new generation
became ready to join John
Charles, their father, in the
business. John Graham chose
winemaking; Peter – developing
the vineyards; Ross – sales and
marketing; and Roger – viticulture/
vine propagation. And this created
a generation of enormous growth,
focus and development.
Joining the family business is
not a right and the Brown family
knows they must work outside the
business for at least four years,
ensuring they gain external skills.
Today, two daughters of Ross
Brown - Katherine and Caroline,
having worked externally - have put
their hands up to join the company.
Graduating with a Masters in
Wine Business and a Masters
of Viticulture and Oenology,
Katherine’s challenge today
involves refreshing the family’s
range through innovative
packaging and pushing the
envelope in new wine styles.
Caroline is the creative
one, who also studied
marketing. Caroline writes and
communicates beautifully, and
heads up the company’s Public
Relations, both domestically
and overseas. Her critical eye
and custody of our brand values
keeps us all on our toes.
It’s exciting times celebrating
125 years of winemaking
at Milawa and knowing the
business is in good hands for a
long time into the future.
Caroline Brown
28
drinks trade
INSPIRED BY CIDER,
GROWN ON VINES.
100% Pure Grape Refreshment,
New Innovation from Brown Brothers.
Contact your Brown Brothers or MGM Distributors Area Manager, or call 1800 032 248.
Australian made,
Australian owned
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25/09/2014 11:39 am
AFFW
TYRRELL’S WINES
(NEW SOUTH WALES)
By Jane Tyrrell
T
yrrell’s Vineyards was founded by Edward Tyrrell in 1858 when
he took up a concessional allotment of 320 acres at Pokolbin.
The first vintage at Tyrrell’s was in 1864 and since Tyrrell’s has
been steadfast in both the Hunter Valley and Australian wine industries.
The motto Edward brought with him from England was “nothing
is great unless it is good”, which has been and continues to be the
guiding beacon for the family.
The past 50 years have seen the greatest era of growth and
innovation for Tyrrell’s. The company has purchased or leased many of
the great vineyard blocks of the Hunter, introduced chardonnay to the
modern Australian wine industry, and championed Hunter Semillon.
Tyrrell’s has been passed down from generation to generation and is now
headed by fourth generation family member Bruce Tyrrell. And his three
children - Jane, John and Christopher - are all involved in the family business.
Fifth generation family member, Jane Tyrrell, has grown up in the
winery, just as her father Bruce and grandfather Murray did. From
childhood days earning pocket money working in the cellar door and
office, Jane always knew she wanted to join the family business.
Jane officially joined the family business in 2001 as a rep and has
30
drinks trade
been a part of the sales team
ever since.
“Taking our wine to the people
who buy it is the most rewarding
experience,” Jane says.
“What I learn from the trade
and consumers, I pass on directly
to my father Bruce and my brother
Christopher who are both based at
the winery. The closeness of our
operation, and the family nature
of it, means we can consistently
make wines that are relevant to
the drinking public.”
It is the wish of this fifth
generation that the business
remain family owned and
operated, and continues on for
another 150 years.
Interview
THE WHISKY GIRL
Laura Hay
Laura Hay may not have actually been born in a distillery, but her life has always
revolved around the classic Scottish spirit. She sat down with drinks trade to
discuss her journey from whisky novice to her current role as Chivas Brothers
Whisky Ambassador for Australia.
drinks trade: You grew up three doors away from The Glenlivet
distillery, has whisky always been a part of your life?
Laura Hay: Growing up in Scotland, whiskies have always been around.
It’s a celebratory drink. I used to get it for New Year – before the bells
went at midnight we’d have a whisky in hand. But growing up next
to the distillery, I got to know about what was going on in there, and
became more appreciative of what they were making. So I do feel like
I’ve been around whisky all my life.
DT: Is it true that you were born in a distillery?
LH: I wasn’t born in a distillery. I would love to say I was, but I was born
in Sterling, in central Scotland and I grew up in Alloa - a brewing town.
So I’ve always been around brewing and distilling. But I never got to
know about single malt Scotch whisky until my mum met my step-dad.
He absolutely loved it and worked with Chivas Brothers for about 30
years. He was a major influence in why I got into the industry and he
taught me a lot.
32
drinks trade
DT: Your career in whisky began when you joined The Glenlivet
distillery in 2002 as a tour-guide. What has been your career
journey between then to today?
LH: So, I left school at sixteen, went to college and studied acting,
communication and so on. After college, it was a case of ‘well, I have to
move back home’, but home was then Glenlivet. I tried to get a job in
advertising or marketing but the only thing around was, literally, the distillery
next door. I’ll always remember, my stepfather took me across the distillery
and introduced me to the manager. I got interviewed the next week – I
knew little bits about whisky, but I didn’t know much - and I started working
there in April.
DT: Was it there that you really developed your knowledge of
whisky?
LH: Yes, it took me the first month of working there to really get into
it and then I just fell in love with what I was doing, and I ended up
working there for the next three seasons. I never grew up thinking I
was going to work in whisky; I was going to be a movie star.
DT: Where did your career go from there?
LH: I basically wanted to get out and have a life; I was going on 23 and living
in the middle of nowhere. I was offered a job as a tour guide at the Whisky
Heritage Centre, near Edinburgh Castle. It was there that I learned about
all the single malt whiskies made in Scotland. I really, really enjoyed it, but I
wasn’t going to progress.
After about a year, I got a phone call from the Scotch Malt Whisky
Society, who had somehow managed to get my C.V. They asked me
to interview and took me on as a bar worker at Queen Street, which
had just opened a few months prior. I was in the bar for a few months
before I started to do the in-house tastings. In total I ended up working
for the Society for about eight years. From there I became their UK
ambassador, doing in-house tastings for members, then doing member
tastings around Scotland.
Because Glenmorangie owned the Society, it meant I could also
work with Glenmorangie Ardbeg. I was trained up and became a
panellist for the nosing team. It was a dream come true. I never
thought that I would be sitting in a room full of people whose books I
had read, with them listening to me and asking what I thought.
DT: What’s the story behind how you ended up in Australia, as the
Chivas Brothers Whisky Ambassador?
LH: I bought a one-way ticket to Sydney and arrived in March 2011. I was
working shifts at World of Whisky, and then went and did some backpacking;
I moved back to Sydney because I
had no money. I became a cleaner
for seven months at the hostel
I had originally stayed at for free
accommodation. My second year
visa came through, but I didn’t
know what was going to happen.
Then, out of the blue, I got a
phone call from Mike Edkins. He
said: “I’ve got your C.V in front of
me, I got it from Larry at World of
Whisky. It looks like you know a
lot about whisky, but do you know
anything about Chivas Brothers,
Chivas Regal, Glenlivet?” Of course
I said! I went in and met them
and within three months I was the
Ambassador for Chivas Regal for
Chivas Brothers Australia.
DT: Why do you love whisky so
much?
LH: It’s my passion. The first
thing I fell in love with was the
production. I used to tag along
with my step-dad when he would
go to distilleries. But it was also
living in Glenlivet, which is so rich
in history. Whisky plays a huge part
in our heritage, and I feel strongly
about that. I’m passionate about
the history, the knowledge, the
production, and continuing the
legacy of whisky all over the world.
DT: If you can choose one,
what’s the most amazing dram
you’ve ever tried?
LH: Probably the most special
whisky I’ve tried is the 70-Year-Old
Glenlivet. Chris Hobin, founder of
Edinburgh Whisky Blog, invited me
to the launch at Edinburgh Castle,
on my last day before leaving for
Australia. He came in with this wee
bottle, and I cried. It was the most
vibrant – and only – 70-year-old
whisky I’ve tried. That will stick in
my mind forever.
DT: Is there a growing younger
audience in the category?
LH: Definitely. People freaked
out when first walked into
tasting rooms because I was a
20-something girl in a room full
of businessmen. But around
Scotland all the whisky shows
were becoming younger. Here
in Australia, people assume it’s
going to be mostly old people,
but that’s not the case. It’s
20-somethings, male and female,
who come to learn and enjoy –
not just for drinking, but for what
it is as well.
DT: Is there a bond between
women in whisky?
LH: There’s a bond between all
the ‘old’ women in whisky. It’s
something that’s always brought
up, even when I started as a tour
guide. To me, it’s never been a
huge deal. At Glenlivet we’ve got
our first-ever female distiller and
there’s so many females now in
the industry. It’s the norm.
drinks trade
33
Insight
CHAMPAGNE
SALON
Champagne Salon is not only an unusual
maison, but intriguing in its style and rarity.
There is only one cuvée on offer, so you’re
either a fan or, potentially, not. That being said,
the popularity of Champagne Salon means
its limited production run never fails to sellout, creating a demand that helps to promote
Salon’s sister house - Champagne Delamotte.
T
he first vintage of Champagne Salon was in 1905, which became
the private Champagne for Monsur Aimé Salon who, originally
a poor farm boy, had found success as a fur trader in Paris.
Aimé Salon made a very good living, travelling Europe and creating a
flourishing business. His first parcel of land in the Champagne region
was only a single hectare, called Jardin de Salon, and this became his
home, in the Côte des Blancs, just south of Epernay.
Champagne Salon takes a single vintage approach, from a single
cru and made only from chardonnay. Arguably the first-ever single
vintage, single cru, blanc de blanc. The Champagne was produced only
for Monsur Aimé Salon and his guests, traditionally dining at Maxim’s
in Paris, until the 1921 vintage when it was made only slightly more
available for purchase (as long as you were a personal friend of Monsur
Salon of course).
The vineyards of the grand cru Le
Mesnil-sur-Oger were granted their
status in 1995, proposed by the
Institut National des Appellations
d’Origine in France.
Aimé Salon passed away in 1943 and the house was taken over by
his nephew who looked after the business until 1988. Champagne
Salon is now in the hands of Champagne Laurent-Perrier, and run by
Chef de Cave Didier Depond.
Today only 60,000 bottles are made each vintage. On average there
is only one vintage every three years (there were only 37 releases in
the entire 20th century), and some bottles are put down for extra aging,
leaving only 18,000 bottles each year for the global market.
34
drinks trade
“There is no Salon rosé, no
non-vintage, no pinot noir or
meunier – just Salon made from
chardonnay, from a single year.
We also have no half bottles,
only full bottles and magnums.
You could say we like to keep
things simple”, said Vianney
Gravereaux, Export Director
for both Salon and Delamotte
Champagnes.
“We’ve just launched the
’02 and there is strong interest
from importers looking towards
markets that may not be taking
their allocation for the year for
obvious reasons, such as Russia
and possibly Ukraine. They
are hoping to secure an extra
allocation for themselves. It’s
a weapon of mass seduction,
winning over markets across the
world.”
Champagne Delamotte,
founded in 1760, is sited literally
next door and is also owned by
Laurent-Perrier. Many of the staff
are allocated between houses,
which is significantly beneficial
when you consider that Salon
may not have a vintage for a
number of years concurrently.
Additionally the Champagnes
of these houses display similar
styles; Delamotte is
also a house driven
by chardonnay,
sourcing grapes from
the grand cru villages
of Le Mesnil-surOger, Avize and Oger.
The 2002 vintage
has been keenly
anticipated and expectations
have been met – this is an
exceptionally good Champagne.
Champagne Salon,
Cuvée ‘S’ 2002
Tasting Note:
Even though this wine has spent
ten years on lees it is still youthful and displaying lemon and lime
intensity. The fruit is all about
purity, and with the malolactic
fermentation closed off, the wine
has just five grams of dosage.
A trend of lowering the dosage
over the years has seen the
Champagne reach a beautifully
balanced level allowing the fruit
to shine. A rich mouthfeel and
a fine a lively mousse. Plenty of
cellaring potential, this wine is
still young one at 12 years old.
There to be enjoyed, but plenty
more to come.
Interview
Making Life Sparkle
As the trend towards spontaneous celebration surges, premium brands
like Henkell are responding. The launch of an elegant new bottle design
will create relevancy for consumers, who increasingly enjoy sparkling
beyond the traditional special occasion. drinks trade spoke with Henkell
Export Director Klaus Kürten to learn more about this development.
drinks trade: Why did the change come about now? Is this linked
to consumer trends?
Klaus Kürten: The Henkell package has always been linked to the
development of printing. As a brand, you have to follow trends without
losing your identity and we have done this now. I’m proud to say, it
was the first time in the life of Henkell, that we conducted international
consumer research. What we’re launching now in Australia was
developed together with Australian consumers, with European
consumers and consumers in North America. This package is a global
package, because we have to think global nowadays; the product has
to fit into the globalised world. I believe that there’s no other imported
sparkling wine in Australia where there has been such research with
Australian consumers.
DT: How is it being received? Was it first launched in Germany?
KK: Yes, the domestic market there is the most important market for
us. The feedback I have got so far, and Australia is now the last country
where we are launching this brand, is that it’s phenomenal and people
love it. They say it is very champagne-like. We’re looking very premium
with the new package and that’s the trend at the moment.
DT: What was the aim of the new design and how did you want
the bottle to come across?
KK: The question was asked to the consumer because they have
decided how it is now. We had some different designs and this was the
best-rated design. We were also asking non-Henkell users, because we
wanted to capture those who are not Henkell drinkers at the moment
but are hopefully in the future. The target was to go more premium and
I think marketing has achieved this. Just recently, we had a large party
and even competitors were coming to us and saying great job, this
is a new level of printing, and of producing. Really it’s not easy to put
out such quality, and in Germany you have a responsibility to produce
quality product, because product of Germany is recognised for its
quality worldwide.
DT: Is this reflected in the brand’s plan for the rest of the year? Is
there a new marketing approach?
KK: Yes, there’s always a considerable period of time between getting
the old packages off the shelves and the new packages onto the
shelves. Nowadays, occasions
to drink sparkling wine are
becoming more popular. The
main usage of sparkling wine is
Christmas, New Years Eve and
January in Australia, and we want
to be, with the new package, very
well distributed in Australia before
the season peak.
Robert Blackwell, CEO of McWilliam’s
Wines Group & Klaus Kuerten, Henkell
Export Director
DT: Do you think that Sparkling
is a category that will continue
to grow in Australia?
KK: I definitely do. If you look
at the figures, bottled sparkling
wine is growing very nicely. For
our product, we have a two-digit
growth at the moment. People
are becoming more educated,
matured, experienced, know
more about the category, like
more [than one] beverage
categories, and like quality. I
think people can recognise what
is quality and what is not quality
and I’m looking forward to the
continuation of this growth.
DT: The new packaging also
covers the 200ml bottle. Do you
think this format contributes to
the celebratory occasion?
KK: The 200ml format is the
perfect format. If you have only
a two-person dinner, [and] the
piccolo, then you have two
glasses. You can start with a
glass of sparkling wine and then
continue with your menu. The
piccolo has some very good
advantages; it never has a corky
taste and is always fresh because
it has a screw cap.
drinks trade
37
Insight
SPECIALTY
RETAIL STORES
The majority of retailers in Australia today stock extended ranges of products across categories,
to be able to offer something for everyone. Differentiating themselves on the market however
are specialty retail stores. These retailers have found success by focusing on just one category.
Stocking only one category not only allows these retailers to offer exceptional product knowledge,
which has proven to increase sales, but also to stock limited or hard to find products, which
attracts an audience in search of collectable or special gifts, as well as aficionados.
fridge doors bursting at the seams with craft beer.
Manager Mark Mead says that the key to delivering such a large and
highly specialised inventory at the lowest possible price is maintaining
good relationships with a large base of suppliers. As particular brews
are not always available through wholesalers, going directly to the
source is often the only option.
Warners at the Bay Bottle Shop will sell product in any amount or
format, in-store and online; the challenge is to keep the range turning
over and to keep it fresh. Tastings are held by the retailer most Fridays
to ensure that stock moves through consistently.
Liquor Barons - Carlilse, WA
Warners at the Bay - Newcastle, NSW
Boasting over 1000 beers from more than 40 global regions,
Newcastle’s Warners at the Bay Bottle Shop is one of the largest
specialty craft beer retailers in the state. Alongside the beer range,
this retailer stocks more than 100 ciders, as well as a comprehensive
selection of wine.
As well as a fantastic store layout, 100-space car park, and
passionate, personalised customer service, the driving force behind the
success of Warners at the Bay Bottle Shop can be whittled down to 26
38
drinks trade
As the only independently owned and operated retail liquor co-operative
in Australia, Liquor Barons is doing something right, providing a very
healthy and competitive edge to an industry dominated by highly
successful chains.
While the collective’s combined buying power ensures the retailer
is able to deliver a wide range of products at competitive price points,
independence has allowed Liquor Barons Carlilse to tailor its product
range to the tastes and preferences of the local community for more
than sixty years; a community in which they have made a name for
themselves, actively supporting local sporting clubs, aged care facilities,
schools, RSLs and charities.
As a specialist across categories, Liquor Barons Carlilse supports
smaller boutique and more obscure brands alongside the traditional
favourites. Owner Lou Spagnolo says that specialising in a wide
range of categories places Liqour Barons just above those with only a
singular or more niche focus, and if
the customer can’t find what they’re
looking for, they pride themselves
on being able to source the product
immediately.
With such a broad appeal, Liquor
Barons Carlilse possesses a real cross-section of customers, and with
well-educated staff, allocated to categories based on their interests
and class-specific knowledge, the retailer excels at meeting various
taste, budget and occasion requirements. These might include private,
business or corporate functions; and the retailer is happy to deliver for
free locally and right across the Perth metropolitan area.
Armadale Cellars - Melbourne, VIC
When Phil Hude took
over Armadale Cellars
in 1997, it was dead
on its feet. With an
inventory comprising
of just $30,000, the
business was in
desperate need of
renewal and a longterm strategic focus.
Despite coming up
against a number of
adverse challenges,
including surviving the
GFC and operating
within a considerably rigid regulatory framework, directing all business
activities to align with Hude’s crystal clear vision has seen Armadale
Cellars develop into a now flourishing independent liquor retailer; and
one with a particular penchant for premium fine wine.
As a merchant specialising in boutique wine, as well as wine
appreciation courses and events, education forms a central component
in what Armadale Cellars offers to both their corporate and consumer
customer bases. Not only do they source, supply and deliver wines
nationally and from all across the globe, the business has implemented
innovative ways in which their customers can experience the product.
Services tailored to suit the needs of corporate clients include lectures
and speaking arrangements, palate trainers, masterclasses and wine
challenges, and additionally for consumers, wine education and courses.
Alternatively, Hude
encourages customers to taste
and experience the five to six
wines that the retailer always
has on-premise. This might be
accompanied by a cellar dinner
or a courtyard tasting, allowing
customers to meet with the
winemakers and broaden their
experience of the product.
All wines on offer have been
personally tasted, and have
passed the test for quality,
complexity and value.
Now in its 18th year of
operation, and under the skillful
direction of Hude, Armadale
Cellars is a retailer that
continues to thrive, offering
consumers not only a means to
obtain exceptional wine, but an
avenue to experience it.
World of Whisky Sydney, NSW
Synonymous with the name,
specialist whisky retailer World of
Whisky has a lot more to offer than
just a bottle of this well loved drop.
Combine a range comprising of
over 400 expressions from regions
including Scotland, Ireland, Wales,
Australia, Taiwan, USA, Canada,
India, and Japan, with tastings,
whisky degustation dinners, foodmatching, auctions, shows and
events, and you have what World
of Whisky like to term the total
whisky experience and one they
continually endeavor to provide.
Dispelling the myth that whisky
solely appeals to the more
mature age categories, owner
David Ligoff says approximately
70 per cent of its customer base
are aged between 25 and 40,
due to the fact that this audience
is keen to try and experience
something new. Therefore the
business employs the tactic of
displaying well-known products
so as not to alienate or intimidate
new customers and encourage
them to explore further in store.
The majority of World of
Whisky’s product range
encompasses single malts,
but there are also a number of
blends, grain whiskies, bourbons
and rye.
For keen enthusiasts and
whisky connoisseurs, the
challenge is to keep the range
fresh, new and interesting.
Additionally, customers can join
in on any one of the 90 minute
sit-down events held in-store
each week; these may be tailored
to introducing new customers to
whisky, or providing a means by
which enthusiasts can enhance
their spirit knowledge.
drinks trade
39
THE NEW
MAGNUM.
WHEN YOU JUST FEEL LIKE ONE GLASS...
…MAGNUM PROMISES YOU GREAT WINE,
A GLASS AT A TIME.
Magnum offers popular premium wines
in an alternative format. Designed
to complement the bottled product,
Magnum’s unique features open up
additional consumption occasions i.e.
those times when you just want one
glass without compromising on quality.
Magnum’s unique features:
• Established wine brands with history and credibility
• Aspirational wine regions - New Zealand and Western Australia
• Vintage specific wines
• On-trend varietals
• Wine stays fresh for six weeks once opened
For your customers who value the wine more than the cork or the bottle.
ACC0015_MAGNUM_DRINKS TRADE 440x270 DPS AD 4.indd All Pages
Enjoy wine responsibly.
For more information contact your Accolade Wines Area Manager or call 131 492.
19/09/2014 9:30 am
Aussies abroad
Nathan Forde
Ever wanted to know what it’s
like to be an Australian working
and living abroad? Well look no
further. Here drinks trade talks
to Australian drinks industry
professionals who are currently
working and living around the
world to tell you what inspired
them to move, challenges
they’ve faced, advice for those
considering a change of climate
and an insight into what their
international careers involve.
Nathan Forde, Trade Marketing Manager,
African+Eastern – Beer, Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
drinks trade: What does your role entail
and which regions do you cover?
Nathan Forde: My role as Trade Marketing
Manager focuses on developing brand strategy
and BTL activation plans for our strategic brands
within the Middle East; mainly the United Arab
Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. ATL advertising
for alcohol is prohibited, therefore our focus is
on customer activation, and while this can seem
limiting it does encourage some remarkable
large-scale BTL brand activations.
DT: Is there a particular project you can tell
us about that you’re working on?
NF: We are currently involved in the launch of
the first drinks trade magazine for the region Drinks World Middle East. This will be a great
42
drinks trade
tool for asserting the company’s profile in
the region and enables us to accelerate
the growth of some of our training
programs across all categories, including
Stella Draught Master and World Class.
DT: What attracted you to working
overseas? Why did you accept the role?
NF: I was attracted to Dubai because of its
fantastic location; the rest of the world (excluding
Australia) is less than an eight-hour flight away.
It is a global city with expats making up more
than 85 per cent of the population, with a great
cultural mix and any cuisine you can imagine.
I was also excited about the broad portfolio of
brands that African+Eastern manages within the
region.
DT: What challenges did you face when
moving and settling in to your new home
and lifestyle?
NF: Moving can be a stressful experience
regardless of the destination. However, when
every aspect from medicals to identity cards
has to happen before you can set up a bank
account and ultimately secure an apartment to
rent, you are bound to feel a little overwhelmed.
Luckily for me everyone at African+Eastern has
been through this elongated process before so I
received plenty of advice and support.
DT: Are there cultural and social differences
that affect the way you market and sell in
your region?
NF: The working week is Sunday – Thursday,
which initially requires a bit of adjustment,
mostly when organising meetings! Dubai has
a fairly relaxed culture, however living
in a Muslim country you need to be respectful
of local beliefs and customs, particularly during
Ramadan. Appropriate dress is a must, and
as expected there are cultural sensitivities for
alcohol in the region - some markets are dry and
most are heavily controlled, until you enter the
on-trade, where RSA is relatively non-existent
and the Friday brunch in Dubai is legendary.
DT: What do you enjoy most?
NF: Being located in the middle of the world
with proximity to so many countries that aren’t
really accessible from Australia, plus nine
months of ‘perfect weather’ each year in Dubai
is pretty hard to resist.
DT: Any advice for those considering an
overseas posting?
NF: As with any job, ensure the company and
their values are consistent with your own; this
can vary significantly due to cultural differences.
Work becomes an even bigger part of your life
when working abroad; at first, often your only
friends and network is through work and if you
don’t thoroughly enjoy your job it can make the
transition difficult.
I would recommend visiting both the
country and company before you accept the
role to get a better feel for the living and
working environment, but my advice, jump in
and you never know where it might take you.
Paul Schaafsma
General Manager, UK & Ireland,
Accolade Wines
the UK, we wanted to re-engage the British
consumer with the 160 years of Hardy’s
heritage and the wine quality Hardy’s delivers.
Additionally, to further support Hardy’s,
we have signed a three-year sponsorship
deal with English Cricket (ECB) and have
drinks trade: What does your role entail
and which regions do you cover?
Paul Schaafsma: My current role is General
Manager of Accolade Wines, U.K and
Republic of Ireland.
The business I manage
sells over 20 million
nine-litre cases of wine
sourced from our various
wineries in Australia, the
U.S.A, South Africa and
New Zealand. We are the
U.K’s number one wine
company with 12 per
cent market share and
three of Britain’s top ten
wine brands. I lead a team
of roughly one hundred
people who handle the
sales, marketing, legal,
finance and category
development within the
business.
th
Paul Schaafsma wi
I left Australia nine
his son and Shane
years ago for the UK and
Warne at Lords
at that time I was General
Manager of Australian
Vintage’s commercial
operations.
teamed with Sky Sports to sponsor the cricket
coverage for the next three years.
DT: Is there a particular project you can tell
us about that you’re working on?
DT: What attracted you to working
PS: Over the past 18 months I have managed
overseas? Why did you accept the role?
the restructure of the Accolade UK commercial
PS: I felt it was a great opportunity to live and
operations. It was important coming into the
work in another country, to learn about the
business to right size the organisation and set a
culture, the ways of working and the lifestyle.
new vision for success moving forward. While
I accepted the role because I saw it as a great
this was a tough challenge, it has now enabled
learning opportunity and one that does not
the business to develop a more customer
come up too often.
centric culture with greater commercial
intensity.
DT: What challenges did you face when
From a brand point of view we have
moving and settling in to your new home
overseen the revitalisation of Hardy’s
and lifestyle?
packaging across all ranges. Even though
PS:Moving my family was always going to be
Hardy’s is the number one wine brand in
a challenge but I am lucky enough to have a
wife who is amazingly supportive and loves a
challenge. The children were young enough
to adapt, in fact our youngest two were
born here; they are now more British than
Australian. The rest just flowed on from there.
DT: Are there cultural
and societal differences
that affect the way you
market and sell in your
region?
PS:There are very strong
links between the UK
and Australia so really
there are not that many
differences between the
way Australians and the
British live. Clearly it is
easier to live here when
Australia has won the
ashes or the Wallabies
have just beaten England
in Rugby.
DT: What do you enjoy
most?
PS: I love the buzz of
closing a deal, I love the
challenge of innovation
in a mature market, and
I love the vibrancy and
professionalism of the trade in the UK.
I have made some fantastic friends here
in the wine trade that I know will be friends
for life. You can’t beat sitting around a dinner
table with a great meal, great wine and
fantastic company.
DT: Any advice for those considering an
overseas posting?
PS: Do your homework, make sure you have
all of the right paperwork in terms of visas,
work permits etc. but most of all enjoy it;
working in another market is a wonderful
experience.
drinks trade
43
Reporting
2014 ALSA CONFERENCE
Terry Mott Announces Restructure
This year was the Australian Liquor Stores Association’s (ALSA) twenty-first annual National
Conference, which in keeping with previous years received a solid turn out.
U
nique from many other industry conferences,
the ALSA Conference centres itself around
learning opportunities. The conference is
primarily a learning opportunity for retailers, however
there is a part focus on suppliers too, and one of
the main aims of the conference is to provide an
opportunity for retailers to interact with suppliers
directly, in a non-transactional environment.
Spanning over six days, this year’s conference
focused on a number of key topics, covered in panel
discussions, presentations, and workshops, by key
body voices.
Topics covered had a strong focus on regulatory
issues surrounding leadership, alcohol policy, and
public and government perceptions. Topics concerning
consumer trends and behaviour, as well as product
development and markets were also a focus of the
conference. In the second half of the conference, ALSA
reported on its recent Retail Study Tour of the UK and
France, which was followed by an Expo and Trade
Day to provide retailers with the opportunity to taste
suppliers’ latest product offerings.
The discussions on regulatory issues, which involved
the whole of the industry, generated a key message
this year – that the industry needs to collectivise and be
more proactive in standing up for itself, taking a positive
step forward towards redefining the negative reputation
and messages this industry often receives from media
and government.
Stressing this message was John Scott, CEO of
social change organisation DrinkWise, who presented
research findings that showed the reality of perceptions
surrounding issues such as alcoholism and underage
drinking.
“The findings showed that the community doesn’t
see alcohol as a major issue, contrary to what you read
in the media. Things like the economy, employment,
and employment opportunities for young people
were all of much greater importance. In fact, alcohol
didn’t even rate as an unprompted issue”,Terry said,
reflecting on John Scott’s presentation.
44
drinks trade
“Governments really have been operating on the
premise that regulation is good and the industry hasn’t
really pushed back hard enough to say not all regulation
is either good nor useful. But we’re hoping to start
doing just that”,Terry added.
Reporting on the ALSA Retail Study Tour, participants
of the tour held workshops to discuss their findings and
how they could be implemented back to how retailers
in Australia do business.
Key findings were that premiumisation is also driving
growth in the UK and France, while so is innovation
and new product development, particularly pack and
container size differentiation, which the tour participants
said was proving key to engaging new and existing
consumers in those markets.
Aside from the presentations, panels and workshops,
Terry also announced at the conference details of a
restructure at ALSA. After discussions and a review
of ALSA, Terry said it was evident that a national
representative body was needed. The restructure
therefore has moved ALSA from working as a board
that originally worked at state level, to a national body.
The restructure also now sees Terry appointed
as CEO of ALSA, from his original role, which was
previously divided between ALSA and LSA NSW.
CEO Terry Mott
Two more individuals have been
appointed to provide resources for
research and media policy.
Plans are underway for ALSA’s
2015 conference, which is
expected to be held between 23-26
of August. Terry sees the next year
for retailers as a challenging one,
with more regulation, but from the
outcome of this year’s conference
Terry has no doubt that the industry
will collectively push forward.
ISLAND2ISLAND FORMS
PARTNERSHIP WITH SAN
MIGUEL
NEW REKORDERLIG
INNOVATION TO ENGAGE A NEW
CONSUMER
Distributed by: Island2Island
RRP: $15.99 per six pack
Distributed by: Coca-Cola Amatil
RRP: $8 per bottle, $18.99 per six-pack
island2island Beverage Company has secured
a long-term partnership with San Miguel Beer
International Ltd., to distribute the company’s
flagship beer brand, Pale Pilsen, with others
soon to follow.
Mr. Carlos Berba, Managing Director for San
Miguel Beer International Ltd., expressed:
“Australia is an important and developing
market for us and we are confident our
partnership will deliver the opportunity many
Australian beer drinkers have been asking for
– to have easy access to San Miguel beer.”
Premium cider brand Rekorderlig has
announced the launch of a new entry to the
cider category – Rekorderlig Dry Äpple Cider.
This modern twist on the much-loved classic
aims to engage a new male consumer – the
traditional beer drinker who is looking for
something new, as well as existing cider
drinkers.
“We have always pioneered the flavoured
sub-category of cider, but with Rekorderlig
Dry Äpple we have produced a cider which
we feel can excite new and existing cider
drinkers”, John Logue, Chilli Marketing
Customer Marketing Manager said.
While aiming to reward existing flavour fans
and offering the cider consumer “a fresh twist
on the classic apple cider”, John Logue adds,
Chilli Marketing also believes the new variant
will help add value to the category.
“For the first time since flavoured cider was
introduced into Australia and cider saw an explosion of new consumers
discovering the category, we are seeing that value growth has been
overtaken by volume growth”, John Logue explains.
“Every category aspires to be premium and we believe that Rekorderlig
Dry Äpple Cider can add value back into the market”, John continued.
“By offering consumers a premium brand in the most popular subcategory - apple - we can together drive value back into cider and put
more dollars through our retail partners’ tills, as we give consumers a
truly premium cider.”
Moreover John explains how the new release will be supported in the
on- and off-premise, as well as via Facebook.
John adds: “Our launch will be across three main platforms. In the offpremise we have gone to market in our beautiful 6x330ml pack format,
offering a truly exciting looking pack to match the delicious taste.
“To help consumers find the product and retailers promote it, we also
have a full POS suite with CCA sales staff offering sample sessions to
get that all important liquid on lips.
“In the on-premise we are going to market with the hero 330ml
bottle, but what is also hugely exciting for us, is that we are also
simultaneously launching on draught. Apple cider dominates the onpremise at the moment.
“Finally, we will be recruiting new male consumers through digital
platforms including Spotify, Vice, Faster Louder & In The Mix.
“Not forgetting our existing highly engaged fans across Facebook and
Instagram, we’ll be seeding and sampling with our enormous 320,000
fans” John concluded.
PRESSMAN’S CIDER
Distributed by: The Australian
Beer Company
RRP: Mid-Strength $14.99 per
six-pack, Original $16.99 per
six-pack
CIDER TO JOIN VALE
CRAFT BEER RANGE
In September, McLaren Vale
Beer Company introduced Vale
Cider into its range.
Head Brewer Jeff Wright’s
choice of sourcing locally
grown apples to produce
the traditional-style cider has
resulted in a cloudy brew, with
a crisp and full-bodied flavour.
“We wanted to create an
apple cider that actually tasted
like apples – it might sound
obvious, but there are a lot
of options on the market that
don’t properly show that
characteristic,” Jeff explained.
Vale Cider is available on
draught in the on-premise.
Pressman’s all-Australian cider has
relaunched with a new look and
new product offering. The new
offering includes a mid-strength
apple cider, the first of its kind
available on the Australian market.
The dry, crisp cider, has been made
in collaboration with SPC, Australia’s
largest producer of premium fruit,
using local apples sourced from
the Goulburn Valley, and is bottled
at the Australian Beer Company
Brewery in Yenda, NSW.
drinks trade
BEER & CIDER
New releases
45
kwp!CPR12479
World of beer
The World of
BEER
Business consolidation and
globalisation has had many benefits
for the consumer, not least of which
has been the price and availability of
many goods and services. However,
one area where the creation of
global brands has arguably had a
cost, is in the ideas of regionality
and local flavour. And this is
particularly so in the world of beer.
By Matt Kirkegaard.
O
nce upon a time beer much more clearly
reflected local conditions and produce,
with native yeasts, hop varieties, water and
malting techniques all ensuring the beer bore the
mark of its home.
Unlike wine, however, which tends to be produced
close to where the grapes are grown, barley, hops
and yeast are easily transportable. Water chemistry is
also easily manipulated to mirror the water conditions
of any region so brewers can easily replicate styles
anywhere in the world, which has seen a rise in
generic beers that fit a wide global net.
Today we are seeing a resurgence of craft brewing
and an explosion in the number of beer styles, both
through styles being resurrected and also popularised
further afield. While there is a huge selection of
styles, the modern brewing renaissance reflects less
the local conditions than trends, culture and tastes.
The modern beer tourist now has a wealth of
options, both from countries with very traditional
brewing cultures, such as Germany, the Czech
Republic, Belgium and the United Kingdom, through
to brewers who are putting a much more modern
spin on the humble brew.
drinks
drinks
trade
trade 47
47
World of beer
The United States
It would be easy to dismiss the beers
of the United States, but the US is
actually the powerhouse in interesting
and flavoursome beer.
The US can lay claim to being the
catalyst to the current global beer
renaissance, which traces its origins
back to the birth of the Sierra Nevada
brewery in 1979. At that stage there
were fewer than 100 breweries in the
whole of the country and, like Australia,
the country had faced several generations
of consolidation and brewery closures.
Sierra Nevada pioneered the hoppy
pale ale - big citrus notes and assertive
bitterness - now referred to as the
American Pale Ale. It sparked three decades of brewery growth
that continue today and has ignited a global trend that has spread to
Australia in earnest a decade and a half ago and continues to be the
case today.
Michael Lonard, State Sales Manager of bidbeer – one of the largest
importers of international brews to Australia – says pale ales and India
pale ales are the styles most in demand in Australia. “These styles
are not particularly new, however, they have been reinvented by the
North American brewers, producing hop driven beers. The consumer
is craving a different experience and is open to enjoying beers with far
more complex flavour profiles”, Michael explains.
Today there are more than 2,800 breweries across the United States,
with estimates of more than 500 in planning. The spread and diversity
of beer in the country makes it high on the ‘must visit’ list for those
looking to combine beer and travel.
US brewers have been the great innovators in modern brewing,
reviving, inventing and reinventing beer styles and creating excitement
for beer and experimentation, not to mention inspiring the global
craft beer movement – today almost 50 per cent of US beer sales are
through its exports of craft beer.
US Hotspots
Denver, Colorado
Home to the US’ largest beer festival - the annual Great American Beer
Festival - which represents the greatest concentration of breweries
and beer diversity in the world. The city itself, with a population of
630,000, boasts more than thirty breweries within a half hour drive of
the city centre, and the state of Colorado has more than 150. Names
include Wynkoop Brewpub, Great Divide, and the Coors-owned Blue
Moon Brewing Co., which sits under the stands at the Coors baseball
stadium.
48
drinks trade
West Coast style, with big names
such as Stone Brewing, Green
Flash, Ballast Point and AleSmith.
Germany
Portland, Oregon
Often regarded as Beervana
in the US, Portland supports
almost seventy independent craft
breweries and locals estimate
that approaching 40 per cent
of beer consumed in the city
is craft, compared to three per
cent in Australia. Portland is also
home to the Oregon Brewer’s
Festival, the Portland International
Beer Festival and Portland Beer
Week. Names include Deschutes
Brewery, The Commons Brewery
and Bridgeport.
San Diego, California
The US deserves its own article
to fully cover the intricacies of
the local beer scene, particularly
when many consider East Coast
and West Coast breweries to
have their own distinct signatures
for styles such as India Pale Ale.
San Diego is the heartland of the
One of the most inventive and
exciting brewing countries,
yet one of the most rigid and
traditional, but in the world of
beer that’s by no means a bad
thing.
Beer is so embedded in
German culture that when a
US brewer recently set up his
brewery in Berlin he asked about
obtaining a licence to sell his
beer. The local officials looked at
him quizzically and said, “You sell
beer…Why would you need a
license to sell beer?”
Travel through Germany and
drinking local is to sample history
and beer styles as you go.
The Germans have a deep
respect for brewing tradition, but
its enjoyment is a casual ritual.
Beers such as kölsch of
Cologne - the world’s only
appellation control beer that can
only be so-called if brewed in the
city limits - has a long tradition.
explore
BEER
Contact us to get involved!
Eoghan Hennessy - National Sales Manager
[email protected]
02 9492 7999 or 0416 886 133
LAST
CHANCE TO
INCLUDE
YOUR
BRAND/S
Available for purchase through Dan Murphy’s, Liquor Barons,
Newsagents nationally, all major Australian airports and
bookshops, Watersons, Icon and Amazon.
exploredrinks
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World of beer
Britain
When golden lagers gained popularity following the
birth of the pilsner style in Bohemia in 1842, breweries
that were unable to produce lager beer made their ales
lighter flavoured and paler than the darker beers they had
formerly made, while still brewing them as ales. In Cologne, this resulted
in the golden kölsch style, which was formalised following the First World
War and its name protected by the European Union in 1997.
Cities such as Dusseldorf on the other hand continued to hold onto
the older, darker styles, even naming them altbier (old beer), compared
to the newer lager style.
Despite holding onto their ale traditions, the Germans are no
slouches when it comes to lagers either. The name ‘lager’ itself is
derived from the German word ‘to store’ and harkens back to the
practice of storing beer made in March in cool caves to preserve it
through the coming hot summer months when brewing was not
possible. In doing so, brewers inadvertently were favouring the colder
fermenting yeasts and the beers changed in character, becoming
crisper, as they were lagered. When brewing could recommence with
the cooler weather of late September and early October, the leftover
March – or märzen – beers were consumed. The traditional beer of
Munich’s Oktoberfest is the amber-coloured märzenbier for this reason.
Munich, and the rest of Bavaria, are also famous for the fruity and
refreshing weizenbier, or wheat beer. These top fermenting ales,
made with 50 per cent wheat malt in addition to barley malt, are very
distinctive due to the fruity esters and clove-like phenolic compounds
thrown off by the yeast during fermentation.
Perhaps the most distinctive beers of Germany are those of
Franconia, made in Bamberg, with their distinctive smoked character.
Highly traditional, these are beers that link back to a time when all malts
would have been dried over fires. Just as many Scotch whiskies derive
their distinctiveness from the peat-smoked malts used, the rauchbiers
(smoked beers) of Bamberg are made with malts dried over beechwood
fires and take on a character reminiscent of smoked ham. It’s a style
that – no pun intended – has reignited a move towards adding a hint of
smoke to many craft beer styles.
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drinks trade
With its reputation for warm and flat beer, Britain may be seen as a
place to avoid for beer lovers. But, as is always the case with beer,
context is everything.
For Australians who have embraced bitterly cold and highly
carbonated lagers with a passion, largely due to our climate, the
traditional cask-conditioned
British ale is something of an
anathema. But it’s all about
what you are used to. In
the context of their history
and development, caskconditioned ales – beers
that undergo a secondary
fermentation in the keg to
provide a natural carbonation
– are a beauty.
Comparatively low in
carbonation due to the
conditioning process and
‘warm’ at 8-10 degrees, as they are cellar cooled rather than
refrigerated, their gradual decline sparked one of the largest consumer
movements in the world - The Campaign for Real Ale - to preserve their
treasured ales.
Despite its traditions, and the competing move towards the
convenience and security of international lagers, Britain has embraced
the modern craft beer movement eagerly.
The UK is abound with traditional ale breweries and modern craft
breweries, with Meantime, Brew Dog and Camden Brewery – the latter
owned by Australian Jasper Cuppaidge – among the best of the new breed.
Belgium
If the United States is worth its own article on its regions and
the possibilities it offers the beer traveller, Belgium is worth a
book; a long one.
Despite its size, Belgium is arguably the spiritual home of
good beer.
Beer styles and regionality are problematic for Belgian
beers as, unlike the ever precise Germans, brewing in
Belgium is very idiosyncratic and only the vaguest groupings
can be offered for their styles.
While microbrewing is the buzz in the New World,
microbrewing is the way of life in Belgium. Wherever you go
in the country, you can’t help but stumble upon a brewery
making something interesting and flavoursome.
Though brewing traditions are ancient here, beer styles
themselves constantly evolve. A great example is the Belgian
witbier (white beer), lately popularised by Hoegaarden.
The style had died out in the 1950s as drinking fashions changed, only
to be revived a decade later by local milkman Pierre Celis who fondly
remembered the beer style. It has become a craft staple around the world.
Australia
It may seem hard to believe for any readers
under 30, but it really wasn’t that long ago
that the relationship between beer and
travel meant that if you left your home
state, you also found your state’s beer
unavailable at your destination.
While XXXX was available in Cairns 1800 kilometres north of its Brisbane base
- you would have been flat out finding it
in Grafton - three hours drive south. If you
were a ‘New South Welshman’ visiting
Melbourne, you had best be willing to drink
a Melbourne bitter or a VB as Tooheys was
rarer than a rugby league football.
So much has changed in the last two
decades, following the amalgamation of the
regional breweries into the big two brewing
companies during the ‘80s and ‘90s, and
their push for national markets.
The seeds of the current craft beer
movement were sown even before
the 1984 birth of the Sail & Anchor in
Fremantle, that spawned the Matilda Bay
Brewing Company, now part of CUB. However, it was the launch of
Little Creatures in 1999 – by Phil Sexton, who also started Matilda Bay –
that really sparked the current beer wave.
Today we have a broad selection of breweries and beers, and craft
beer continues to grow – up by AU$53,842 in the last year (Aztec July
2014). And the craft beer explosion has changed the scene of brewing
in Australia as demand continues for “more complex and flavoursome
beers”, Cam Pearce, Sales and Marketing Director of Coopers Brewery
says. “Recent growth in the premium and craft beer segments has
helped boost Coopers’ popularity. Coopers has a unique range of ales
that are distinctively different to mainstream lagers and most premium
imported beers”, Cam added.
While craft is helping to grow businesses of those already producing
craft beer, it has meant that brands sitting outside the category are
having to compete either by changing style more progressively towards
that of craft, or, as the statistics are suggesting, importing those
flavoursome and more original styles that the rest of the world has to
offer. This has seen a huge growth in premium international beers and
the category is now the second largest in Australia (Aztec July 2014).
“International premium and pale ales are definitely continuing their
domination of the growth figures. And styles such as IPA, sours,
saisons and session ales are in great growth”, says Ben Kooyman,
Founder of ENDEAVOUR Vintage Beer Co.
This has also greatly impacted sales of the can format. Not only
have craft producers embraced the can format, but so have importers
of international brews, making the importation a much easier process,
while also helping to protect the brew inside. “The beer can has
experienced a resurgence thanks to the new can designs embraced
by many craft brewers. In fact
many brewers prefer the can as
a vessel to the bottle, amongst
other things the can blocks all
light to the beer, making the
beer tasted as close to as the
brewer intended. The can has
been on a steady increase for
a few years now and I believe
will continue to grow as the
consumers perception of canned
beer evolves”, Michael Lonard
comments.
So what of the regions behind
Australia’s booming craft scene?
Western Australia continues
to power ahead, with Fremantle,
Margaret River and Swan Valley
all hosting concentrations of
breweries. It may invite fierce
argument, but while WA is the
home of craft beer, Victoria
seems to be the centre of gravity
for beer endeavours. The garden
state is the complete package
with great breweries matched
to a huge range of venues
supporting and promoting craft
beer.
New South Wales has seen a
rapid growth in brewery numbers,
though beer-centric venues have
been a little slower coming.
Conversely, Brisbane has seen a
rapid expansion in the number of
beer-focused venues, with only a
handful of metropolitan breweries
following.
South Australia and Tasmania
both have a scattering of great
breweries, with the former
blessed with one of the best
beer pubs in Australia - The
Wheatsheaf in Thebarton.
Perhaps the best advice for
the wandering beer drinker is
wherever you go, take your sense
of adventure. As you front up to
the bar anywhere on your travels,
go on a beer journey as well.
Ask, “what’s local”, “what’s
new” or “what’s interesting”,
and you never know what sort of
taste adventure you will have.
drinks trade
51
New releases
SUNTORY LAUNCHES
PREMIUM JAPANESE
WHISKY PRODUCT
SPIRITS & LIQUEURS
Distributed by: Suntory Australia
RRP: $48
As Japanese whisky grows in
popularity in Australia, Suntory has
released another whisky from the
Japanese market, Suntory Whisky
Kakubin, to its Australian whisky
portfolio.
“Japanese whisky has taken
Australia by storm and the
response to our portfolio of luxury
whiskies – Yamazaki, Hibiki and
Hakushu – has been incredibly
positive. Suntory Whisky Kakubin
is an additional way Australian
consumers can enjoy the unique
flavours of Japanese whisky”,
Yosuke Minato, GM of Trade
Marketing & Corporate Planning for Suntory Australia said.
Suntory Kakubin was first launched in 1937 and not only has this
whisky become incredibly popular across Japan, it has also played a
significant role in starting the recent highball craze there.
“I envisage Kaku Highballs being very popular here in Australia
especially as we head into the warmer months and people look for a
refreshing drink”, Yosuke added.
CHIVAS REGAL
EXTRA
Distributed by:
Pernod Ricard Australia
RRP: $73
Chivas Regal Extra is
the new expression
from Chivas Regal and
the first in almost ten
years.
The new expression
is a blend of rare
whiskies, which have
been matured in a
higher proportion of
sherry casks. The
result is an expression
that has managed to retain the original Chivas Regal house style,
while adding a new level of richness, depth and complexity, and most
notably, layers of spice.
52
ABSOLUT WARHOL
Distributed by: Pernod Ricard
Australia
RRP: $37.99
The second limited edition
release to come from the
partnership between Absolut and
Andy Warhol is now available to
market.
The new release, Absolut Warhol,
features Absolut Vodka in a new
bottle that has been designed to
resemble Andy Warhol’s original
Absolut Warhol painting.
In 1986, Andy Warhol was the
first artist to create an original
piece of artwork for Absolut and
since Absolut has collaborated
with a number of other
renowned, cutting-edge artists.
Absolut Warhol is the first black
bottle in the range and also
features blue, pink and yellow
colourings, similar to those on
Absolut Warhol painting.
KNOB CREEK RYE
BOURBON
Distributed by: Coca-Cola Amatil
RRP: $87.99
The latest addition to join the Knob
Creek family here in Australia is the
Rye (50% ABV). The Knob Creek Rye
joins the rye whiskey category, which
Aztec data puts as being in 60 per cent
growth (MAT to April 2014).
The distillery is known for what it terms
as big flavour and being bottled at 100
per cent proof helps to carry that flavour
forward. The rye is aged in charred oak
barrels for a minimum of two years, and
the 51 per cent rye base mash provides
a spicy flavour profile.
Rye bourbon has traditionally been
the domain of bartenders keen to mix its unique spice flavours into
traditional drinks, such as the old fashioned. Knob Creek Rye comes
to the market highly acclaimed so we expect it to do well on-premise
in the lead up to Christmas. Falling in to the Beam Suntory portfolio,
speak to your CCA representative for supply.
drinks trade visit www.drinksguide.com.au to find the latest products
BROKEN HEART GIN
THE GLENLIVET SINGLE CASK
EDITIONS
Distributed by: HMH Beverages
RRP: $65.99
Distributed by: Pernod Ricard Australia
New Australian distribution
company HMH Beverages has
revealed the first spirit to join its
portfolio – Broken Heart Gin.
Broken Heart Gin is a long and
dry gin and comprises of 90 per
cent juniper and coriander, and 10 per cent fresh, organic botanicals .
Additionally Broken Heart Gin is produced with untreated spring water,
which adds to the fresh quality of the spirit.
Although only a relatively new product to market, Broken Heart Gin is
already growing in popularity and won a silver medal at the International
Wine and Spirits Competition in London last year.
Broken Heart Gin is available to both the on- and off-premise and HMH
Beverages says its expecting 16 other products to join its portfolio
before Christmas.
GREEN FAIRY
Distributed
by: SouthTrade
International
RRP: $59.90
Green Fairy is
a popular and
iconic spirit
in the month
of October
because of
its strong
association with
Halloween; its
unique thujone
ingredient said to have been used
in witchcraft.
This Halloween, Green Fairy are
promoting the APPLESINTH
cocktail (30ml Green Fairy
Absinth, 45ml Apple Juice, 45ml
Fever-Tree, juice of a lemon
wedge and ice), a great cocktail
for themed celebrations this
month.
Green Fairy absinthe has strong
herbal notes and distinct flavours
of star anise and liquorice, while
the thujone ingredient renders a
slight bitterness on the palate.
Keep an eye out for the
Halloween edition of drinks
weekly later this month.
SAUZA 901 SUPER
PREMIUM TEQUILA
Distributed by: Beam Suntory
RRP: $59.90
Sauza Tequila partnered with
Justin Timberlake this September
to launch Sauza 901 Super
Premium Tequila in Australia - a
smooth and versatile spirit that
has had a very successful and
highly visible launch in the U.S.
this year.
Founded by the internationally
acclaimed pop star himself, this
partnership blends the creativity
and personality of Timberlake
with the quality
and history of
the brand, as it
debuts alongside
Timberlake’s
The 20/20
Experience
World Tour.
This tripledistilled, 100
per cent
agave tequila
is available
exclusively at
Dan Murphy’s.
Over the last month The Glenlivet has
added two new releases to its Single Cask
Edition range, which features a number of
hand-selected craft whiskies that promote
The Glenlivet’s legacy, origin and production
methods.
The first of the two latest limited releases
to join the range is The Glenlivet Morinsh
(RRP $249.99), which joined the range earlier in September. This
expression is named after the Battle of Glenlivet, which took place
near Morinsh in the Scottish Highlands in 1594. The Glenlivet
Morinsh is a rich whisky with sweeter treacle notes and honey
flavours, combined with a slight spice. (Available exclusively at
Vintage Cellars)
The second release, and the last for the range, was launched
this month. The Glenlivet Corryhabbie Hill, has been released in
conjunction with award-winning bar Eau de Vie at cask strength
and is available in 500ml or 1000ml drams at Eau de Vie’s venues in
either Melbourne or Sydney. This expression takes its name from
the Glenlivet valley’s Corryhabbie Hill, which was a vantage point
for illicit distillers and whisky smugglers in the early 1800s. This
expression has sweet barley sugar and ripe pear flavours on the
palate, with a nuttiness that permeates through.
GLENFIDDICH’S
EXCELLENCE
Distributed by: William Grant & Sons
RRP: $590
Glenfiddich’s latest expression,
the Excellence 26 Year Old, is now
available to the Australian market.
Excellence is distinctive from the
other expressions in the Glenfiddich
range, as it is the first expression to have been matured in American
oak bourbon casks.
“By maturing this expression exclusively in bourbon casks we’ve
created a beautifully intense flavour. We believe it to be one of our
most desirable expressions yet”, Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian
Kindman said.
The new expression retains Glenfiddich’s original style and is a fruity,
floral and deep flavoured whisky, but with added vanilla, light oak and
spice. This Scotch whisky is surprisingly not too dark in colour, but is
rich golden, reflecting the slow and gentle maturation this dram has
undergone.
The presentation box and bottle have both been designed to represent
the oak used in its production and together make a great collectable
item for any whisky aficionado.
drinks trade
53
Mixers
Premium MIXERS
Premiumisation has been one of the biggest focuses and drivers across categories of
late and this trend is at large, so much so that in July 2012, The Drinks Business labeled
premiumisation as one of the top ten trends of the last ten years. And I am guessing that
over the past few years you have expanded your gin, vodka and rum offerings to meet
the demands premiumisation calls for.
But this trend doesn’t stop at alcohol and the next trend we’re expecting to hit your
outlets (if it hasn’t already), is the premiumisation of mixers. By Nigel Weisbaum.
54
drinks trade
Mixers
A
lthough it sounds obvious when discussing
mixers, most would think of only a few cola, lemonade, tonic and cordials, and of
its basic premise – to make a spirit easier to drink,
or to enhance the
flavour of the spirit.
But look further
and not only are
bartenders proving
that mixers are
incredibly versatile,
so much more than
their basic function,
but the category is
also bursting outside
of the original mixers
found behind the bar,
and today mixers range from juices to energy drinks,
pre-mixers to flavoured syrups, dairy products such
as milk and cream, as well as coffee and iced teas,
and even plain water, to name only a few.
Additionally the dollar sales of this category
amounted to approximately $1,165 billion worldwide
last year.
If you think about it for a few minutes, these
statistics add up; the average drink consists of 1/4
spirit, and 3/4 mixer, so why wouldn’t the mixer
category be in growth? For the majority of every
spirit sale, a mixer is also sold.
Additionally then when looking at the volume
of mixer to spirit ratio in an average drink, it also
makes sense that the quality of mixers and offering
56
drinks trade
has become increasingly important. Why would any
consumer want a mixer full of fake flavours, sugars
and chemical additives with their spirit of choice?
This is how one of the first premium mixers to
hit the market started out, and why it is one of the
next biggest trends to hit the on- and off-premises.
In the late 90s Charles Rolls had been at the
forefront of premiumising the gin market. A small,
dedicated investment group had bought Plymouth
Gin - an old brand that had long been neglected from Allied Domecq in 1996, and Rolls and his team
focused on returning it to its former glory. With
a full packaging and branding change, including
the recreation of the original bottle and restoring
Plymouth to its original strength of 41.2% ABV,
they took the brand from 3,000 cases a year to an
incredible 80,000.
During this experience, Charles noticed that
there was a total disregard for a good tonic water
as the majority of bars were using soda guns,
which comprised of filtered tap water, mixed with a
flavoured syrup or packaged offerings.
In these were preservatives like potassium
sorbate or sodium benzoate, and sweeteners
like saccharin or high fructose corn syrup, which
just eradicated the balanced
botanical flavours of the gins.
So when Charles and CoFounder Tim Warrillow started
to develop their tonic water
in 2003, they spent 2 years
sourcing the best ingredients
they could; real quinine from
the Cinchona tree grown on the
Rwanda Congo border; marigold
extracts and a bitter orange from
Tanzania; spring water from
Buxton; and natural cane sugar,
which left no room for artificial
sweeteners, preservatives or
flavourings. This created today’s
world renowned mixer Fever
Tree, which launched in 2005
and has not only significantly
contributed to the huge growth
of premium gins, but has made
people sit up and take notice of
the mixer.
Most drinking trends start in
bars, where guests are able to
STO0016_Stoli_Martini_DrinkTrade ad_220x270.indd 1
18/07/2014 9:05 am
Mixers
try new brands and then search for them elsewhere.
James Connolly from ‘Enrique’s School for to Bullfighting’ in Perth
stocks four different tonics, and pairs them with different gins. “We
get a lot of people brand calling and willing to try different tonics. Our
house is Capi, but we also offer Fever Tree, Quina Fina, Bottle Green
Elderflower Tonic and Fentimans tonics. Fever Tree is the best selling
tonic by far and the Bottle Green Elderflower tonic is also very popular.”
Dave Green from Sydney’s Victoria Room has recently changed
their mixer offering to the fermented Fentimans range and noticed
an increase in the spirit and mixer sales, with a noticeable uplift in reorders to 2-3 serves per person, due to curiosity in flavours available
and the packaging presentation. He also echoes James’ findings: “The
gin followers that return to the venue are requesting specific tonics,
so the generic brands are never asked for again after their first taste.”
And of course it’s not just tonic that is a mixer. “We use freshly
pressed juices; the only other mixer we use is Fever Tree tonic. Like
everything, we try and use the best. It can be tricky with so many
brands claiming to be premium”, Lewis Jaffery from Sydney’s Baxter
Inn said.
“We believe that if the majority of your drink is a mixer, then it
should be the best money can buy”, Lewis adds.
Lewis has also noticed more positive reactions: “People definitely
pay a bit more attention when they take a sip and are expecting their
usual drink, but then have this realisation that it’s probably the best
version of their favourite drink. We get quite a lot of people asking us
where they can source them from themselves.”
A stylish way of communicating your offering is by serving the
58
drinks trade
measure of spirit in the glass with
ice and the chosen mixer in its can
or bottle on the side. Although rare
in Australia, this emphasises that
you are providing a great drink,
with a premium mixer, which
communicates that you’re adding
value to a consumer’s purchase.
This also allows the guest to
mix the drink to their desired
dilution. Brands like Fever Tree
and V Energy are on board with
this packaging in 200ml serves to
reduce wastage and encourage
this style of service.
Similarly, product placement
on the back bar, just as it serves
at purchase, which inevitably
increases brand sales.
“Affordable luxury and
premiumisation have been
talked about for some time,
but now we are seeing these
trends in hard numbers. Our
sales of Quina Fina tonic have
exceeded expectations so
much so that the plant is being
expanded to cope with the local
demand”, says James France
from Vanguard Luxury Brands,
distributor of Quina Fina.
With influential venues leading
the charge in offering more
choice in mixers and educating
The gin followers that return to
the venue are requesting specific
tonics, so the generic brands are
never asked for again after their
first taste. - Dave Green
to increase visibility of alcoholic
products, can work in the same
way for mixers. Energy drink
brand Red Bull uses top bar
fridges, which have lent to the
brand being one of the most
recognised among others.
Its visibility at the bar leads
consumers to ask for the brand
their guest on the benefits
of mixers with no artificial
sweeteners, preservatives or
flavourings, it will not be long
until customers are insisting on a
choice of mixers to complement
their favourite hooch. It may be
time to review your offering and
its positioning in your venue.
Feature
MIXING IT WITH
VODKA
Is consumer demand for new products (or variants) the key to driving value in the vodka
category? drinks trade spoke to suppliers and consumers to ask what’s motivating their
decisions and what excites them about vodka.
Vodka remains a popular choice among drinkers
of all ages and is still the number three spirit in
Australia, and contrary to some sentiment in the
market, vodka has shown growth in value (2 per
cent) over the last 12 months (Aztec Australia data
July 2014). When you consider the 9L equivalent
growth over the same period shows a decline of 1
per cent, Australians’ current willingness to trade up
in value over volume is alive and well in the vodka
category.
As to how consumers are drinking vodka, much
depends on the venue and whether it’s a high
60
drinks trade
turnover, quick-service venue or an independent
cocktail bar that prides itself on creating a unique
experience for drinkers.
According to Stolichnaya Vodka Brand Manager,
Lara Gardiner: “Vodka cocktails will always be
popular in most bars and as much as bartenders
hate to admit it, the most common vodka drink
ordered over the bar is a vodka, lime and soda.
When consumers want to try something different,
they are led by the bartender, and bartenders are
favouring classic, unpretentious cocktails these
days, where the skill of balancing flavours and
aromas is key”.
Supporting this comment,
Smirnoff Brand Manager at
Diageo, Joanna Gibson, said:
“Smirnoff, lime and soda is the
most popular way for consumers
to enjoy vodka here in Australia.
Other popular long mixed
serves may include Smirnoff
and tonic, Smirnoff and fruit
juice or Smirnoff, lemon, lime
and bitters. The great thing
Feature
And when asked if they felt it
was healthier, the overwhelming
response was “yes”.
about vodka is its versatility; for simple serves,
consumers could explore flavoured vodka with a
simple mixer or they can get creative and make
some really exciting cocktails.”
drinks trade asked consumers what they felt was
the motivation behind ordering vodka, lime and soda
and responses varied between: “it’s refreshing”,
“feels cleaner”, “less sugary”, “really nice in the
summer/sun” and “I can have a few of these and
I don’t feel bad the next day” as primary answers.
And when asked if they felt it was healthier, the
overwhelming response was “yes”.
So, when it comes to premiumisation in the
category and the subsequent value growth, how are
consumers changing their consumption patterns?
“Probably the biggest shift we’ve noticed at
island2island with our Stolichnaya range of premium
vodkas is that many more consumers are drinking
super-premium and ultra-luxury vodkas, like elit by
62
drinks trade
Stolichnaya, neat on the rocks,” said Lara Gardiner.
“666 Vodka fits into the premium space and more
than ever, consumers are drinking super-premium
spirits and they are wanting more from their vodka
than the ‘flavourless’ sameness that has been mass
produced in the past. We identified the beginnings
of this trend more than six years ago when we
were still in the developmental stage”, Dean Lucas
from Pure Distillery Company added.
“The response to our newest member of
the family – 666 St Ali Coffee Vodka – has been
fantastic. We have doubled our initial production
forecasts. Bartenders, as intended, have been
substituting it for the vodka base in espresso
martinis. They are also swapping it for a coffee
liquor when they want to avoid an overly sweet
taste in their cocktail, while giving the drink an extra
kick,” Lucas continues.
As well as flavoured vodka, the Australian craft
spirit market also gets more
focus as venues are looking
for that point of difference
and consumers become more
interested in a brand story
that they can relate to. How
consumers are interacting
with vodka brands continues
to change, and a new category
grows alongside the established
international brands that people
are drawn to – the niche brands,
which are gaining footholds in
the vodka segment.
John McDonnall, who has
partnered with SouthTrade
International to help with the
recent launch of Tito’s Handmade
Vodka in Australia, said of the
international relevance of the
product: “In the States, this
is the hottest brand in the onpremise. It’s one of the top five
brands of vodka in bars in the
States and the other four brands
are all declining – Titos is stealing
share.”
Made from 100 per cent
corn, Titos has a considerably
sweeter and smoother flavour.
“Bartenders are using Tito’s in
signature cocktails and a lot of
people are drinking it on the
rocks or with tonic water. You
don’t have to add any sugary
mixers with Titos because of its
sweeter, smoother flavour.”
Brands such as the Hunter
Valley distilled ISOS Organic
Vodka and Sydney based Small
Mouth Vodka are offering the
bespoke experience, but the
opportunity on a broader level
would seem to fit with the more
established brands and their
line extensions and flavoured
offerings.
One company offering the
broader distribution of Australian
spirits is ASM Liquor, whose
managing director Chris Flaherty explains Vodka
O’s success in the Australian market, including
the recent launch of their pre-mix cocktails: “since
our Co-Founders sold the first batch of Vodka O in
Bondi Beach back in 2004, the brand has always
committed to innovative and passionate ideas. The
Vodka O RTDs are the result of real ingredients,
natural processes, and flavor combinations that we
know consumers will love. We believe Vodka O craft
RTDs will inject life back into the light RTD category
in a similar way as craft beer reignited the beer
category.”
Another vodka brand pioneering in the flavoured
vodka category, but with a slightly different
approach when it comes to engaging with the
consumer is Absolut vodka. Absolut vodka prides
itself on reaching experience-driven consumers
and to do this it has a philosophy of encouraging
products that “break boundaries and raise the bar
on what to expect from a night out”, The Absolut
Company told drink trade. This has continued
through the brand’s creative approach, which has
developed the Absolut bottle to become a “visual
statement at point of sale”. And packaging for each
of Absolut’s flavoured SKUs has been “redesigned
to create artistic interpretations of each individual
flavour”, Absolut continued. The brand says this is
what has kept itself at the forefront of the flavoured
vodka category.
“While most flavoured vodkas look more or less
the same, we are bringing a full range of innovative
designs to market. Artistic, modern and unlike
anything else around, we believe they will reinforce
our position as creative leader”, The Absolut
Company adds.
On the other hand, Suntory brands, Zubrowka
Vodka and Russian Standard, speak to the origins
of vodka, and carry the heritage and credibility of
distilling in Poland and Russia. Suntory promotes
these brands’ histories and origins, pure water
sources, traditional grains, and high end distilling
methods, which is in turn helping to draw
consumers to the category.
Traditional distilling methods
and use of ‘grains’ dates back to
1405, when the word ‘wodka’
first appeared in Polish court
documents. The Russians were
said to have worked out how to
distil spirit from grain around the
same time, making it impossible
to know who was first to create
the product; but does it really
matter when they’ve both had
over 600 years to work on
getting the process just right?
The distilled spirit often
promotes itself on its filtration,
clean and refreshing taste,
and balance in cocktails. The
balance across the on- and offpremise offering also continues
to drive the category forward
as traditional drinks such as
the vodka lime and soda drive
volume and the consumer’s
desire to explore the category
drives value and premiumisation.
drinks trade
63
Insight
ESCAPE TO THE
GRAPE
You often read about bartending competitions and what it’s like to take part in them, but what
is it like to win them and the experience, and what’s the benefit back behind the bar?
E
arlier in the year, G’Vine Gin challenged bartenders across the
globe to submit an image or video of an ‘escape’ that inspired
them, accompanied by a G’Vine & Tonic twist that it inspired.
Winning bartenders would be sent on a tour of France, including
Cognac, to explore the production of grapes (G’Vine’s unique base) in
the region, from vine to bottle, hosted by Jean-Sébastien Robicquet –
G’Vine’s founder and Master Distiller.
Australia’s very own Nick Selvadurai from Cookie bar impressed
judges with his La Mer et Le Soleil (The Sea and The Sun), which
earned him a ticket to France, alongside Lin Da Niu from Taiwan, Kate
Jackson from the UK, Jagoba Santesteban from Spain, and
Yasuhiro Kawakubo from Japan.
Here Nick journals his voyage, from entering the
competition, to winning, from Bordeaux to Paris, and all that
was learnt, acquired and experienced along the way.
Day 1 - Bordeaux
We all arrived in Bordeaux, however I was one of the last to
arrive and wasn’t able to attend the welcome dinner, but after a
brief wander around the city with Yasuhiro, we met up with the
group for a nightcap at Mama Shelter hotel bar.
Day 2 – Saint-Émilion
After a short drive through
the gorgeous countryside
of the Bordeaux region,
we arrived at the tiny
picturesque, medieval
city of Saint-Émillion.
Here we were given a
tour and learnt about the
origins of grape growing
and the early concepts of
appellation control.
Saint-Émillion
64
drinks trade
Day 3- Cognac
We arrived in Cognac and I was
immediately overcome with
excitement. This is the place where
Cognac is made, aged and brought
to the rest of the world. After having
a geek moment, we got into the
comprehensive tasting session at
Bache-Gabrielsen.
Picnic at G’Vine vineyard
Bache-Gabrielson Master
Blenders office
Later, following our fill of
incredible Cognac (including a limited release for the 50th Birthday of
the Master Blender, which incidentally was the day that we were there)
we headed out to a gourmet ‘picnic’ lunch among the vines owned by
G’Vine.
That afternoon we also headed to Rémy Martin’s Cognac house to
see how large-scale Cognac production works, where we also created
our own Cognac blends
drinks trade: What did you think of the Bache-Gabrielsen tasting?
Had you ever had the opportunity to try the brand before?
Nick Selvadurai: No, it was the first time.
If I remember correctly, I think they were saying they were in the
top five in terms of production, but are still very small and still sort of
family-oriented. So that was exceedingly interesting to see - that sort of
scale of production.
DT: And what did you take away from Rémy Martin’s?
NS: One of the major things I didn’t realise about Cognac was that they
originally started as blenders. Now a lot of them are merely buying the
distillate, which is in barrels, or barreling it themselves to get it for their
own purposes. Consequently it means that a lot of the Cognac houses
work very closely together.
Day 4 - Villevert
After an intimate cooking workshop with Michelin Star chef Thierry
Verrat, we were joined by Jean-Sébastien for a lunch that we ourselves
helped prepare.
We then headed to Villevert - G’Vine’s HQ - where we were taken
through a discovery of G’Vine. After a quick little ride in a hot air balloon
(as terrifying as it was exhilarating), we joined all the industry luminaries
for dinner, cocktails and a great chat by the pool. I had the opportunity
to meet Gary Regan, Dave Broome and Phil Duff, and pick their brains
on how they got to where they are in the industry and what sort of
things are on their horizons - truly inspiring.
Blending our own Cognac at Rémy Martin
“It strengthens your knowledge
and abilities, and moves you into
a network, which will help you
further on in your career.”
G’Vine hot air balloon
DT: What did you learn from talking with Jean-Sébastien, Gary,
Dave and Phil?
NS: To use your network, not be afraid to ask other people for their
opinions on things, and that more heads are better than one in the
industry. And by meeting Jean-Sébastien it gave the brand more of a
personal feel.
DT: Do you find understanding
the background and history of
a product helps when serving
behind the bar?
NS: Of course, you become
connected on a more personal
level which means that I don’t
feel obliged to sell it as a product,
I feel obliged to sell it because
these are people that I personally
know and appreciate the work
that has gone into it.
Day 5 - Paris
Before everyone started their
journeys home, we all had lunch
and talked of the incredible
things that we’d seen and done.
The tour was without a doubt
one of the most insightful and
inspiring things that I have ever
done. It was incredibly refreshing
to have a competition that had
no focus on creating a singular
winner. There was no pressure to
‘perform’ and I was able to really
enjoy everything that G’Vine is
and represents.
DT: Would you recommend
entering into bartending
competitions to other
bartenders?
NS: Absolutely, it strengthens
your knowledge and abilities, and
moves you into a network, which
will help you further on in your
career.
drinks trade
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2515A_DrinksTrade_ArtNSoul_OctNov_2014_270x220_FA_pth.indd 1
23/09/2014 12:17 pm
New releases
CHAMPAGNE VOLLEREAUX
Distributed by: The Wine Company
RRP: Brut Reserve $79; Blanc de Blancs $79; Rosé $99; Cuvée $120
As of October 1, The Wine Company became the new Australian distributor for
Vollereaux Champagne across the Eastern Seaboard.
CV was established in 1805 and continues today as a sixth generation family owned
Champagne house in the Pierry region. The family vineyard consists of 40 hectars,
which ensures the house has a constant and regular supply of grapes.
This is the first time the range has been made available in Australia in the house’s
history. The Wine Company will be distributing the Vollereaux Brut Réserve, Blanc de
Blancs, Rosé de Saignée Brut, and Cuvée Marguerite Brut Millésime.
MCGUIGAN WINES BIN SERIES
Distributed by: Australian Vintage Limited
RRP: $12.99 each
D’ARENBERG ICONS VINTAGE
AND LABEL RELEASE
Distributed by: Young & Rashleigh Wine
Merchants (ACT); Empire Liquor (SA);
NT Wine Sales (NT); The Wine Company
(VIC); The Wine Tradition (QLD);
Inglewood Wine Merchants (NSW);
On The Vine (WA); David Johnstone &
Associates (TAS).
RRP: $65
Timed with the release of the 2010
vintage, d’Arenberg has also revealed a
new label design for its internationally acclaimed Icons range.
The Icons, produced from very old and low yielding vines, are made
with age old winemaking techniques from only the finest parcels of
their respective varieties.
“Each of these Icons has its own distinct personality that flows through
each vintage, which is a result of the meticulous attention I give to each
of them”, said d’Arenberg Chief Winemaker Chester Osborn. “It was
important that the same amount of detail and consideration was given
to what’s on the outside of the bottle.”
WINE
Australian winery McGuigan Wines revealed its award-winning BIN Series with a new
look.
The series has undergone a makeover in recent months as the brand wanted a new
design that would communicate the BIN Series wine styles.
The series features seven fresh, fruit driven varietal wines (verdelho, sauvignon blanc,
chardonnay, semillon, shiraz, merlot and cabernet sauvignon), sourced from premium
vineyard sites in the Hunter Valley, and broader New South Wales and South Australian
viticultural regions.
“Put simply, we’ve made the McGuigan lion roar, and we believe that with the support
of our independent retailers and a solid marketing and promotional program that the new
BIN Series will over-deliver upon our strategic objective of growing the McGuigan brand
in this price segment”, Chief Winemaker for McGuigan Wines, Neil McGuigan, explained.
MUD HOUSE WINERY 2014 VINTAGE RELEASES
Distributed by: Accolade Wines
RRP: $18.99
Off the back of a fairly tough vintage,
New Zealand Winery Mud House is set to
release two award-winning varietals into
the Australian market this year.
The 2014 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is
all about juicy acidity and freshness.
“Rather than just slip down the hatch, the
sauvignon blanc has a grainy feel to the
palate. It’s all about giving that fruit a little
bit of interest and pulling it right through
to the finish”, said Mud House Chief
Winemaker Ben Glover.
The 2014 Marlborough Pinot Gris,
comprises of fruit predominantly grown on
the fertile soils of the Waipara Region, delivering a wine that evokes rich
notes of apple strudel, pear and spice, and a palate that is full, spicy and
unctuous.
drinks trade
67
New releases
TYRRELL’S VINTAGE
SEMILLONS
THE VISIONARY CABERNET
SAUVIGNON 2010
Distributed by: Tyrrell’s Wines
RRP: Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2009
$80.00; HVD Semillon 2009 $36.00;
Stevens Semillon 2009 $35.00; Belford
Semillon 2009 $35.00.
Distributed by: Taylors Wines
RRP: $180
WINE
All four of Tyrrell’s Wines’ 2009 Hunter
Semillons are now available for
purchase. This range offers a set of
easy drinking wines, from “an almost
perfect vintage”, as described by Tyrrell’s, with something for consumers
pitched at either the higher or lower price brackets.
The Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2009 is a classic Hunter Valley semillon, with
a tightly structured palate, considerable length and breadth of citrus fruit
flavours, and a hint of toasty bottle aged complexity.
HVD Semillon 2009 offers a softer bodied palate and moves
towards biscuity characters with age, while the Stevens Semillon
2009 possesses a youthful green hue, a hint of toasty bottle age
development beyond its prominent citrus fruit profile, and acids just
beginning to soften into what is a seamlessly structured wine.
Finally, the Belford Semillon 2009, the last of the semillon picked, has a
fuller palate, good fruit characters and a soft, clean acidic finish.
Following its inaugural success, Taylors
Wines has announced the second release
of The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon.
Following on from the first release of
this wine from 2009, the latest release is
from the 2010 vintage.
The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon is an
important release for the Taylors family,
who say this release reflects the family’s
generational journey to crafting world
class refined and distinctive cabernet.
Reaffirming the family’s ability to produce
outstanding cabernet is its most recent
accolade at the London International Wine
and Spirit Competition, which awarded its
2010 St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon, as
the Best Cabernet Sauvignon. If the 2010
St Andrews is anything to go by, then there are high expectations for
this latest Visionary release from the same vintage.
COLDSTREAM HILLS VINTAGE RELEASES
Distributed by: Treasury Wine Estates
RRP: Rising Vineyard Chardonnay $44.99; Deer Farm Vineyard Chardonnay $44.99; Deer Farm Vineyard Pinot Noir $49.99; The Esplanade Pinot Noir
$49.99; Reserve Chardonnay $59.99; Reserve Pinot Noir $84.99; Reserve Shiraz $49.99.
Coldstream Hills has released its new Single Vineyard and Reserve collection vintages. In total there are seven new additions, including three
different 2013 expressions of chardonnay and pinot noir, and a shiraz from 2012 – the only wine to have been released from this year.
The new releases all originate from the Yarra Valley – a region from which Coldstream Hills is renowned for pioneering wines of elegance, finesse
and length of flavour.
The chardonnay vintage releases are the Rising Vineyard Chardonnay, Deer Farm Vineyard Chardonnay and Reserve Range Chardonnay, which Chief
Winemaker Andrew Fleming says represent contrasting expressions of Yarra Valley chardonnay.
The pinot noirs include the Deer Farm Vineyard Pinot Noir, The Esplanade Pinot Noir and the Reserve Pinot Noir. “Even though 2013 was a warm
vintage, these wines really express the versatility of pinot noir, and display the hallmark elegance, perfume, texture and silkiness that Coldstream
Hills pinot is known for,” Andrew says.
Finally the Coldstream Hills Reserve Shiraz from the 2012 vintage is silky and concentrated, and displays the best characteristics of cool climate
shiraz. Andrew says this is a shiraz that will age well, with a good twenty years of cellaring age ahead of it.
New releases
JACOB’S CREEK SPARKLING LIGHTLY RANGE
RRP: $14.99
EILEEN AND THOMAS HARDY VINTAGES
WINE
RRP: 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $129.99; 2010 Shiraz $124.99; 2013
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay $94.99.
September saw media join Hardys family members, including Brand
Ambassador Bill Hardy and fourth generation Jim Hardy (Sir James
Hardy), Chief Winemaker Paul Lapsley and Accolades Wines for an
exclusive tasting in Sydney of the latest vintage releases.
The new releases to join the Eileen Hardy range include the 2013
chardonnay and pinot noir, as well as the 2010 shiraz, while the 2012
cabernet sauvignon joins the Thomas Hardy range.
The 2012 Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon is a base of Coonawarra
and Margaret River cabernet, combining the mint and austerity
of tannins from Coonawarra with the Bordeaux-like complexity of
Margaret River. Speaking of the 2010 Eileen Hardy Shiraz Paul Lapsley
said the wine is one of the best the brand has ever made. This wine
has intense fruit cake aromas, which are skilfully replicated on the
palate.
The Eileen Hardy 2013 Pinot Noir is a medium bodied wine with silky
tannins, comprised of fruit from both Hoddles Creek and the Coal
River Valley, lending to a rich and complex wine. The 2013 chardonnay
similarly, is a blend of two regions – Tasmania and the Yarra Valley.
Hardys say the 2013 chardonnay exemplifies Hardys’ commitment to
quality and provides a benchmark for their chardonnay winemaking.
DE BORTOLI WINES LAUNCHES
PREMIUM CUVÉE
Distributed by: De Bortoli Wines
RRP: $21.60
De Bortoli Wines has released a new Rococo
sparkling, Rococo Premium Cuvée, to replace
the Rococo Blanc de Blancs in the portfolio.
Chief Winemaker, Steve Webber said: “We
decided to tweak the style of Rococo, so whilst
still predominantly a chardonnay cuvée, we
introduced small quantities of pinot noir and
pinot meunier to the blend. This adds for a bit
more breadiness and complexity”.
“A lot of consumers enjoy the blanc de blancs style, but don’t generally
understand the term. This has been simplified with the new Rococo
Premium NV Cuvée,” Steve added.
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drinks trade
JACOB’S CREEK has launched a new
péntillant-style wine range, named
Sparkling Lightly. The new range
offers a delicately bubbly drinking
experience, launched in response to
consumer research, which revealed
a demand for a lighter sparkling wine
style as some consumers said they
experience a full feeling when drinking
sparkling beverages.
Rebekah Richardson, JACOB’S
CREEK Sparkling and White Winemaker, said the range’s delicate
sparkling character has been achieved by limiting the sugar in the
second fermentation.
The Sparkling Lightly range is available in white and rosé variants.
JACOB’S CREEK ‘Sparkling Lightly’ White NV is a fresh and delicate
wine with aromas of peach and lychee, while the palate is soft and
approachable with a creamy finish and a light tingle of bubbles.
The JACOB’S CREEK ‘Sparkling Lightly’ Rose NV has hints of
raspberry and strawberry on the nose and on the palate berry notes
are lifted slightly by the effervescence ahead of a soft creamy finish.
A DIFFERENT MARLBOROUGH
SAUVIGNON BLANC FOR
ADVENTUROUS WINE LOVERS
Distributed by: Chace Agencies (SA), Off the
Vine Merchants (WA), The Wine Company (VIC &
QLD), Young & Rashleigh Wine Merchants (NSW
& ACT)
RRP: $19.95
Over the last few decades, the world has
developed a love of Marlborough sauvignon blanc
from New Zealand, and will be excited to hear
that a specific part of Marlborough – a relative
latecomer called the Awatere Valley – has the
ability to take that wine style another step further.
Validation of this is The Crossings Sauvignon
Blanc 2013 from this region, which recently won
the trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc at the UK
based International Wine and Spirits Competition.
According to The Crossings winemaker Jeff Fyfe, the award is
testament to the quality of the fruit from their vineyards. “We grow
these vines in the harsh conditions of the upper Awatere Valley in
Marlborough, some distance from the main Wairau Valley. This gives
our wines, and particularly our Sauvignon Blanc, a fine mineral acidity
you just don’t get in milder climates.”
The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc has intense fruit flavours, minerality
and fresh, crisp acidity.
PROUD CATEGORY WINNER
GREEN COMPANY OF THE YEAR
The Drinks Business Green Awards 2014
PROUD CATEGORY WINNER
GOLD MEDAL
MOST SOCIALLY OR
ENVIRONMENTALLY
RESPONSIBLE COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Best in Biz Awards 2014 International
Thinking differently is what we do at Yealands. Crafting
award-winning wines in harmony with nature has seen
us lead the world in sustainable winegrowing.
But most importantly, it means great tasting wines
which don’t cost the earth.
Contact your Yealands Business Development Manager or your local Yealands State Distributor;
Off The Vine - Western Australia: (08) 9418 8210, Chace Agencies - South Australia: (08) 8363 7881,
The Wine Company - Victoria: (03) 9562 3900, Queensland: 1800 855 577, Young & Rashleigh – New South Wales/ACT: (02) 9967 5900
WINE
Victoria
Victoria
Victoria as a wine region and destination should be the envy of many of
Australia’s other wine producing areas. Spread in a protractor like pattern from
the hub that is Melbourne, this southern mainland state boasts variety in climate,
geology and geography, from which an homage to virtually every wine region
and style Europe and the vinous Old World has, over the last 150 years, been
impressively paid. By Ben Canaider.
“
The Yarra Valley has been for some time a region of high quality
wines. The continental climate, with warm, dry summers and cool
nights, lend to wines of elegance, finesse and length of flavour”,
says Andrew Fleming, Coldstream Hills Winemaker.
Fortifieds from the north east rival those of the Iberian Peninsula; shiraz
from across central and western Victoria can be positively Rhône-like;
cabernets grown a little closer to the southern coast retain a distinctive
and defining Bordeaux blackcurrant mintiness; and pinots and chardonnays
from within Melbourne’s 100 kilometre or so “dress circle” regions
continue to evolve towards a Burgundian model - some with both regard
to elegance, and price…
Given Melbourne’s international attraction as a food and wine
destination, it is unsurprising that so much emphasis is often placed on
those above mentioned dress circle regions within the Port Phillip zone,
namely the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula. Only an hour or so
by car from the capital, the easy proximity attracts tourists, investors, and
winemakers alike. Both regions have a little bit of the wine Disneyland
72
drinks trade
about them - with strong tourism infrastructure and what seems like a
restaurant attached to every vineyard. Yet the wine investment money
and the meetings of winemaking minds have seriously sped up these
regions’ wine evolution, to the point where some commentators think
that the wines don’t taste ‘Australian’ anymore, but are more like true
internationals.
Yarra Valley
With regard to wine’s stylistic evolution, Yarra Valley chardonnay is almost
post-Darwinian. A constant re-evaluation and refining of the style, and the
process, seems to be this region’s chardonnay mission statement. A move
to almost too-elegant examples devoid of any oak or battonage has seen
wines emerge from the coolest micro-climatic sites (to the higher altitudes
and slopes of the valley’s east) that make chablis from a cold year taste
fruity and ripe by comparison.
The trend towards acidity and tension in the region’s chardonnay can
Harvesting wine grapes
Mornington Peninsula
perhaps be seen as a natural progression away from chardonnay’s other
polar extreme - that being the Neville Wran preferred pineapple and vanilla
bean flavoured examples of the 1980s. Current wines that let vineyard
sites express themselves more than the winemaker’s artefact are to be
applauded, and such examples as Oakridge 864 lead the way, but at a price.
Value can be found however in such relatively new brands such as Ingram
Rd (made by Helen’s Hill Estate) and Hoddles Creek. Whether the style is an
homage to chablis or white Burgundy, the take-home message is that Yarra
Valley chardonnays are nowadays, and undoubtedly, world class.
“Previously full and rich whites and reds were being produced, but with
knowledge and age, the best wines are the ones that minimise the inputs,
allowing the site to speak”, McWilliam’s Senior White Winemaker Adrian
Sparks, says of the region.
Similarly, Paul Lapsley, Hardys Chief Winemaker, says there has been a
trend towards wines of lower alcohol and a pursuit of finer, more elegant
styles in Victoria in recent years.
“We’ve been sourcing grapes from areas that produce these styles for
a prolonged period, so for us we’re focussed on fine tuning our styles”,
Paul added. “Our Upper Yarra Valley vineyard at Hoddles Creek is a great
cool climate region for sparkling and table wine varieties – the climate
helps retain natural acid in grapes and allows picking of fruit with complex
flavours at lower sugar levels and lower alcohol in the final wine.”
Pinot is not far behind (although keen eyes are now on Tasmania for
the best and most elusive examples of this red wine). Hand-picking and
partial whole-bunch fermentation with wild yeasts is increasingly the
methodology du jour. And now with some good vine age more common
around the Valley, pinots are being produced with the sort of tannins that
separate proper pinots from, well, ‘fauxjolais’.
An emerging brand with a brilliant winemaking pedigree is Goodman
Wines; Tarrawarra - part of the Valley’s older establishment, which is also
producing exceptional pinot at the moment (and pinot rosé, too - which is
another Yarra Valley point of pride,
and rightly so).
Other brands to look out for, for
pinot and chardonnay (and other
varieties besides) include Soumah,
Innocent Bystander, Thick as
Thieves, and the ever dependable
De Bortoli, whose Yarra Valley
wines represent remarkable QPR quality/price rapport.
The Yarra Valley produces many
surprises, however, it is not just
pinot and chardonnay. The quilt-like
pattern of micro-climates and
undulating topography ensure that
there’s a place in the Yarra Valley
for more wine varieties and styles
than you might imagine. Cabernet
blends shouldn’t be overlooked
(Yeringberg), or tempranillo, which
is now being produced to good
effect by boutique and happily offthe-radar vineyard Atika.
It is the warmer vineyard sites
of the Lower Yarra Valley flats
that have attracted the fabled St
Huberts winery. Here St Huberts
grows cabernet, chardonnay,
roussanne, viognier, pinot noir and
merlot in the area, which it says
the areas topography is best for
achieving its desired style.
“St Huberts wines are intended
to be a little riper, more generous
and structured than many of our
Yarra brethren producers. And the
lower flats are generally warmer
vineyard sites that induce these
characters”, St Huberts winemaker
Greg Jarratt explained.
Mornington
Peninsula
With its handiness to the
state’s CBD, combined with the
Peninsula’s bayside aspect, it
is no wonder the Mornington
Peninsula has been a vineyard and
wine playground for the wealthy
professional looking not so much
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73
Victoria
WINE
Yarra Valley Vines
Family Winemaking
M
for a sea or tree change, but a vine change.
A certain coming of age has also occurred here, however, with more
and more of the region’s vineyards and wineries building up vintage
experience - some going back now more than 30 years. This has seen the
peninsula’s weekend brigade of winemakers become something much
more professional and established.
Pinot noir and chardonnay dominate the plantings here, with the maritime
climatic effects helping cool vines in the afternoons and evenings, and some
not insignificant elevation in the southern part of the peninsula (shy of 1000
feet) also assuaging heat. To the north good shiraz has been produced,
however, and pinot gris is also making a name for itself.
Understanding the peninsula’s varying micro-climates and topographical
aspects has been as important to the region’s development as vine age.
An increasing commitment to single vineyard wines underscores this
approach, whereby winemakers are recognising - in an almost Burgundianlike manner - the beauty and uniqueness of wines that come from just one
small patch of earth.
As small (by Australian standards) as this region is, it still boasts about
200 vineyards; yet new wine brands still emerge, although volumetric
growth of Mornington Peninsula wine will be limited. Which isn’t a bad
thing. Make better and less, not more and worse...
Moorooduc Estate in the peninsula’s north is now over 30 years old. An
early adopter of wild yeasts, the pinots and chardonnays are among the
region’s best. But the secret weapon is its shiraz, which makes a lot of
Crozes-Hermitage look dumb. A relative newcomer, Garagiste’s focus is on
the peninsula’s sub-regions; its small and distinctive pinot and chardonnay
vineyards, and small batch winemaking. Volume is low (1500 dozen), but
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drinks trade
any of Victoria’s wineries are not only small, but are
also family-owned, and have been for centuries.
Today’s family-owned wineries are thus benefited with
knowledge of the region’s best sites and styles, discovered by
their preceding generations.
The Seppelt family is one such example of a family that has
pioneered new viticultural regions throughout Victoria. Today
Seppelt has three main vineyards across three regions in Victoria –
Great Western, Heathcote and Drumborg.
“We’ve had lots of time to trial and error different varieties
within specific regions. The varieties express themselves
differently in each region – Great Western is about fragrance,
spice and purity in shiraz, yet Heathcote shiraz has more earthy
and grainy tannins, while Drumborg lends itself to rieslings and
chardonnay of finesse and elegance”, Melanie Chester, Seppelt
Winemaker explains.
Although this has seen refinement of style in the region, it has
meant newer winemakers to the region have been left with the
timely challenge of finding remaining sites to work with. And third
Generation Brown Brothers family member, Ross Brown says:
“there is no doubt that family wine businesses will continue to
grow and thrive.”
“Decisions in this industry are long-term with a minimum five to
ten year lead time, which is incompatible with public companies
that have much shorter-term vision”, Ross adds. “The wine
industry is too demanding to see it as daily work. There has to be
an enormous personal passion and love for the industry. Without
this passion a family business will not survive.”
Redbank Wines however has found a solution to this problem
and saved itself a lot of time. Recognising the quality of fruit
from family-owned vineyards, Redbank Wines has built close
relationships with a group of family wineries, to be able to use fruit
from these sites in its own production.
Redbank Wines Vigneron Nick Dry, says that by doing so,
enables himself and Winemaker Teresa Heuzenroeder to create
distinctive wines that best reflect the region’s finest attributes.
“Teresa and I work closely with a dedicated group of carefully
selected independent growers. These small family-run vineyards
offer unique and subtle soil and altitude differences”, Nick
explains.
personality and quality are high. Two other small, yet serious operations
producing outstanding wine are Paradigm Hill and Hurley Vineyard - the
latter making the region’s most exceptional single-vineyard pinots.
T’Gallant is one such winery that has built itself upon Mornington
Peninsula pinot grigio, with a history stemming 26 years. Predominantly
T’Gallant sources pinot grigio from southern Victoria and Tasmania, also
growing its pinot noir and chardonnay in the Mornington Peninsula.
“The Mornington Peninsula has a profound maritime climate, which
is absolutely brilliant for pinot noir and grigio”, Kevin McCarthy, T’Gallant
Winemaker says. “When we started making pinot grigio 26 years ago
there weren’t any other producers in Australia, but now it’s really taken
off and there’s been a huge evolution in style. T’Gallant has explored the
variety in great depth.”
A Snapshot - Other Victorian Wine Zones
Central Victoria: Bendigo and Heathcote (where the shiraz can have more
powerful, diving bell-like depth) are the dark horses and international stars
in this zone for medium-bodied shiraz. Yet whilst every sommelier is crazy
about Heathcote, Bendigo’s Bress (who also make outstanding Heathcote
wines), Turner’s Crossing Vineyard, and Pondalowie Vineyards, are making
stunning, finely textured red wines at great value.
North East Victoria: The fortifieds of Rutherglen and Glenrowan hold
the limelight, but an increasingly more reflective and studious approach
to table wine production has seen wineries like All Saints, Campbells and
Stanton & Killeen draw more attention. Beechworth - home of the iconic
Giaconda - has Rodda Wines, Castagna, and Savaterre making supremely
individualistic wines, and Pennyweight make Australia’s best fino sherry.
Throw in the King and Alpine Valleys with their developed Italian varietals
and the zone is a one-stop wine destination.
“Pinot gris lends itself to the King Valley, where long sunny autumn
days combined with cool nights, produce balanced fruit. The vinification
is cool, quick and precise to maximise fruit purity”, says Adrian Sparks of
McWilliam’s Wines.
One producer making the most of Glenrowan’s ability to produce bright
and concentrated fruit, and fortifieds, is Baileys of Glenrowan, which
grows muscat, muscadelle, nero d’avola, touriga nacional, tinta baroca,
tinta cao and shiraz in the region.
“Over the years our style has become more focused and principally
driven to capture the essence of Glenrowan. The Baileys of Glenrowan
vineyard is now fully certified organic with the aim to consistently and
sustainably deliver a source of expressive, aromatic, bright and balanced
fruit”, Paul Dahlenburg, Baileys of Glenrowan Senior Winemaker said.
Port Phillip: The quiet siblings of the Yarra and Mornington - the regions of
Sunbury, Geelong, and Mount Macedon, are the sorts of places sommeliers
and beverage managers often find gems. Shadowfax in the Geelong region,
and now in its fourteenth year, continues to refine chardonnays and pinots
from both Geelong and from Mount Macedon to Melbourne’s immediate
north, where grapes have long been used for quality sparkling wine
production (Macedon Ridge Wines excel at this, and table wine too). Also
just to the CBD’s north is Craiglee in Sunbury, whose shiraz is a cool-climate
Victoria
classic, and whose chardonnay is
one of Australia’s great underrated
wines, in the white Burgundy
mould.
WINE
Western Victoria: Henty, nestled
on the south western coast
at Portland, 300kms west of
Melbourne, is Australia’s climatically
coolest wine region. As such its
grapes retain great natural acidity,
yet achieve ripeness thanks in
part to the continental climate
effects that drive down from the
north. Riesling and cabernet can
shine here, and Crawford River is
the standout producer, releasing
cabernet with some bottle age.
Further north, in the Grampians
and the Pyrenees regions, shiraz
is arguably king, particularly from
Mount Langi Ghiran (the Cliff Edge
range is a relative bargain).
A sign depicts a row of vines in a vineyard are of the
Muscat variety. In Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia.
Winemaker profile
drinks trade recently spent time with Gary
Baldwin, looking at his new releases from the
Handpicked Wines range and discussing the
future for the Mornington Peninsula multiregional wine producer.
Gary Baldwin
Handpicked Wines – Chief Winemaker
Gary Baldwin is one of Australia’s most distinguished winemakers
with over 40 years of winemaking and wine judging experience.
Baldwin’s career in the wine industry began at Arrowfield in the
Hunter Valley, where shortly after he became Chief Winemaker
and General Manager. Thereafter, with invaluable experience and a
background in biochemistry and wine science behind him, Baldwin
traveled around the wine world in a number of esteemed roles.
Baldwin joined Handpicked Wines last year in a full-time capacity,
though he’d been working with the company since 2011. Travelling
throughout vineyards in Australia and New Zealand, Gary works
with grape growers and vignerons to ensure Handpicked Wines’
quality. With more purchases on the horizon for Handpicked Wines,
Baldwin’s time looks to be well spent negotiating new vineyards,
sourcing quality fruit and driving the Handpicked Wines winemaking
strategy forward.
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drinks trade
Wine Review
2013 Handpicked Collection Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
Good dark red colour. Complex dark spicy fruit, oak and nutty
characters on the nose. The palate is full with both ripe and perhaps
slightly under-ripe savoury fruit, as well as hints of olive and good
texture and weight.
2013 Handpicked Collection Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay
Very good pale olive green straw colour. Fresh stone fruit and
citrus oil aromas, which are quite lifted with a slight floral character.
Fresh fruity palate with good acidity and length, which is fine and
persistent.
2013 Handpicked Collection Yarra Valley Chardonnay
Good pale straw green colour. A lightly forward aroma of spicy citrus
fruit and hints of lanoline. Medium-weight palate, with spicy lemon
butter fruit flavours, good structure and texture; oak is also obvious,
adding to structure.
Handpicked Collection 2013 Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir
Good dark red colour. Complex aromas of spice and oak, and lots of
fresh berry primary fruit, with floral hints - so typical of the region.
The palate is quite rich, with plenty of cherries and spice in the midpalate, and excellent fine grain tannin on the finish.
18 73 107 293
gold
TroPHies medals
silver
medals
bronze
medals
WINE
Champagne, Prosecco and Sparkling
CHAMPAGNE,
PROSECCO &
SPARKLING
In this issue of drinks trade we’re taking a
look at Champagne, prosecco and sparkling.
As racing season begins and with Christmas
and New Year steadily approaching, it’s these
wines’ season, and there is no better time for
the on- and off-premise alike to gather stocks,
which raises two important questions - what
produce is available and what’s going to sell?
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drinks trade
VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE
Australians love vintage Champagne; we have
always had a special spot in our hearts, and
our cellars, for the vintage stuff. But are things
changing? By Ken Gargett.
L
ast year the world’s devotion to Champagne wobbled a
little. Globally, shipments dipped by 14.2 million bottles,
representing a 4.4 per cent decline. Sales in France fell by 5.6
per cent and in the EU by 7.1 per cent, which is significant given
that these two markets represent around 80 per cent of the overall
Champagne sales.
Australia however has been a shining light, bucking the trend with
an increase of over 11 per cent to 5.4 million bottles; we are now the
seventh largest Champagne importing market in the world, and eighth
by volume.
Frederic Panaiotis, the Chef de Cave at Ruinart, has been quoted
as saying that Australia is now “one of the world’s most advanced
markets for Champagne, thanks to such initiatives as the Vin de
Champagne Awards. Australian people are very receptive to vintage
Champagne, which very few markets understand.”
Australia has also always been devoted to vintage Champagne. Quite
why has often been discussed.
There seems no definitive answer, rather, there may have been many
reasons for this. It is likely that Australians have long seen vintage as
equating to quality. Why it should now sit below 7 per cent might seem
as equally puzzling until one considers a few other facts.
In 2007, the average price of a bottle of Champagne in Australia
was A$70. That has now fallen to between A$45 and A$55; so more
Champagne than ever is being brought, but at an ever-decreasing price.
The only Champagne that realistically fits this bill is non-vintage. Our
strong dollar has meant that well priced non-vintage Champagne is
often cheaper than good local fizz. In addition, quality has picked up.
Consider the two very large Houses of Mumm and Moët et Chandon,
whose non-vintage Champagne is better than ever with better value.
Why wouldn’t sales blossom?
Wherever vintage sits in the scheme of Champagne imports, it will
always have a solid and devoted following.
Unlike most wine regions, every producer doesn’t release a vintage
every year; the decision is up to each house. It is not uncommon for
one house to release a vintage wine, whereas their neighbour will not.
The decision to release a vintage or not is made on a number of
factors, such as the quality (it can vary considerably across the region);
vineyard access (houses with a higher percentage of their own
vineyards seem to release more vintages); commercial factors; needs
of the house (it may be that a producer needs all the grapes they can
source for their non-vintage
wines and/or reserve stocks for
future years); and stocks.
Houses are however releasing
vintage wine far more often than
ever before and there is a feeling
that many houses are keen
to release as many vintages
as possible. There is nothing
wrong with that, though it may
mean that occasionally a release
doesn’t match their usual high
standards.
Veuve Clicquot has,
admirably, taken a different
tactic, although possibly one
that may prove too rigid. Chef de
Cave, Dominique Demarville, has
taken some flack for the house,
which has been in great form for
many years now, not releasing
a 2002 La Grand Dame. They
moved from 1998 to 2004 –
both wonderful Champagnes.
Dominique has suggested that
the conditions that year did not
suit the style of LGD.
This is a house, quite unlike
most, that is actually moving to
reduce the number of vintages
released each decade. Dominique
intends that there shall only be
three vintages per decade. This
is designed to further improve
the Yellow Label NV, as well as
maintaining the credibility and
quality of the vintage. It will be
most interesting when a decade
has a string of truly great years.
Will climate change prove a boon
to Champagne?
Benoit Gouez from Moët will
not be releasing either the 2005
or the 2007, noting botrytis and
a lack of finesse, but suggests
the 2006 could almost be a clone
of 2002. 2008, a high acid year,
has Champagne aficionados in a
lather but Benoit actually prefers
the “more accomplished” 2009.
There will be no 2010 (rot again,
though a better year than either
‘05 or ‘07, a year that they could
have released) or 2011 (lack of
maturity). He is very happy with
2012, suggesting it has “amazing
potential”.
Olivier Krug also offered some
thoughts on recent vintages
(which I have paraphrased). 1997
– acidity; 1998 – intense; 1999
– dull; 2000 – warm and rich;
2001 – poor; 2002 – beautiful;
2003 – rich; 2004 – good; 2005
– okay; 2006 – very good; 2007 –
fair; 2008 – brilliant. Whilst Krug,
like most houses, is not keen to
provide too much information on
future releases, this provides a
few clues.
Personally, the vintage
Champagnes that have most
excited me have been the lovely
1982’s; the intense 1985’s,
though a very small vintage
and rarely seen; the amazing
1988’s – a year that was largely
unheralded in its early days
but continues to scale new
heights; the superb 1990’s; the
underrated 1995’s; the glorious
1996’s and the powerful 1998’s.
More recently, 2002 and 2004
were the highlights.
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WINE
THE RISE OF PROSECCO
Similar to Champagne vintage, prosecco
adds a little bit of Italian style on a budget for
Australian drinkers. By Winsor Dobbin.
P
rosecco is the Italian sparkling white wine that has captured the
imagination of drinkers across the world over the past four or
five years – and there is no sign of the phenomenon running out
of steam.
By the end of 2013, prosecco had out-sold Champagne by 307
million bottles to 304 million for the year - the Italian Sparkling Wine
Observatory (OVSE) reported – with sales in Germany, Britain and the
US soaring. Despite all this, it is remarkable how little most people
know about its origins.
The appeal of prosecco is easy to understand; whether made
fully sparkling (spumante) or lightly sparkling (frizzante), prosecco
is refreshing, low in alcohol and relatively affordable. It is all about
freshness and immediate drinkability, and is often enjoyed as an
aperitif. Prosecco is generally lighter and less yeasty than Champagne
or Australian sparkling wines.
Michael Trembath from Italian import specialists Trembath and Taylor
says he’s seen sales of prosecco in Australia rise by 15 per cent each
year for the past three. “It is a good everyday drink – you don’t need a
special occasion,” Michael says.
Prosecco is usually made from the indigenous glera grape (itself
sometimes known as prosecco), although other varieties are allowed
and while the name Prosecco derives from a village near Trieste,
DOC prosecco is now produced in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia
regions of north-east Italy.
The majority of vines are grown around the towns of Conegliano and
Valdobbiadene in the dramatically beautiful rolling hills north of Treviso,
around 50km inland from Venice.
Unlike Champagne and Tasmanian sparkling wines, prosecco is
largely produced using the Charmat method, in which secondary
fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. This makes the wine
cheaper to produce and has resulted in an international explosion of
interest with 65 per cent of production now exported.
American wine bible Wine Spectator points out that the prosecco
boom coincided with the Global Financial Crisis, which sparked interest
in cheap wines that still offered quality. And with prosecco wines
ranging from brut (the driest styles) to extra dry, to dry (which are
actually, and very confusingly, the sweetest) there is something for
most consumers.
Mark Singarella from Vino Bambino in Melbourne imports wines from
Alessandro and Lorena Salatin at Salatin winery in Treviso. And Mark
says he’s enjoyed success with their wines: “they tend to be on the
slightly drier side of prosecco, which I think Australian drinkers really
enjoy.”
Many vines in the Veneto cling precariously to the steep slopes,
which makes handpicking the only possible farming method. The area
has over 20,000 hectares of glera under vine and European Union
regulations state that only wine produced here can be called prosecco.
Australian producers remain
defiant about this; saying prosecco
is the name of the grape and cannot
be appropriated by a region. Either
way, Australia is a major target for
Italian prosecco producers, and
many more are queuing up to find
distribution here. One problem,
Prosecco glera gra
pes
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drinks trade
AUSTRALIAN
SPARKLING
J
Wine shop in Valdobbiadene
however, is the distance between Italy and Australia, given prosecco is
best consumed within a year of bottling: two or three years maximum.
Consumers should look for wines labelled as DOC (controlled
designation of origin), DOCG (a guarantee the wine is from
Valdobbiadene and Conegliano), and the ‘premium’ wines from the
Cartizze commune.
Woolworths reported that sales of imported prosecco in Dan
Murphy’s and BWS stores rose by over 40 per cent in the four years
to the end of 2013. Dan Murphy’s has a deal with Zonin - one of the
biggest prosecco producers - as well as selling Tenuta Ca’ Bolani,
Nicoletta, Borgo San Leo and the more expensive Carpenè Malvolti
DOCG. All retail for under $20.
Vintage Cellars also offers several Italian proseccos including Sensi,
Revino and Ombra, alongside local labels like Dal Zotto, Brown Brothers
and Jacob’s Creek.
“We see interest in prosecco continuing to increase,” says Luca
Giavi, director of the Consorzio di Tutela Prosecco DOC - the industry
umbrella body. “We believe it is a style of wine that is prefect for
today’s lifestyle – enjoyable and undemanding.”
La Tordera - a third-generation family company with a newly built
sustainable winery - is one producer with its eye on the Australian
market. Its wines are currently only imported by sommelier Matthew
Dunn of Aria restaurants in Sydney and Brisbane, but the company’s
brand manager Elisa Villanova says: “We are like everyone else, and
keen to increase our market in Australia.”
Francesca Ceotto from Le Contesse - another family winery - has
searched without success for an importer in Australia despite currently
exporting 85 per cent of production to other countries.
“Ideally we are looking for an importer who is willing to take
small quantities to Australia. That way everything gets consumed
quickly – which is important when you have maybe only a two-year
drinking window. That’s better
for the client and better for the
distributor”, Francesca explains.
Alessandro Salatin is delighted
with the response to his wines
in Australia since they launched
in June 2013, however warns:
“It is a complex market, but it
seems people easily identify with
prosecco and the Italian way of
life.”
Alessandra Zambonin
from Zonin and Tenuta Ca’
Bolani – two producers under
the same ownership - agree,
saying: “Australia is now a very
important market for us, working
with Woolworths. People are
adventurous about what they
drink and see prosecco as being
cool and representing the Italian
way of life. But it is an affordable
luxury; it doesn’t cost a lot of
money.
“We know all about the
Australian wines branded as
prosecco, too, but we prefer to
underline the authenticity of the
Italian product.”
ust as vintage Champagne
has become the benchmark
for quality Champagne in
Australia, the same can be said of
sparkling, which has quickly and
recently grown to become the
premium wine option, particularly
against still wine. Moreover,
sparkling provides an affordable
alternative to Champagne, which
measures well when considering
value for money.
The quality of Australian
sparkling has only really been
taken seriously in recent years,
but the world has been quick to
realise and the category is now
in steady growth. In the last year
(MAT 03/08/14 July 2014 Aztec
Data), sparkling has experienced
a growth of +A$12,504, with the
majority of this growth taking
place at the end of the year –
those celebratory months. If this
is anything to go by, the industry
can expect sales of sparkling to
go well again this year.
To really put these figures
into perspective, as reported
this year by Gourmet Traveller,
over 8 million Australian
consumers (over half of the
number of Australians who
consume alcohol), consume a
glass of sparkling at least once a
month, with just under 2 million
consumers expected to join the
category in the near future.
Driving growth to the
category and what can really
be labeled as the epitome of
and benchmark for Australian
sparkling is our country’s cool
climate regions - the Yarra
Valley, Macedon Ranges and
Adelaide Hills – and above all
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81
WINE
Tasmania, which has taken the industry by storm.
And we only have to look as far as The 2014 Champagne and
Sparkling Wine World Championships – dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of the
sparkling wine world, which saw Australia’s cool climate sparkling wine
producers take away ten gold medals - to see which producers are at
the forefront of the category in Australia, and globally (Australia ships
41.4 per cent of sparkling production overseas).
Commenting at the recent drinks trade Champagne, prosecco and
sparkling wine tasting, Travis Fuller, Hardys Marketing Manager at
Accolade Wines said: “Australian sparkling producers are building
great complexity and concentration. There are a lot of wines that
demonstrate what good cool climate Australian wine can represent.”
Winning producers included Blue Pyrenees Estate, House of Arras,
De Bortoli Wines, Dominique Portet (rosé), Grant Burge (shiraz), Clover
Hill, Coldstream Hills, Château Tanunda, Claudio Radenti, Deviation
Road, Heemskerk, Jacob’s Creek and Taltarni Vineyards – all familiar
names and ones to continue to keep an eye out for.
Standing out on top at the awards was Blue Pyrenees’ Midnight
Cuvée (RRP $35), which was the inaugural winner of the World
Champion Australian Sparkling Wine trophy. This sparkling is a blanc
de blanc, made from fruit harvested at midnight “for optimal fruit
conditions”, Blue Pyrenees Winemaker Andrew Koerner says, lending
to its name, and is rested on lees for at least three years.
Blue Pyrenees was interestingly, founded by Rémy Martin in 1963,
the force behind Champagne Houses Krug and Charles Heidsieck, and
was in fact originally named Chateau Rémy.
Champagne houses investing in Australian sparkling and sparkling
around the world, is not new. In fact Champagne houses drove much of
the initial development in the sparkling category, explaining the number
of similar styles shared between the two. Moët is another example,
establishing its own sparkling brand, Domaine Chandon, in the Yarra
Valley in 1987 and Champagne House Louis Roederer, which initially
owned Jansz in Tasmania (owned by Yalumba today).
The most recognised sparkling in Australia and also a gold medal
winner at the recent awards is House of Arras. Produced in Tasmania,
this house has successfully created a Champagne-like quality sparkling,
and it’s a real bang for buck. Its style – a blend of pinot noir and
chardonnay, usually with a higher percentage of pinot noir, is behind the
success. Its most recent release moves the brand only closer towards
a Champagne-like style – A by Arras NV Premium Cuvee, which adds
pinot meunier to the blend. Chief Sparkling Winemaker of the house
and Australia’s most awarded sparkling winemaker, Ed Carr, talks about
the new release, as well as his view of the Australian sparkling wine
industry and its future on page 84.
De Bortoli Wines is following, and recently changed the style of its
sparkling with the release of Rococo Premium Cuvée in August (RRP
$21.60), made from the Yarra Valley; a blend of 86 per cent chardonnay,
11 per cent pinot noir and 3 per cent pinot meunier.
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drinks trade
“We decided to tweak the
style of Rococo, so whilst still
predominantly a chardonnay
cuvée, we introduced small
quantities of pinot noir and
pinot meunier to the blend.
This adds for a bit more
breadiness and complexity”,
Steve Webber, De Bortoli
Wines Chief Winemaker
explains.
“A lot of consumers
enjoy the blanc de blancs
style, but don’t generally
understand the term. This
has been simplified with the
new Rococo Premium NV
Cuvée”, Steve adds.
Commenting on Australian
sparkling product and styles,
judges were extremely
positive about the quality of
sparkling wine tasted in drinks
trade’s recent panel, but noted
considerable changes in style.
On the panel was Benjamin
Scarfe, Senior Buyer from the
Independent Liquor Group, who
said: “My view on the whole
category is that there’s been a
movement away from the very
yeasty esters, towards a very
fruit driven style of wine.”
One brand really shaking up
sparkling style is Jacob’s Creek
with its new ‘Sparkling Lightly’
range. The new range has been
developed to offer a delicate
drinking experience, achieved by
limiting the sugar levels during
the second fermentation. The
release is a blend of a number
of varietals including fiano, pinot
gris, sauvignon blanc and white
frontignac, among others. This
blend and style not only offers
a lighter sparkling wine but one
that is fruity and fresh.
“Talking to consumers
revealed significant interest
in wines that are less bubbly,
as some people said they
experience a full feeling when
drinking sparkling beverages”,
JACOB’S CREEK Sparkling and
White Winemaker, Rebekah
Richardson explains.
Travis Fuller also recognises a
change in style in the category,
adding: “There’s quite a lot of
variation in the category. The
better wines are showing two
stylistic trends. One is that style
of richer more complex, yeasty,
toasty development characters,
while the other is that more
precise, finer style, with citrus
lemon and chalky flavours, midpalate, but long and delicate.”
A full set of the winning wines
from drinks trade’s Champagne,
prosecco and sparkling tasting
can be found on pages 86-92.
Insight
The House that
ED CARR Built
The Tasmania-based House of Arras has made a play for a whole new section
of the sparkling wine market this year, releasing A by Arras NV Premium
Cuvee under its flagship brand. A by Arras is consistent with the House’s
style and is a blend of 58.8 per cent pinot noir, 33.6 per cent chardonnay
and 7.5 per cent pinot meunier, but priced at just $24.99 – the first release
by the House at this price point.
the place for sparkling, but back then I think people were
skeptical, particularly over ten years ago. But the place
has earned its credibility by producing good wine.
drinks trade: House of Arras is well known as
Australia’s most expensive sparkling wine. The
recent release by the House – A by Arras NV
Premium Cuvee – has moved the House’s offering
into the $20-$25 price bracket. What is the aim
behind releasing this wine at such a low price point?
Ed Carr: What it does is open up the whole category
for us. We’ve been pitched at the top end, and although
we still see a lot of growth in that end, this just opens
up a different group of people for the brand; such that
it should become more well-known and grow a more
prominent market place presence.
DT: What plans does the brand have in store for the
rest of the year?
EC: We’ve got some vintage roll-outs happening, but
really our total effort this year is to get the A by Arras
release off the ground and support our other products.
DT: In 1995 when the House of Arras brand was born
in Tasmania what was the outlook of the region and
the impact it could have on winemaking?
EC: I’ve always thought that Tasmania was going to be
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drinks trade
DT: Demand for Tasmanian wine continues to grow.
Does the house have any concerns surrounding
long-term supply in the region?
EC: I guess the answer’s yes. Demand is growing very
strongly so you’ve got to make sure you lock in supplies
and have a future plan to build extra vineyard supply.
DT: Part of House of Arras’ philosophy is allowing
the wine to mature at its own pace. Does this
also create challenges when it comes to meeting
demand?
EC: We can build our future stocks reasonably quickly,
we hope, and we’re very fortunate to have a big scrag of
reserve, very old wine actually, that we can use to offset
what we do.
DT: What changes and trends in sparkling have you
seen during your career as a sparkling winemaker?
EC: I think there’s been a continual push into the
premium areas - the cold climate regions. What I think
has happened, and you can see it in Tasmania, is that
the better producers have locked in their house styles,
which means there’s a selection of really good sparkling
wines but all of them have very different characters.
DT: What do you think we will see from the
sparkling category over the next few years, do you
think it will continue to flourish?
EC: I think it will. I think the
premium category is still
very strong within Australia;
Australia is such a high importer
of international produce (i.e.
Champagne), which to me
indicates there is a strong market
for premium sparkling here.
DT: Which winemakers
do you think will drive the
future direction of sparkling
winemaking?
EC: I come back to those key
brands who are doing very well,
like Jansz, Clover Hill, Arras, and
Brown Brothers who will do well
with Pirie, and there are other
producers outside of Tassie like
Deviation Road in the Adelaide
Hills. So there’s bound to be
someone to come along to pick
up the baton.
As a company we have to make
sure we have people with enough
experience to continue the tradition.
The best brands in the world to
me aren’t about single people;
they’re about building a culture that
supports that long term.
Wine list
TASTING PANEL
WINE
CHAMPAGNE,
PROSECCO & SPARKLING
The market for sparkling, Champagne and Prosecco in Australia has never been bigger and the
best news for Australia is that its sparkling produce is dominating that of other countries, reflected
just in the sheer volume of accolades received in the past year, and in this tasting.
This was drinks trade’s biggest tasting panel to date, with by far the largest number of entries
the panel has ever received. Australia’s leading sommeliers, retailers, winemakers and educators
joined drinks trade in September to narrow down entries to the standout products per category.
ED CARR
House of Arras Chief
Sparkling Winemaker
AMANDA YALLOP
Head Sommelier at Quay
SCOTT COSGRIFF
Winemaker
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drinks trade
ANDREA PRITZKER
Fine Wine Content
Manager at Langton’s
BENJAMIN SCARFE
Senior Buyer at
Independent Liquor Group
GABRIELLE FITTLER
Market Development
Officer at Wine Australia
ROB GEDDES
MW
TONY COSGRIFF
Winemaker at
Centennial Vineyards
TRAVIS FULLER
Hardys Marketing Manager
at Accolade Wines
Wine list
Champagne
WINE
H.Blin 2004 Vintage Champagne
RRP: $69.99
Distributed by: Kollaras Trading Company
Notes: A dense and complex wine with intense
fresh, earthy flavours. Strong acid and good length.
Champagne Jacquart 2006 Blanc de Blancs
RRP: $100
Distributed by: Single Vineyard Sellers
Notes: Straw golden in colour. A full-bodied
Champagne. Rich in structure, with earthy and
toasty notes on the palate.
Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs Brut Vertus
Premier Cru
RRP: $65
Distributed by: De Bortoli Wines
Notes: A fine and elegant Champagne. Toasty,
mushroom notes. Flavours of nougat and truffle.
Excellent structure, acid length and complexity.
2006 Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésimé
RRP: $145.50
Distributed by: McWilliams’s Wines
Notes: Lemon yellow hues. Good, balanced
presence on the palate. Toasty, truffle and
mushroom flavours. A round and rich Champagne
Pol Roger 2004 Brut Vintage
RRP: $130
Distributed by: Samuel Smith & Sons
Notes: Hints of yeast on the nose. Threads of good
acidity. This Champagne will develop well with age.
Pol Roger 2002 Blanc de Blancs Vintage
RRP: $130
Notes: Floral notes. Fresh and vibrant on the
palate. Drinking well now.
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drinks trade
2004 Dom Pérignon
RRP: $249.99
Distributed by: Moët Hennessy Australia
Notes: Simple, dense and weightless. Fresh,
herby, fennel flavours. A full round-bodied finish.
Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs NV
RRP: $120-$140
Distributed by: Domaine Wine Shippers
Notes: A lifted, balanced Champagne. Buttered
brioche notes. Fresh, elegant sweetness. Vibrant,
with a persistent finish. Good acid.
Jacques Picard NV Brut
RRP: $86
Distributed by: Empire Liquor
Notes: Taut with floral aromas. Medium straw gold
hues. Truffle flavours. Long, clean finish.
Besserat De Bellefon Blanc de Blanc
RRP: $120
Distributed by: Festival City Food & Liquor
Notes: Fresh aromatics. Elegance and finesse.
Toasty truffle flavours. Mineral, tangy finish.
Besserat De Bellefon Brut NV
RRP: $95
Notes: Bright, medium straw gold hues. Aromatic
palate. Toast, truffle and nougat flavours. Complex
and good acid length.
Besserat De Bellefon Brut Millésimé 2002
RRP: $120
Notes: Bright straw in colour with golden hues.
With aeration, toasty notes appear before leading
to menthol and spicy flavours of ginger, cinnamon
and anise.
Besserat De Bellefon Extra Brut
RRP: $99.95
Notes: Light straw in appearance. Toasty, truffle
flavours. Great acid and length.
Champagne Jacquart Rosé NV
RRP: $85
Notes: Red berry-fruit aromas - ripe redcurrants,
cherries, wild strawberries. Peach and apricot
flavours. Fresh and full. Fine finish.
Champagne Delamotte Brut NV
RRP: $79
Distributed by: Luxury Beverage Group
Notes: Light golden in colour. Citrus, floral notes.
Yeasty, savoury bread flavours. Vibrant and agile
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV
RRP: $120-140
Distributed by: Domaine Wine Shippers
Notes: Soft, mellow, nutty and straw-like bouquet
notes. Soft, round and easy-going palate. Superbly
harmonious.
Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain
RRP: $85
Distributed by: Luxury Beverage Group
Notes: Golden hues. Floral, citrus fruit notes.
Balanced, harmonious palate.
Jacques Picard NV Brut Rosé
RRP: $86
Distributed by: Empire Liquor
Notes: Noticeable aromas of white flowers.
Abundant red fruit and citrus flavours. A lovely,
creamy finish.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
RRP: $112.49
Notes: Delicate citrus, peach, buttered toast and
dairy aromas. Elegant, crisp, dry palate, with lemon
and honey flavours. Fine bubbles. Creamy, talcy
finish.
Champagne Rosé
Perrier Jouet Blason Rosé NV
RRP: $79.99
Notes: Smooth and finely chiselled. Subtle and
rich. A myriad of floral notes and a long finish.
Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rosé 2004
RRP: $137.49
Notes: Raspberry, wild strawberry and cherry
notes. Dried fruit, savoury flavours. Harmonious
fruit flavours linger on the finish.
Prosecco
Riccadonna Prosecco D.O.C
RRP: $14.99
Distributed by: Campari Australia
Notes: Straw yellow in colour. Fruity, citrus palate,
with distinct flavours of melon and apple nuances.
Nutty notes. Full-bodied.
drinks trade
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Wine list
WINE
Bottega Prosecco Poeti D.O.C
RRP: $24.95
Notes: Light straw in colour. Fruit driven nose,
with peach, pear, green apple and lime notes.
Fine minerality. Dry palate. Medium acid, medium
length.
Bottega Gold
RRP: $65
Notes: Pale straw yellow hues. Golden apple,
Williams pear, acacia flower aromas. Harmonious,
elegant and fresh in taste.Red Sparkling
Sparkling Shiraz Merlot
RRP: $18
Distributed by: Biodynamic Marketing (VIC),
United Organics (QLD), Australian Organic Network
(NSW)
Notes: An amalgam of warm, spicy, toasty, rich
and peppery components. Excellent balance
between developed fruit flavours and fine tannins.
Harmonious acidity, alcohol and residual sugar
levels.
Sparkling Rosé
Chandon Brut Rosé NV
RRP: $31.99
Notes: Strawberry and raspberry flavours are
present in a creamy, complex palate. Long crisp
finish.
Trilogy Rosé NV
RRP: $16.99
Notes: Lively raspberry, strawberry and red apple
fruit flavours, supported by fresh citrus notes. Long
well-balanced finish.
2010 Jansz Vintage Rosé
RRP: $52.95
Notes: Well-balanced palate. Layers of strawberry
fruit and creamy fine mousse. Crisp and dry finish.
Lingering flavours of nougat, rose petal and citrus.
Sparkling
Chandon Sparkling Pinot Shiraz NV
RRP: $31.99
Notes: Spice, walnut and coconut aromas. Very
sweet palate, with an alcohol level that is high
considering the depth of flavour.
NV Andrew Garrett Sparkling Shiraz
RRP: $10.80
Distributed by: Vok Beverages
Notes: Bouquets of violet, cherry and spiced,
peppery plum. Fine textural mouth feel. Soft and
elegant. Solid tannins. Controlled background of
oak and refreshing acidity. A long, lingering finish.
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drinks trade
House of Arras Brut Elite Cuvée
RRP: $49.99
Notes: Elegant palate structure. Flavours of lycee,
truffle, cinnamon and lanolin evolve in the glass.
Backbone of natural acidity and subtle oak tannins.
Fantastic persistence of flavour.
House of Arras Grand Vintage 2004
RRP: $69.99
Notes: Very clean yeast. Aged aromas and flavours.
Full palate. Generous weight and volume.
House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged 2002
RRP: $149.99
Notes: Glowing green-gold in colour. Fine mousse.
A rich, complex and toasty bouquet. The palate has
all of the foregoing, plus mesmerising balance and
length.
Ninth9Island NV Sparkling
RRP: $30
Distributed by: Red + White and Kreglife
(Tasmania)
Notes: Straw in colour. Light toast aromas, good
bouquet. Tight and lean palate, with good flavour
and length. High acid, low alcohol.
2012 Gardners Ground Sparkling
RRP: $30
Notes: Crisp granny smith apple and peach
aromas. Delicate creaminess. Fine spiralling beads
for a fragile lift.
Brown Brothers Patricia Sparkling
RRP: $47.15
Distributed by: Brown Brothers
Notes: Full-bodied, complex and rich palate.
Prominent lemon and lime flavours. Lingering,
bready character. Dry, crisp finish and refreshing
acidity.
Chateau Tanunda Blanc de Blancs Brut 2012
RRP: $35
Distributed by: Australian Food & Beverage Group
Notes: Green apple, lemon and citrus fruit aromas
and flavours, combined with hints of toast, lemon
curd, nougat and spice. Crisp, clean finish.
Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvee
RRP: $35
Distributed by: Prime Wines (VIC), Veraison Wines
(NSW) and Nelson Wines (QLD)
Notes: Crisp and lively palate. Lemon and lime
spectrum flavours. Attractive minerality and acidity.
Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2011
RRP: $34.99
Notes: Cranberry, wood smoke and crushed, dry
spice notes. Nice, dry finish.
Deutz Marlborough Cuvee NV
RRP: $19.99
Notes: Delicate and harmonious style. Intense
citrus and macaroon flavours. Lingering finish.
Brown Brothers Pinot Noir Chardonnay & Pinot
Meunier NV
RRP: $25
Notes: Light straw-green in colour. Complex wine.
Toasty and yeasty characters. Plenty of fresh fruit
and minerality.
Borambola VIII Blanc de Blancs NV
RRP: $25
Distributed by: Inglewood Wine Merchants
Notes: Vibrant fruit aromas. Citrusy palate, with
lemon and lime flavours, and some sweetness.
Clean, light and fresh taste. Complex creamy and
autolysis characters.
Pirie NV Sparkling
RRP: $30
Notes: A vibrant wine. Citrus flavours. Good acidity.
Full and rich mid-palate. Mineral finish.
AZAHARA Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir
RRP: $15
Distributed by: red + white
Notes: Excellent creaminess. Cleansing citrus
flavours with good definition. Rich, attractive mouth
feel.
drinks trade
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Wine list
WINE
2009 Heemskerk Coal River Valley Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
RRP: $59.99
Notes: Light yellow in colour. Fruity and yeasty
characters. Well combined and fresh. Tremendous
balance, flavour and character. Clean and dry, but
soft on the finish.
Yarra Burn Premium Cuvée Brut
RRP: $18.99
Notes: Citrus and stone fruit aromas. Nuances of
toast and mushroom. Great structured palate, with
elegance and persistence of flavour.
2011 Abel’s Tempest by Heemskerk
RRP: $31.99
Notes: Bright cherry red. Highly aromatic wine;
fresh, floral nose. Soft and supple palate, with
delicate French oak character.
Tempus Two Pewter Pinot Chardonnay
RRP: $31.99
Distributed by: Australian Vintage.
Notes: Complex blend of stone and citrus fruit.
Warm biscuity, creamy character. Vibrant apple
and white peach flavours. Supple creaminess from
yeast autolysis.
2010 Chandon Vintage Brut
RRP: $40.99
Notes: Exceptionally fine bead. Delicate, citrusy
flavours with bread and sweet doughy notes.
Delicate restraint and powerful presence all in one.
Excellent length.
2010 Chandon Blanc de Blancs
RRP: $40.99
Notes: Delicate and floral to start. Cascades with
varietal stone fruit chardonnay character. Creamy
mid-palate. The result of extended yeast ageing
tapers to a fine and lingering finish of fresh, zesty
acidity.
2010 Hungerford Hill Dalliance
RRP: $35
Distributed by: The Wine Company
Notes: A highly aromatic fresh bouquet that is
vibrant and shows hints of sweet buttery brioche.
Complex and lively palate with honeydew melon
flavours, followed by rapier like acidity that cleanses
the palate.
2011 Karribindi Chardonnay Pinot
RRP: $29.99
Distributed by: Put A Cork In It (VIC), Decante This
(NSW), KarriBindi Wines
Notes: Fine mousse, with creamy texture and good
stone fruit flavours. Elegant finish.
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drinks trade
Insight
drinks Library
An innovative new alternative for distributing drinks images and product
content for online and print.
I
n the drinks industry, sharing content such as
bottle images or product information is a task
most, particularly brands and retailers, face on a
regular basis.
For many this task is often arduous and timeconsuming as they find content stored in a number
of locations, taking the search off in many directions
and adding to the possibility of incorrect or out-ofdate content being shared.
Product content sharing platforms provide a
solution to the above task, creating one location
for product content, which can be shared with a
number of parties.
However, until now, hosts of these platforms
have often provided the service at a sizeable cost,
which has dissuaded many suppliers. Additionally
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drinks trade
this cost has tended to increase with the size and
the amount of content shared on the platform, also
seeing suppliers put off sharing their whole range. In
turn this has affected the content available to retailer
digital platforms for example.
This problem is what led the drinks association,
in collaboration with SKUvantage (Australia’s leading
full service product photography and product
content agency), to develop a cost efficient platform.
The result was drinks Library, which launched
last November. And since launching in November
2013 over half of drinks association, members have
started using drinks Library.
drinks Library was developed from SKUlibrary – a
service of SKUvantage – to create a platform that
hosts and distributes product images, as well as
product attributes and other
digital content, such as product
data or videos. There are no
download fees with drinks Library
and content can be accessed
online or offline.
drinks trade spoke with
founder and CEO of SKUvantage,
Daniel Roberts, to find out how
drinks Library works and the
benefits for retailers and brands
alike.
drinks trade: Why was drinks
Library developed?
Daniel Roberts: It was an
opportunity that the drinks association spotted to
help their members get good digital product content
in front of their consumers in a much easier, cost
effective way than current providers offer.
The proposition we developed with the drinks
association saves their members time, effort
and money when sharing all digital assets with
their retail partners. These assets include images
and tasting notes, to product specifications and
marketing copy.
The solution also has the benefit of making
members’ products look better online in the
rapidly growing digital channels of their retailer
partners.
DT: How does drinks Library work?
DR: Basically you log in and from there it’s a bit like
shopping in an enormous wine store, except that
you’re shopping for product images, rather than the
product itself.
DT: What’s the benefit of drinks Library for
retailers?
DR: For retailers it’s very easy to use and we have
had a lot of positive feedback on the platform’s
functionality. Retailers can get all the product
content they need in one place – product imagery
and product rotations, which enable a product
to have a 360 rotation view; product and how to
videos; product specification data and descriptions;
and marketing copy, and at the minute retailers can
get that across 2,500 products.
Retailers can also get all of that content in a way
that suits their business - they can download it
straight to their desktop, upload it to their website,
and they can also have what’s called an API feed,
which means content flows straight from drinks
Library into their ecommerce system.
Retailers can also have an iframe to get extended
product content on their sites with minimal effort.
An iframe allows retailers to put product content
straight onto websites through a single line of code;
the single line then creates a unique presentation of
Having full product content comprehensively
stored on one platform makes it easier to
share content internally, externally, and
reduces the number of samples being
requested.
the content, which can be customised in any way
the retailer requires.
All of this means that retailers can make our
clients products look better in their digital channels.
DT: And how is it a useful tool for brands?
DR: Brands can use drinks Library in a number of
ways to reduce cost and drive sales. They can use
it as an internal cataloguing tool, which means that
everybody in their business has access to all of the
assets and ensures team members and partners use
up-to-date and accurate images and content.
With the same iframe technology, product
information can be displayed on field sales tools,
giving sales teams all the information they need
when discussing products with customers. This also
ensures any changes made to the product in the
library are immediately reflected on the device.
The platform will also enable the generation and
emailing of trade presenters as PDF’s, avoiding the
need to create and manage expensive marketing
collateral.
The other advantage is that drinks Library allows
brands to store all of their extended product
information in one place including logos, brand
guidelines and point of sale material. These can all
individually be set as public or private. drinks Library
means there’s a single place for everybody to go to
get all of those assets.
Beyond these business costs and process
improvements, the platform is significantly cheaper
than the incumbent systems and the SKUvantage
services are aligned to help brands make their
products look good online.
DT: So does each person have
a username and login, which
controls access?
DR: Correct. Every attribute or
product is fully controllable for
view, read or write access.
DT: And retailers can only
access the sections of drinks
Library that have been made
public?
DR: Yes correct. Brands have
full control over who sees what
assets, both by organisation and
timing.
DT: How do you ensure all the
content is up-to-date?
DR: Whenever a vendor has a
new product released they simply
send us the new product, and we
photograph it and capture all the
content to their requirements.
Alternatively a brand can provide
us with an image captured by
their existing agency and we load
this into the platform.
DT: What feedback have you
had on drinks Library?
DR: All our clients love it. We get
very positive feedback from all
our clients about the photography
and users are saving about 50
per cent from what they were
previously spending, with some
choose to re-invest this in
product content, further driving
sales and business process cost
savings.
For more information and to sign up to
drinks Library visit the drinks association’s
website (www.drinkscentral.com.au).
drinks trade
95
Trade activity
TRADE ACTIVITY
The business behind the brands
NSW SWEEPS VIN DE CHAMPAGNE
AWARDS
The winners of the Vin de Champagne Awards in both the Professional
and Amateur categories were announced at the end of September.
Presented every two years by the Champagne Bureau Australia, past
winners of this prestigious award include some of the country’s most
knowledgeable wine industry personnel, winemakers, journalists,
restaurateurs, commentators and educators.
Annette Lacey from NSW won the Professional category and Tom
Warrell, also from NSW, won the Amateur category.
Winners receive a two-week educational tour to the Champagne
district in France, where they are awarded their medal from Le Comité
Champagne and enjoy the legendary Champenois hospitality.
FUTURE
INFLUENCERS
OF THE DRINKS
INDUSTRY
This winter future influencers of
the drinks industry gathered at
the Print Room in Paddington,
Sydney, to listen to Senior Group
Manager for the Keystone Group,
Joe Rossi, discuss how to get
brands noticed by venues. Joe
discussed how though the
difficulty of tender in venues
is high now; with a growing number
of smaller bars on the market larger
venues must compete with the smaller
venue’s offerings, thus creating more
space for brands. “It’s about finding
the right space for your brand and
somewhere it will sell,” Joe concluded.
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drinks trade
HAHN JUMPSTART
LAUNCH
August saw the launch of the Hahn Jumpstart
program with Jack Delosa announced as the campaign
ambassador.
Hahn Jumpstart was founded on the principle of encouraging people to
turn their ideas into reality, much like the founding of Hahn beer. Hahn
beer, distributed by Lion in Australia, was the result of passion and a
dream shared between four guys to brew high quality beer.
Submissions for the program were non-industry specific with all ideas
welcome, and were made at the www.hahnjumpstart.com.au website.
The submissions closed on September 12 2014 and the final winner
will be selected on December 3 2014.
BARBER
SHOP FIRST
BIRTHDAY
2014 SUNTORY
CUP
On September 8, Club Suntory
held its 27th annual Suntory Cup
at the Loft in Sydney. Winning
the competition was Yoshi Onishi
with his drink ‘Repeat After Me’.
Jonothan Carr came in second
with his drink ‘Turning Japanese
#3’, and Marco Oshiro Giron
came in third with ‘A Japanese
Artisan, a Carthusian Monk, & a
Sommelier Walk into a Bar…’
Yoshi will now go on to contest at
Suntory’s national final consumer
event – Cocktail Connoisseur.
CARLTON MID RACE DAY
Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) recently announced a new five
year agreement with the Wyong Race Club, which will see the
Carlton Mid Wyong Gold Cup in September maintained as the club’s
flagship event through to 2018.
The announcement came just a few short months prior to the
2014 Carlton Mid Wyong Gold Cup, which took place on Friday 5
September.
On this day, the Carlton Mid team treated over 150 Sydney-metro
pub and club customers to an “out of the box” experience
at Wyong Race Club, which kicked off with a ride in a
vintage steam train from Central to Wyong.
Customers were spoiled with perfect weather, generous
hospitality (plenty of Carlton Mid) and a phenomenal view
of the track which ensured an exciting and memorable day.
The Carlton Mid Wyong Gold Cup aims to become the #1
regional racing carnival in Australia. As the carnival’s major
partner, CUB are certainly keen to assist by spreading the
carnival’s reach to their Sydney customers and bringing it to
life over the next five years.
On September 2, The
Barber Shop celebrated its
first birthday with a party
featuring cocktails and
shaves at its barber-and-barin-one location in Sydney.
Around 150 of Sydney’s
finest attended, including
media and trade, who
were entertained with
performances by singer Michael
Falzon, tap dancers, and an eightkilogram cake.
Leone Cruden-Bonić and
Allan Brassil from CUB
LEFT: Ray Nobel from Transfusions Ltd.
drinks trade
97
Drinks eye
EYE
TRADE
VICTORIOUS IN
VOTE AGAINST
INDEPENDENCE
Scotland’s decision to remain
as part of the UK in September
was met with support from
trade, with a number of trade
representatives expressing their
happiness as a result of the decision.
Up to the vote, concerns had been expressed around the negative impact
that independence would have on trade, surrounding issues such as free trade,
access to EU export markets, and import tariffs.
Chief Executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, which represents 90 per cent
of Scotland’s whisky production, David Frost, said of the vote: “We welcome the
stability that this choice brings and now urge politicians of all parties to work to
bring our country together.
“The Scotch Whisky industry is determined to play a leading role in shaping
discussions that are fundamental to the future success of our industry and our
nation.”
Moreover Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association
said: “Scottish voters have made a historic choice. Further devolution is certain
and the WSTA will be working closely with its members to ensure that any barriers
to the way they do business in Scotland – or the rest of the UK – are minimised.
“Scotland is, and always will be, an important player in the UK wine and spirit
sector.
JUMPING GENES
COULD LEAD TO
NEW GRAPES
At the University of Lincoln near
Christchurch, senior lecturer Dr.
Chris Winefield has been studying
transposons, or ‘jumping genes’, to
see if he can create new clones of
sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.
Transposons – DNA sequences that move from one genome
location to another – are small, mobile, and normally silent
genetic elements, but Winefield is studying whether they
can be woken up and reinserted into different locations in a
grape’s genome. The goal is to create new examples of New
Zealand’s two key grape varieties.
The research, initially aimed at better understanding different
genes that strengthen the key characteristics of grape vines,
developed when the new opportunities became apparent.
98
GIN & TONIC - CHRISTMAS
TIPPLE OF CHOICE
Findings from a study
in the UK suggest
that spirit and mixers
are expected to see
growth in sales this
Christmas.
Out of a pool of 1,000
participants, research
conducted by UK
drinks suppliers
Ben Shaws found
that 52 percent of
people will be more
likely to chose a
spirit or mixer this
party season over
traditional seasonal
beverages such as Champagne. Specifically participants
rated the gin and tonic as their most popular mixer and
spirit combination of choice.
The research additionally found 47 per cent of those
answers to be reflective of growing health trends, in
which participants linked their choice of spirit and mixer
over traditional party classics to being more health
conscious.
BEER LABELS SHOW THEIR TRUE COLOUR
Spanish designer Txaber has come up with
an innovative way to package beer - having
the labels simply depict the colour of the brew
inside.
Txaber’s designs are posted on his website and
showcase a range of beers that have labels with
their corresponding ‘Pantone’ colour, which is
a standardised colour re-production system to
ensure colour matching.
The designs indicate packaging with a range of
hues, from pale ale in bright yellow to charcoal
looking imperial stout.
As innovative as it seems, this is not the
first time that colour has accompanied beer
packaging, for designers Alexander Michelbach
and Daniel Eugster launched colour swatches
that gave the exact colour value of a beer in
RGB, CMYK, and HTML code called ‘Beertone’ last year.

bubbles - Drinks trade

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