Archive for May, 2010
Wine Storage @Home – zu Besuch in einem privaten Weinkeller
Heute nehmen wir erstmals unsere Flip Video Kamera mit in einen privaten Weinkeller.
Im Rahmen unserer Serie ‘how do we store our wines’ besuchen wir einen guten Freund von mir und entdecken eine gut sortierte Auswahl an Weinen aus alter und neuer Welt. Neben den Klassikern aus Frankreich, Italien und auch diversen deutschen Regionen, finden sich in seinem Keller zwei australische Weine.
Der 2008 Belgravia Shiraz Viognier ist ein sehr schöner Wein aus ‘cool climate’ Orange und direkt daneben stehen diverse Kisten an d’Arenberg’s The Stump Jump Chardonnay. Letzterer ist ein prima Einstiegs-Quoffa, so wie die Australier einen Weissen nennen, den man quasi täglich bei wärmeren Temperaturen geniessen kann.
Da fehlt jetzt eigentlich nur noch das warme Wetter hier in Deutschland im Mai.
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I am here to take my small video camera to a friends place to see how he stores his wines.
Next to a nice collection of French, Italian and German wines I stumble across a few dozen of 08 Belgravia Shiraz Viognier from Orange and d’Arenberg’s Stump Jump Chardonnay. A summer quoffa in this wine cellar in Germany – nice one – we just need the sunshine, please.
Michael Brecht
Foster’s räumt in seinem US Geschäft auf – signs distribution agreement
Foster’s Wine Estates (Americas) announced today it has signed long-term distribution agreements with The Charmer Sunbelt Group, becoming effective from 1st of July this year. Charmer Sunbelt will gain the exclusive rights to sell Foster’s portfolio of wines on the East Coast, in New York, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Foster's Group Headoffice in Melbourne
Foster’s Group claims that the agreements mark the first phase of a US Route-to-Market initiative launched upon the completion of the Wine Strategic Review in February last year. Downunder Wines brought a long post on this subject.
“We are aligning with distributors who share our growth vision,” said Foster’s Americas Managing Director Stephen Brauer.
“Charmer Sunbelt has the capabilities and commitment in these key markets to grow our core brands, build our luxury portfolio and partner with us in bringing new, innovative brands and ways of working to the market,” he added in a press statement yesterday.
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Die amerikanische Tochter der Foster’s Gruppe aus Melbourne hat in den USA einen langfristigen Distributionsdeal mit der US amerikanischen Charmer Sunbelt Gruppe geschlossen. Ein solcher Abschluss war im Rahmen des im letzten Jahr beschlossenen Strategiewechsels erwartet worden.
Charmer Sunbelt, die ursprünglich aus den beiden Unternehmen Charmer Industries and Sunbelt Beverage Corporation hervorgegangen ist, weist eine starke Präsenz im ‘Wine und Spirits’ Umfeld an der Ostküste auf.
Dementsprechend setzt Foster’s jetzt auf die Kooperation und hofft, dass seine australischen Marken jetzt mit Hochdruck an den amerikanischen Konsumenten gebracht werden. Wir sind gespannt.
Michael Brecht
Shiraz Viognier aus dem Barossa Valley – a 2006 Yalumba tasted by my German friend Ina
Eine Mission geht auf: Meine Freundin Ina aus Deutschland besucht mich in Adelaide und ehe sie sich versieht, landet sie in ihrer ersten Weinprobe in den Adelaide Hills – und ist sofort begeistert. Deswegen habe ich Ina auch in den nächsten Tagen auf mehrere Weingüter – unter anderem dem Yalumba – im Barossa Valley mitgenommen. Yalumba ist übrigens das älteste Weingut Australiens, welches sich noch im Familienbesitz befindet.
Wines from South Australia
Und sechs Wochen später, um am letzten Abend den Sonnenuntergang vom Mount Lofty mit Blick auf Adelaide und das Meer zu genießen, hat Ina den passenden Wein ausgesucht: einen Shiraz – Viognier, Jahrgang 2006 von Yalumba.
Ein trockner, fast herber Rotwein mit guten 14 % Alkohol. Ohne die 5% Viognier Trauben wäre es mit Sicherheit ein Shiraz mit schwerem Fundament, der irgendwie eine Assoziation mit dem Gründer von Yalumba hervorruft. Mr. Samuel Smith schaut mit einem gewissen Ernst von seinem Ölgemälde wachsam auf die Weintester herab.
Ina findet aber, dass der Viognier diesem Wein einen eleganten, federnden fast leichten Gang verpasst. Sein Geschmack nach schwarzem Pfeffer, getrockneten Feigen, dunklem Kakao, Walnüssen und schwarzen Johannesbeeren ist vielleicht die beste Zusammenfassung für ihre beeindruckende Reise quer durch Australien.
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My friend Ina came to visit me from Germany and I am on a mission to make her enthusiastic about Australian wine. Well, that wasn’t too hard. After six weeks of travelling and tasting we are celebrating Ina’s last night in Australia with a Yalumba Shiraz-Viognier 2006 which Ina choose herself after a great tasting experiences in the Barossa Valley.
We both like the little bit of fineness that the Viognier adds to this rather full-bodied wine. Ina describes the taste as black pepper, dried figs, walnuts, cacao and black currant.
Hunter Valley und Mornington Peninsula – zwei Weingegenden DownUnder zukünftig gemeinsam unterwegs
Ich habe vor wenigen Tagen mit Scott Clarke gesprochen, er ist Business Development Manager der Inwinegroup und berichtet uns über den Merger der beiden privaten Weingüter Red Hill Estate aus Victoria und Arrowfield Estate aus dem Hunter Valley in NSW.
The views on the Mornington Peninsula
Hi Scott, thanks for joining us, we really would like to get some good insight into the merger between Victorian Red Hill Estate and Arrowfield Estate from the famous Hunter Valley.
downunderwines: How did the merger between Arrowfield and Red Hill work?
Scott: Prior to the merger, Arrowfield operated a fully owned subsidiary distribution business, Inwine, which featured additional wines from premium Australian wine growing regions. The initial discussion with Red Hill Estate was on a distribution basis but it was soon discovered that there were synergies between the two companies. Discussion then headed in that direction with the final merger in late 2006.
downunderwines: How do you work together being in two very different wine regions in Australia?
Scott: One of the strengths of the working relationship is that we have maintained the independence of both production facilities. As both wineries have remained independent they continue to focus on producing the best wines possible from their respective regions. From a portfolio point of view the wines are complimentary to each other with little conflict.
downunderwines: What were the surprises after the merger when making wines?
Scott: I think the greatest surprise to us was the way the wineries did not impact on each other. If we separate production and trade, the merger has more impact on trading than production per se.
downunderwines: Exporting into Europe: any major differences between the two?
Scott: Both entities have had experiences in trading in Europe prior to the merger. We now approach the EU as a blank canvas with one combined portfolio.
downunderwines: Current releases: 06 Arrowfield Estate Shiraz: what do you like specifically about this wine?
Scott: What I like about the 06 AE Shiraz: It is a great food wine, has nice savoury characters with good tannin and acid structure. The wine is subtle and elegant so it doesn’t overpower the food.
downunderwines: 08 Pinot Noir from Red Hill: any special news?
Scott: The 2008 vintage was characterised by favorable growing conditions, an early start and above average yields. A mild February enhanced aromatic characters and a hot week in March increased sugar levels but did not seem to be deleterious to primary fruit flavours. These conditions resulted in opulent wines with distinctive aromatics.
downunderwines: Exporting into Europe: what are the risks, why do you do it?
Scott: Our global strategy has been market by market or “bite sized pieces”. We have recently completed our successful market roll-outs in the USA, Ireland and Northern Ireland and the time has come to focus on the EU. Naturally with all export there are risks associated and it is the role of the exporter to minimize those risks where possible. Distance is a major setback exporting Australian wine to Europe as we do not have the luxury of easily “eyeballing” our prospective importer, nor they “eyeballing” us. We can not hop on a short flight to Germany to meet with an importer, this takes a full day’s travel at significant expense. Why do it? Sometimes I ask myself that, then I remember whose job it is and I know why! In all honesty our domestic market is so competitive and dominated by the major wine companies that international expansion is essential for the survival of all wine producers over 20,000 cases.
downunderwines: The German wine drinker: what do you know, expect, what would be different?
Scott: My understanding of the German wine drinker is that they are a lot more adventurous than their more conservative Italian or French cousins. It is this spirit of adventure that makes the German wine drinker more likely to approach a new world wine and historically Australian wines have performed well in Germany.
downunderwines: And finally, please let us know what your favourite wine in your portfolio is?
Scott: As a Hunter Valley lad born and bred, I like the wines from the Hunter Valley. The Arrowfield Estate Show Reserve Chardonnay, Semillon and Shiraz appeal most to my palate. Having said that; if I were to be eating my favourite food, duck, then the wines from the Hunter would not be the best match and I would need to drink a lovely Red Hill Estate Pinot Noir of which I am also fond.
downunderwines: And what is your favourite wine overall?
Scott: I tend to lean more towards fuller bodied red wines that reflect the characteristics of their regions. I am also influenced by occasion, company and cuisine. That being said it is certainly a matter of the right wine with the right food according to my guidelines or “rules of engagement”. Once that match is made correctly some wines take on a new personality and I immediately enjoy them.
downunderwines: Any German wine you like?
Scott: I really enjoy the Mosel Riesling, especially those made by JJ Prum from the Sonnenuhr vineyard: purity, focus and precision.
Scott, thank you very much for your time and we wish you the best of luck on your European endeavours.
Michael Brecht
Western Australian Galafrey Wines unwrapped
Dank Australia Post, DHL, UPS, Fedex oder Hermes erhalten wir in Deutschland wöchentlich ‘Nachschub’ aus dem fernen Australien.
So geschehen am vergangenen Freitag, als eine Lieferung von Testweinen der Galafrey Wines von Mount Barker in Western Australia eintraf. Auch hier gilt wieder: erst müssen die Weine für ein paar Tage zur ‘Beruhigung’ in den Weinkeller, erst dann werden sie zwecks Test geöffnet.
Dieser Job ist ein wirklich harter – auch wenn mich meine Bekannten in dieser Hinsicht nicht richtig verstehen wollen …
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This Video shows the unwrapping of six bottles of wine from Western Australian producer Galafrey Wines.
Galafrey is situated at Mount Barker, right on the southern coastline of Western Australia. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the standouts, though I am looking forward to taste the 2004 Shiraz as well.
Thanks Kim for sending us these samples, they will get their deserved rest for a few days before being tasted.
It is a tough job to keep up with all these wines, let me tell you!
Michael Brecht
Australische Winzer atmen auf – government decides against Henry recommendation
The Australian wine industry took a deep breath at the beginning of this week when the tax review was announced.
At a time of a record wine surpluses, decreased export volumes and values, and the continuing domination of domestic sales by supermarkets, the Australian government decided to not change how wine is taxed and not to remove the rebate for small producers.
Winemakers' Federation Australia
After much hand wringing, gossip, speculation, lobbying and worrying, there was a collective sigh of relief from many family owned wineries across Australia on Sunday afternoon. The Australian Government’s decision to keep the status quo and not support the Henry Tax review recommendations, in regard to wine taxes, was warmly received across the Australian wine industry.
But what was the Henry report recommending in particular for alcohol taxes: Henry recommended a flat rate based on the present beer rate as an index starting point and allowing a 1.15% initial exemption.
The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) modelling highlighted that such a scenario would have resulted in:
• 95% of wine increasing in price
• Sales would fall by 34%
• Reduction in vineyard area in Australia of 29,000 hectares
• Job losses of 12,000 including small producers forced out of business due to loss of WET rebate
• Adverse grape grower impact concentrated on the inland irrigated regions in SA, Victoria and NSW
“Most of those jobs would be in regional areas where wineries are crucial contributors to tourism
and thus to economic development,” claimed Mr Strachan WFA’s chief executive. He said support for the existing wine tax system recognised the reality that wine was different from other forms of alcohol in the way it was produced, marketed and consumed.
“Wine is usually drunk in moderation by older adults and most commonly with food,” he said. “It would be ridiculous to make ordinary Australians pay up to four times more to enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner because we are concerned about binge drinking.
The much mooted Henry Tax Review for Australia, included a reshaping of wine taxes to a volumetric system and the abolition of rebates for small wine producers. If the government had decided to support the recommendations cheaper wines would have seen large price increases for cask and bottled wines and smaller boutique producers losing important rebates which are keeping many wineries afloat in these challenging times across the wine world.
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Die vielen australischen Boutique Winzer können aufatmen. Anfang der Woche verwarf die australische Regierung einen Vorschlag der sog. Henry Kommission, das Steuersystem auf Weine dem der Bierproduzenten anzugleichen.
Kleine, zumeist familiengeführte Winzer geniessen heute in Down Under Vorteile in der Besteuerung, die sog. Wine Equalisation Tax erlaubt Freimengen für produzierte Weine, bevor eine Alkoholsteuer zu greifen beginnt. Ein solches System durch ein volumenorientiertes System (wie heute beim Bier angewendet) zu ersetzen, wie es die Henry Kommission vorgeschlagen hatte, hätte fuer die kleinen Winzer fatale Folgen gehabt. Und das gerade in diesen schwierigen Zeiten von Überproduktion, starkem Australischen Dollar und Verdrängungswettbewerb durch die grösseren Produzenten.
Aus unserer Sicht eine gute Entscheidung der Regierung – zumal der Konsument gerade heute die vielen kleineren Winzer so richtig beginnt zu entdecken.
Michael Brecht
My Hunter experience – Brett aus Sydney schreibt uns von seiner privaten Hunter Valley Winetour
G’day Michael,
I thought that you might be interested in hearing a few details about my wine weekend in the Hunter Valley. It was a damned successful weekend I must say, I purchased way too much wine, became a member of the Ernest Hill club, and showed a few friends who had never been some of my regular haunts while checking out one or two new ones. Here are the wineries I thought worthwhile mentioning to you:
Arrowfield Winery im Hunter Valley
Ernest Hill: Perhaps I should have stopped right here… maybe its been too long between wine trips or…? I don’t know, at any rate I really enjoyed every wine presented here… and ended up easily filling a case for myself. Club prices are great (15-30% off), looking forward to taking advantage of this and the free “member” antipasto plate with future tastings!
Keith Tulloch: mostly over priced nonsense. $50 Shiraz? Nice – but not that really nice. Semillon heading to the cellar for a few years. Great venue though, beautiful veranda and outlook plus table service, fantastic!
Audrey Wilkinson: ahh what a great venue for some great wine. I’ve been here a few times before, but this time it grabbed me and ended up buying quite a bit.
Tamburlane: Couldn’t go past the Late Harvest Riesling. So smooth. Must learn to say no to desert wines. Always something a little unique here, but perhaps not quite enough to justify a big spend when there is better on offer.
McGuigan: Why do I bother? Seriously.
Iron Gate: They were glad they let us hang around for a few minutes after they started closing up (we arrived at 4pm on the dot) – let me tell you it was not hard to get to the “12 bottles” requirement for the old “+1 bottle” deal. One of my Hunter Valley top 3. Some great, unique stuff. Glad they had the chocolate cake once again.
Tinklers: Mr. Tinkler came in from mowing the lawn for us for a post 4:30pm visit, very nice of him. Love Tinklers – great boutique atmosphere and great wine. Still have a few in the cellar though, so I didn’t go too nuts here – just some dessert wines to round out my selections already!
Mistletoe: Some great stuff here at this “Twilight tasting” venue (handy to know when everywhere else is closing). Cab Merlot offering really great value for $20. Ended up being consumed the next evening over some Italian veal – very nice.
Anyway that’s a quick run down, cheers Brett.
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Keith Tulloch Winemaker Hunter Valley
Heute schreibt uns Brett von einem Wochenende im berühmten Hunter Valley, gerade einmal 2,5 Stunden von Sydney entfernt gelegen. Brett ist ein alter Bekannter aus Sydney, der gerne mit Freunden in Weingegenden fährt und dort die ‘Cellar Doors’ aufsucht.
Zusammengefasst hat er ziemlich unterschiedliche Wineries gesehen und Weine probiert bei seinem Besuch vor wenigen Wochen: enttäuschend verlief sein Besuch bei Keith Tulloch, das trifft sich mit Michael’s Erfahrungen, zuletzt hatte er Keith als reichlich arroganten Wine Judge bei einem regional tasting in NSW getroffen.
Die Favoriten von Brett sind die kleineren, sehr persönlich geführten Weingüter im Hunter – hier macht es auch nichts aus, auch mal nach der offiziellen Schliesszeit einzutreffen, auch wenn der Eigentümer bereits auf dem Rasenmäher sitzt, um den Garten auf Vordermann zu bringen.
Es ist diese persönliche Betreuung, die in den vielen Boutique Wineries ihren Besuch so einzigartig werden lässt. Australian Boutique Wineries at their best – willkommen im Land der exklusiven Weine.
Michael Brecht
Deutsche Jung Sommeliere empfiehlt Cabernet Sauvignon aus Coonawarra
In dieser Woche habe ich Silja Schmid kennen gelernt, sie ist Jung – Sommelière in einem wundervollen Schloß im Allgäu und als solche natürlich ein sehr erfahrener Gesprächspartner, was die Trinkgewohnheiten ihrer Gäste angeht.
Silja ist gerade einmal 24 Jahre alt, hat ihre Hotelfach- und Sommelierausbildung in Deutschland und Frankreich absolviert und schwärmt von australischen Rotweinen.
Ein 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon aus dem South Australian Connawarra hat es ihr besonders angetan. Der John Riddoch von Wynns Connawarra Estate ist ein sensationeller Wein, er ist nur acht Jahre jünger als meine Gesprächspartnerin und wird von den Top 1% der Cabernet Sauvignon Trauben bei Wynns produziert.
Der tief dunkelrote Wein zeigt sofort seine kräftigen Aromen von Wildbeeren, Schokolade und Minze, um den Vergleich nach Frankreich zu führen, so hatte ich den Eindruck einen Cassis zu riechen. Der vollmundige Wein mit einem starken, langen sehr weichen Abgang war mit seinen 16 Jahren in einem erstklassigen Zustand.
Doch sehen Sie selbst, was unsere junge Sommlière dazu zu sagen hat:
Ich selbst hatte einen John Riddoch aus dem Jahr 1996 bereits in Australien probiert, hier der Bericht dazu.
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I had the pleasure of interviewing Silja Schmid, young sommeliere in South Bavaria, last week.
She raved about the 1994 John Riddoch Cab Sav from Wynns Connawarra Estate. They claim, that the John Riddoch is the definitive Cabernet Sauvignon of Wynns Coonawarra Estate – produced from the top 1% of available Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and then only in the years when grapes of extraordinarily high quality are available. A great wine, even after 16 years – we decantered the bottle and filtered it, as the cork completely broke when openening the bottle.
A very dark colour with a rich, ripe and complex bouquet present a voluptuous infusion of red berry, chocolate, mint, and cassis-like Cabernet aromas merging with lifted, spicy new oak. The wine came along as full-bodied with persistent and mouth-filling ripe berry flavour and excellent structure. I have to admit, that this Cab Sav was a real highlight for this evening.
Michael Brecht
