Archive for September, 2009
It is bike day in Australia
Thousands of school children took their bike to school today. It is a day across Australia for kids to learn about how to handle their bikes safely on the road.
Tempting on their way: a winery in the Southern Highlands.
Winery sign on way to school
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Der 30. September ist der Tag der Fahrrad fahrenden Kinder in Australien, Tausende der jungen Schueler waren heute auf der Strasse mit ihren Zweiraedern unterwegs. Leider konnten wir hier heute nicht eine Pause einlegen.
Here is your entry to the Chinese wine market
This years Interwine Fair in China will take place from November 26th to 28th. Downunderwines has been contacted by the organisers and we are pleased to pass on their invitations to winemakers, distributors, all wine sales and marketing staff in the Australian wine industry.
Here is what they wrote us:
Dear wines and spirits suppliers
On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we cordially invite you to participate in Interwine China 2009, which is organized by China National Association for Wine&Spirits Circulation and Canton Universal Fair Group Ltd (FairCanton), will take place from November 26 to 28 in China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex in Guangzhou (Canton) , which is the second largest in the world.
Interwine Fair in China
Interwine China is the leading trade-fair specializing in wines and spirits in Mainland China. The showcase in November will celebrate its 6th edition,with a much larger scale of more than 10,000 sq.m., expected 500 exhibitors and more than 10,000 professional buyers. Also, there will be more than 9 National pavilions:
Spanish Pavilion, Italian Pavilion, French Pavilion, South African Pavilion, Portuguese Pavilion, Australian Pavilion, American Pavilion, Japan Pavilion, Korea Pavilion and so on.
Faircanton’s Global Governmental Supporters:
Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior (ICEX)
Instituto Valenciano de la Exportación (IVEX)
Instituto de Promoción Exterior de Castilla-La Mancha (IPEX)
Cámara Oficial de Comerico de Espana en China División Guangdong
Federação Nacional das Adegas Cooperativas (FENADEGAS)
AEP-Associacao Empresarial de Portugal
aicep- Portugal Global
Italian Trade Commission
China-Italy Chamber of Commerce
Federexport Piemonte
Prochile-Trade Commission of Chile-HongKong
Cámara de Comercio e Industria Chileno-China A.G.
Intec Export Intelligence (Pty) Ltd – exective agency the dti (South Africa)
Under the circumstances of the World-wide economic crisis, the Chinese market still boasts for its fast growing rate of wine consumption. According to latest study of VINEXPO/IWSR, China’s wine consumption is estimated to be up to at least 828 million liters in 2011. So Interwine China would be the best gateway for your brand and products to enter the flourishing Chinese market.
Best regards,
Dansi
Canton Universal Fair Group LTD
Tel: 0086-020-87353891
winetochina@gmail.com
Msn:wine.canton@live.cn
Skype: dansidai
Please note:
We have no affiliation with Dansi or the Canton Universal Fair Group – but we wish them all the best with their global wine fair – good luck guys.
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Heute morgen erreichte uns eine Einladung der ‘Canton Universal Fair Group Ltd’ zu der im November stattfindenden Interwine Fair in China. Wir geben diese Einladung gerne an Sie weiter.
Lassen Sie uns doch einfach wissen, ob Sie auf dieser Messe vertreten sind (persoenlich oder durch Distributoren) – uns interessiert sehr, wie sich dieser riesige asiatische Markt entwickeln wird.
Michael Brecht
The day Australia’s East Coast turned orange
I woke up this morning at about 5:30am and when I looked out of the window, I saw the world turned orange. My initial thoughts about an apocalypse happening over Sydney was quickly corrected by the coughing of my asthmatic son. There was dust in the air – the whole of Sydney had suddenly turned orange.
Bondi Beach in orange dust
This shot was taken by a friend of mine and it shows our famous Bondi Beach at about 7am. Get this.
And Michael sent me a photo of the roof of his car, which had turned brown-orange in front of the vineyard. The clouds in the sky had helped blow the dust away in the Highlands – much healthier for everyone living up there.
Green car turns orange
A quick phone call to a winemaker confirmed: no risk for the vines – there aren’t any grapes visible yet – it is still the beginning of spring here in Australia. That is the good news of the day.
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Wir haben heute einen unglaublichen Morgenhimmel über der Ostküste Australiens erlebt. Als ich um 5:30 heute morgen aus dem Fenster blickte, da war der gesamte Himmel in orange getaucht. Nicht die Apokalypse, sondern ein Wüstensturm aus dem Inneren des Landes hatte weite Teile von NSW orange überzogen.
Es besteht allerdings keine Gefahr für die Weinreben dieser Gebiete, zu früh sind wir noch in diesem Jahr für eine wirkliche Bedrohung. Zum Glück.
Tasting of 2009 Shiraz biodynamic wines – at the Lethbridge Winery in Victoria
These are great names in Australian winemaking: Jasper Hill, M. Chapoutier, Castagna, Sorrenberg and Lethbridge – and all of these have something in common: they are all growing biodynamic Shiraz.
Biodynamic Wines in Victoria
And they are all available in one tasting taking place at Lethbridge Wines on October the 4th.
This tasting follows the theme ‘Biodynamic Shiraz around the world’.
At this event you will have the opportunity to compare a range of biodynamic Shiraz including the wines listed above.
Best is to book your seat now as the places are strictly limited: more info here.
Details of this event
Where: Lethbridge Wines, 74 Burrows Rd Lethbridge
Date: 4th October
Time: 2:00 pm
Cost: $75/person
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Sollten Sie in der Naehe des viktorianischen Lethbridge an der Great Ocean Road sein, so schauen Sie am 4. Oktober ruhig einmal bei Lethbridge Wines vorbei.
Eien Verkostung diverser biodynamischer Shiraz Weine klingt sehr verlockend, vor allem wenn die Namen Lethbridge, Sorrenberg oder Jasper Hill im Spiel sind. Bitte zuvor anmelden, denn die Plaetze sind rar.
Regional wine show results – a mistery for some
Last week Friday I went to the regional wine show in Kiama. Here a tasting panel with renowned Australian wine judges got together including winemaker Keith Tulloch as Chairman of Judges, Christian Gaffey, himself winemaker and Wine Selector as well as Judge Bryan Martin, Winemaker at famous Clonakilla & Ravensworth Wines. They gave their best comparing local wines and a selection of participants from the Southern Highlands.
Kiama Wine Show 2009
No one so far could explain to me, how wines from 700m cool climate Highlands could be compared to wines from a distinctly different climate at the South Coast in a regional show- but here you go: the mission for the judging panel was ‘make this judging work on the basis, that the wines compare on distinct ‘international wine levels”.
The results are a repeat of former years and a few big surprises to me- firstly the repeat: Coolangatta Estate won best White Wine with their 2001 Estate Semillon, a great wine without any doubt and for sure one of the outstanding Semillons in the country. Good to have a Hunter Valley expert in Keith Tulloch (his Keith Tulloch Wines are Hunter based) confirm the success of Coolangatta’s flagship again. Owner Greg Bishop was very contempt with its Semillons, he even confirmed to me that the years 2005 and 2006 looked even more promising but needed more time to develop.
The surprises came with the awards for two categories I was having a close eye on: best Red Wine and also Best Wine of the show was awarded to Southern Highlands Wines with their Cabernet Sauvignon and best Pinot Noir was scored by the 2008 Centennial Wines Pinot Noir. I tasted both of them and these results were very much to my surprise to put it mildly. I tasted at least three Pinots at the show that were far superior and had no faults.
The Centennial Pinot tasted foul, even faulty – to its credit the bottle was open for 24 hours when I tried it. Still, a wine under screwcap must hold onto its credentials for more than 24 hours. This Pinot was one I would have not cared to finish the bottle – even if I had bought it myself.
And taking into account, that the judges were asked to apply international standards in this regional show, I have no understanding for the decision to award best red wine (and best wine of the show) to a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Southern Highlands. There is simply no good Cab Sav from this region, most serious winemakers actually pull the plug on this variety these days as the Highland’s climate simply doesn’t work for Cab Savs.
To award a gold medal to the Cabernet Sauvignon from Southern Highlands Wines is an absolute disgrace for all Cab Savs from Coonawarra, McLaren Vale or Barossa, that scored less in other shows. These judges must have smoked good stuff when they made this call, sorry guys.
But this is wine judging in Australia – sometimes you have to ask yourself how these results come up. Let me put one thing straight: my opinion of no good Cab Sav from the Southern Highlands stands and if this particular winery uses grapes from other regions, than this wine shouldn’t have been entered in the regional show. A good judge should figure this out.
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In der letzten Woche war ich endlich einmal auf einer der vielen kleineren, regionalen Weinshows zu Besuch. Die regionale Wine Show in Kiama brachte in diesem Jahr neben einem wiederholten weissen Gewinner zwei dicke Ueberraschungen als bestem Wein der Show und bestem Pinot Noir. Jene beiden Entscheidungen lassen mich diese regionale Show eher ein wenig belaecheln, einer der Wine Makers vor Ort urteilte: well, there is another show next week. Den Besuch in Kiama werde ich mir naechstes Jahr allerdings schenken.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Five star Printhie’s Sauvignon Blanc wins Trophy for Best Small Vigneron in Canberra
A five star James Halliday rating in 2009 and 2010 promised to make Printhie Wines a pretty good winery to look at when I came across the results of the latest cool climate wine show in Canberra:
Printhie Wines in Orange NSW
The Sauvignon Blanc is a bit of a landmark for Printhie wines - 15 wines they serve in total at their cellar door close to Orange in NSW. While harvesting this year, the juice required little fining or acidification prior to fermentation. Winemaker Drew Tuckwell explains that "selected commercial yeasts were used for fermentation to highlight fruit purity and maintain a clean aromatic profile". He uses stainless steel tanks for fermentation exclusively to retain the aromatic intensity and complexity of the wine and filters the wine immediately after fermentation and bottles it early to capture it in its freshest state.
I find the bouquet quite intense and full of grapefruit and lime, the palate offers generous fruit flavours supported by lively acidity. The wine has a great length and persistence with a dry finish, great with the fish and aspargus we are having tonight.
Winemaker Drew Tuckwell spent several years in Europe and after four years in Adelaide and vintage work with Wirra Wirra Vineyard in McLaren Vale, he settled in Mudgee NSW to start playing with Italian varieties like Sangiovese, Barbera and Pinot Grigio, as well as the more traditional varieties such as Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet.
Today this is a great combination: the cool climate Orange region with its arguably not very cool climate hot summer days, a family owned winery with enough capacity to try out things and a winemaker who has learned the trade at famous other places – Printhie Wines is a winery to watch out for and I really liked their 2009 Sauvignon Blanc – well deserved its win in Canberra a few days ago.
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Printhie Wines hat vor wenigen Tagen die Trophaee des besten Weines kleiner Produzenten in Canberra gewonnen. Der Sauvignon Blanc ist ein herrlich fruchtiger Vertreter seiner Zunft, erstaunlich hierbei dass zwischen Gewinn des Preises und der Ernte der Trauben gerade einmal 11 Wochen gelegen haben.
Ein wunderbarer Vertreter seiner australischen Sav Blanc Zunft – ich geniesse den Printhie Wein zu einem gegrillten Lachs auf Spargel an einem dieser ersten Fruehlingstage hier in Australien 2009. Einfach herrlich.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Spring time is Pinot Gris time
The weather here Down Under has changed: it is spring and we experienced temperatures in the late 20s the whole of last week. Time to check the latest whites, I started with a Pinot Gris from Southern Highland’s Cuttaway Hill Estate.
Cool climate Pinot Gris 
This cool climate producer has brought out the 2008 Pinot Gris a few days ago – the new labels promise a classy version of this subdued variety. The wine opens up in a slightly golden colour, an even vintage with cool nights and warm days during ripening helped the wines gain a strong varietal character and complexity.
I like its balance and longevity, my initial fears of a white with 14.5% – hence a super alcoholic – Pinot Gris are not confirmed. The alcohol level is finely balanced with a complex palate of citrus and pear. Its broad finish is balanced by crisp acidity – great style.
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Es wird Fruehling hier in Australien und damit Zeit, einen der cool climate Pinot Gris auszuprobieren.
Der 2008 Cuttaway Hill Estate Pinot Gris ist ein starker Vertreter dieser neuen Klasse, ich geniesse seine komplexe Struktur nach Zitrus und Birne schmeckend. Sein Saeuregehalt ist durchaus angenehm, die Laenge fuer einen cool climate Wein erstaunlich.
Ein wirklich gelungener Vertreter der australischen Pinot Gris Generation.
Australian Trade Commission in Frankfurt – export help for Australian businesses
In der vergangenen Woche hatte ich das Vergnügen Annette Horn kennenzulernen. Sie ist Business Development Managerin der Australian Trade Commission und arbeitet im 28. Stock eines Frankfurter Büroturms. Austrade hilft als Teil der australischen Regierung Unternehmen u.a. auf dem Weg ins Ausland.
Blick aus der Australian Trade Commission in Frankfurt
Unter dem Namen Australienweine promotet Austrade australische Weine und Weinregionen im deutschsprachigen Markt, hier finden sich interessante Informationen rund um das Thema Wein aus Down Under. Die Seite ist ganz gut gemacht, hier finden Sie immer wieder updates zu australischen Veranstaltungen im deutschsprachigen Raum.
Wir haben in unserem Gespräch einige interessante Themen verabschiedet und ich freue mich zukünftig mit der Australian Trade Commission zusammenarbeiten zu können.
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I am currently traveling Europe and had the pleasure of meeting Annette Horn, Business Development Manager of the Australian Trade Commission in Frankfurt.
Austrade plays a vital role in supporting Australian businesses abroad. We had a great chat and will continue to work together in Germany and beyond.
Michael Brecht
