Archive for February, 2009
Fired: volunteer firefighters sacked by Australian Beer and Wine Giant
Australian Beer and Wine giant Fosters has considerably damaged its reputation and brand today by laying off two volunteering firefighters, who fought the Victorian bushfires. They both learned the hard way, that doing good for the community does not necessarily spare you from evil. Nine News tonight brought the story, that these two firefighters were sacked while being on duty and that both learned about their fate while being on firefighting duty.
Australian media has picked up this story immediately: we all at downunderwines are shocked by this appalling behaviour of the liquor conglomerate. Knowing that these two men were risking their lives for the sake of communities in danger, Fosters decided against a tactful move. The Australian public has donated more than 80m Australian Dollars for the victims of the bushfires, some of our corporates do not seem to connect the same way with what is happening in Victoria.
The full story on the redundancies can be found here.
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Die Welt schaut nach wie vor gespannt nach downunder, die Braende in Viktoria sind in allen Medien wohl praesent und aus aller Welt kommen inzwischen Hilfslieferungen und Geldsendungen, um den notleidenden Familien zu helfen. Nicht so der australische Bier- und Weinkonzern Fosters: er entliess heute zwei seiner Mitarbeiter, die als freiwillige Feuerwehrleute bei Braenden in und um Beechworth Menschleben schuetzten.
Wir nennen diese Vorgehen taktlos – eine Unverschaemtheit, zumal einer der beiden Tapferen aus den Medien von seiner Entlassung erfuhr. Ein Beispiel dafuer, mit welcher Art Taktgefuehl Fosters hier im australischen Markt vorgeht, egal ob es um Mitarbeiter oder Wettbewerber geht. Sehr schade.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Retail giant Woolworths Group buys Langton’s Fine Wine Auctions
Langton’s Fine Wine Auctions has been acquired by Australian retail giant Woolworths. This is an interesting move as it combines the size and reach of Woolworths liquor businesses with the exclusivity and the brand of Langtons. Woolworths Liquor comprises the retail outlets BWS (Beer Wine Spirits), Dan Murphy’s and the Woolworths Liquor shops, mostly situated next to the supermarkets.
Retail Giant Woolworths buys high-end auction brand
Langton’s owner Stewart Langton started his auction business 20 years ago. His focus was to sell expensive wines as an auction house to the increasing wine lover’s target group. He then launched the Langton’s website in 2002, followed by the launch of the online Wine Exchange in 2004.
Stewart Langton will stay on board for at least two years, the purchase price is expected to be around $13m.
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Hier in Australien gibt es eine interessante Akquisition zu vermelden, die Woolworths Gruppe vermeldet den Kauf des feinen Auktionshauses Langton’s Fine Wines. Der Kauf ist insofern interessant, weil der Handelsgigant somit erstmals in den Internethandel mit Weinen einsteigt. Ich werde meinen Freund Simon bei Dan Murphy’s einmal fragen, was er davon haeldt.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Australian Bushfires: many Victorian wineries are at risk
It is a human tragedy with more than 150 people dead, countless animals, houses, properties and therefore also vineyards lost to a series of fires, of which many believed to have been lit by arsonists. With the main damages currently happening in Victoria, I fear the worst for the wineries around Melbourne. Daily temperatures above 45 degrees and searing winds helped the fires spread fast across the state.
Bushfire wines
Parts of the Yarra Valley, Heathcote and Gippsland are still burning. Some wine regions such as one of my favourites, the Beechworth region are under immediate threat. The first reports now come through about the wineries affected: in the Yarra Valley the Roundstone winery and restaurant was burnt to the ground, and other Yarra wineries including Punt Road, Domaine Chandon and Lance Family Vineyards were partially damaged. These are the first vineyards that were directly damaged by the fires.
But the real damages will be discovered in the weeks to come. Let us have a look into the 2003 fires, that caused serious damage in Victoria: it became evident that few vineyards were actually damaged by the fires then, but damage caused by smoke taint was widespread. And as Australian viticulture continues to spread into locations that might be considered as more bushfire-prone than many established grape growing areas, there is a possibility that smoke taint might become a sporadic but more common occurrence in the future. The fact is, that you can protect yourself to a certain extent against a fire hitting your property or home, but you have no chance against the smoke.
The University of Adelaide has just started a project to counter wines produced in smoke-affected areas. The $500,000 project intends to support the wine industry in ‘finding grape and wine production methods which minimise the uptake of smoke by vines or the extraction of smoke-derived aroma compounds during winemaking’. Unfortunately for most wineries based in these areas currently fighting the bushfires, the results of this project come too late.
It is a sad day for Australia.
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Weltweit schauen Menschen entsetzt auf das moerderische Schauspiel der tobenden Flammen, die derzeit weite Teile Victorias heimsuchen. Im Yarra Valley, in den Regionen Heathcote und Gippsland und ganz akut in der Beechworth Region fegen Feuerstuerme ueber alles hinweg, was sich nicht in Sicherheit bringen kann. Die Folgen sind verheerend, denn selbst wenn die eigene Winery von den Flammen verschont wird, so bleiben meist Folgeschaeden durch Rauch und Russ. Unsere Gedanken sind bei den Familien, die Angehoerige verloren haben, deren Hab und Gut in Brand aufgingen und letztlich auch bei den Winzern, die hiermit entweder ihre Ernte oder gar ihr Lebenswerk verlieren.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Kangaroo Island’s first winery – now in Penneshaw’s CBD
Most travel guides still cite the cellar door of Dudley wines to be out far East on Kangaroo Island, about 20km away from Penneshaw. But when you drive through this village where the ferries from Australia’s mainland reach the Islands shore, you cannot miss the big sign stating: ‘Dudley’s cellar door, now in Penneshaw.’ Right in its CBD if you like, just opposite the pub.
Well to tell you the truth, we are talking more about a cross of cafe, wine tasting counter and clothing shop than a real cellar door. The ones of us who aim to taste the wines in a romantic atmosphere close to the vines themselves will be disappointed. I am usually suspicious, when staff in a self-proclaimed cellar door starts the conversation with ‘would you like coffee or are you here for the wines?’, but hey, I am on my way to try out the wines from Kangaroo Island’s first and oldest winery.
Dudley Wines from Kangaroo Island
On this particular hot summer’s day I tried the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, the 2007 Island Chardonnay and Dudley’s 2005 Porky Flat Shiraz – my impression: very average wines, aimed at the summer tourism market and all of them lacking character. I couldn’t help and ask a few questions about soil and wine production itself, however the staff wasn’t really able to help me out on this.
Coffee, wine or clothes, all in one shop
Kangaroo Island deserves better than this, so my recommendation is to avoid this ‘fancy’ set-up in Penneshaw’s CBD and try out the smaller local wineries while being on this wonderful Island.
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Mein Besuch bei Dudley Wines auf Kangaroo Island war leider eine ziemliche Katastrophe. Weit entfernt von romantischen Weinhuegeln, ist die sog. cellar door vor wenigen Wochen nach Penneshaw gezogen und hier steht eine Theke, plaziert zwischen einem Cafe und einer Modeboutique ausgestattet mit modischem Schick der 80er Jahre.
Die Dudley Weine selbst sind in zwei preisliche Segmente eingeordnet, zusaetzlich gibt es zwei limited releases. Saemtliche von mir probierten Weine waren eher durchschnittlich, leider konnte mir die dortigen Bedienung auch wenig ueber die Winery oder gar die Besonderheiten der Dudley Weine berichten.
Meine Empfehlung: der fish & chips shop in Penneshaw ist eine Reise wert, dort gibt es zwar keinen Alkohol, aber dafuer fantastischen Fisch, geoeffnet zwischen 16 und 20 Uhr.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Grenache – love it or hate it
Honestly: a few months ago I would not have dreamed of writing about Grenache as one of the most fascinating discoveries of my recent trip to McLaren Vale. Grenache, this was for me the Spanish version of a mass produced, cheap, untasteful Red, available in bulk at your local supermarket. Now there is nothing wrong with wine from your local bottle shop, but there was something in my mind which told me: there is something wrong with Grenache.
The Grenache Cadenzia: DogRidge from McLaren Vale
Wake up Australia: here comes the Aussie version of Grenache. Far from being a mass product, the McLaren Vale has grown to be the no.1 producer of this grape. With initially twelve wineries marketing their Grenaches under the ‘Cadenzia‘ label, this group is a bit smaller now but managed to drive a highly successful marketing campaign for ‘the wine of their Vale’.
I asked Fred Howard, winemaker and owner of DogRidge about the reason why Grenache grows so well in these harsh conditions in South Australia. About an hour later I was not only convinced, that this is THE NEW variety downunder, but I also had tasted the most amazing samples of various years of DogRidge’s Cadenzia Grenache.
More about my time with Fred Howard in one of my next entries.
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Vor meiner Reise in das McLaren Vale war ich nicht gerade als grosser Grenache Fan bekannt. Zu sehr habe ich die spanischen Billigfusel im Kopf (im wahrsten Sinne) – doch die australische Variante hat mich vom Gegenteil ueberzeugt. Die Vermarktung der Grenache Weine aus dem McLaren Vale als eine Besonderheit (a la Riesling aus dem Clare Valley) habe ich hier bereits beschrieben.
Nochmals nachgefragt habe ich dann bei Fred Howard, Miteigentuemer und Winzer des alteingesessenen DogRidge Weingutes, am Rande des Vale, genauer gesagt in McLaren Flat. Mehr zu diesem Interview lesen Sie in wenigen Tagen.
Einen schoenen Gruss
Ihr Michael Brecht
