THREE LEGENDS OF THE VINE - August 2008

History and fashion are two sides of the coin of the wine business. Many of those in today's rapidly expanding wine industry have been attracted by its apparent "glamour" and "lifestyle". They are often unaware of its traditions and the extraordinary contributions made by an older generation, many of whom are still active in the wine business but no longer in the limelight. Believing that our wine industry history and the lessons it holds need to be remembered, the WCA decided some years ago to introduce: The Legends of the Vine - an opportunity for a new generation to meet and share in the wisdom and reminiscences of legendary individuals who have played a notable role in making the Australian wine business the vigorous and varied success it is today.

The 2008 Legends evening saw WCA President Darren Jahn interview Mick Morris (Morris of Rutherglen) David Farmer (Farmer Bros, now Glug) and Bill Pannell (Moss Wood, Picardy) in the presence of a full-house turnout of WCA members and guests at Pink Salt restaurant in Double Bay. It could not have been a livelier and illuminating evening. Mick Morris spoke modestly about the past, encouragingly about the future and of Australia's unique, world-beating Muscats and Tokays. David Farmer shared some of the triumphs and scandals of what was once described as "the greatest fine wine retailer in the southern hemisphere" and Bill Pannell spoke of the personal inspiration he received from his peers and mentors to found two of West Australia's most notable wine companies.

Having received considerable positive feedback about the event, your committee is planning the 2009 Legends of the Vine event to be held in the same format – over dinner once again.

IS TASMANIA AUSTRALIA'S HOME OF PINOT NOIR - May 2008

The Pinot Noir category continues to show very strong interest from both consumers and trade and it is the fastest growing red category growing at 29% MAT at the end of April 08 (Nielsen April 08). Its popularity was supported when both Julian Alcorso (Winemaking Tasmania) and Andrew Pirie (Pirie Estate, Pirie South & Tamar Ridge) presented just how far Tasmania has come in the quality end of Pinot Noir in Australia, in sold out events in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Led by panel chairs, Nick Stock in Melbourne & Huon Hooke in Sydney, both Julian and Andrew discussed and tasted their way through twelve wines, six from Tasmania, one each from Mornington, the Yarra and the Adelaide Hills, two from New Zealand and one wine from Burgundy. The clear favourites of both tastings were the same two Tasmanian wines. It highlighted, in a very strong line up, just how far Tasmania has come. Both presenters noted that increased focus on clonal selection, site selection and investments in vineyards had led to higher quality, however identified that Tasmania is still challenged when it comes to production and supply as so many of the wines are from smaller producers. It was clear that with increasing vineyard investment in Tasmania and the threat of global warming that this is not the last we will hear of Tasmania and its wonderful Pinot Noirs.

FELLOWSHIP PRESENTTION - May 2008

Our 2007 Fellowship recipients Professor Larry Lockshin and David Knott from the University of South Australia previewed the findings of their research titled “Boozing or Branding? Measuring the Effect of Free Samples at Wine Shops.” For retailers and marketers there were some clear implications to take on board when conducting in store tastings.

Lockshin and Knott reported that when tastings are conducted effectively sales can increase fourfold and by offering one brand exclusively there is a greater sales impact than sampling a collective group of wines with a common theme. Whilst some purchases may not be immediate on the day of the tasting, the call back responses showed that consumers often bought a short time after the tasting so longer term brand awareness was an added benefit.

For a sneak preview of the other findings download the slides, or look out for the full edition exclusively in June WBM Magazine.– HTTP://www.awbm.com.au. The findings are a must for anyone conducting in store tastings. A full copy of the final report will also be available on the WCA website from 1 July 2008.

Download a copy of the Boozing or Branding slides here

CLIMATE CHANGE - April 2008

Dr Richard Smart presented the topic of Climate Change - its effect on Australian wine production, the wine trade and wine consumers. Richard detailed the callenging and confronting implications of changes already well under way in grape growing regions around the world. For those companies and regions willing to respond early to these changes, his message was one of qualified optimism.

However, he noted that the innovation, experimentation and adaptability which underpinned Australian wine's export successes seemed to be absent in the face of the climate challenge. He cited examples of innovative strategic responses already made by large New Zealand and Spanish companies which have no parallels in an apparently complacent Australian wine industry, where special interest groups often secure research funding for peripheral projects.

CONSUMER SNAPSHOTS - March 2008

This month the WCA held a double first - its first meeting under our new WCA banner and the first meeting in Melbourne. The occasion was our annual Consumer Insights event "The Australian Wine Consumer in 2008 - An insight into their behaviour, purchasing habits and how to invite closer consumer engagement with your brand." The presenters were Michael Walton, Director of Nielsen Liquor Services; Monica Gessner / Trish Kelliher, Account Services Directors of Roy Morgan Research and Rebecca Geer, Strategy Planner of Passport DSN Pty. Ltd.

Walton and Gessner/Kelliher presented updates on the current brand, distribution and consumption trends in the Australian wine market. They showed that the Australian wine market is changing at a faster rate and in areas markedly different from much of the wine industry's current 'received wisdom'. Geer presented an innovative approach to new product development and brand building through Open Source marketing. The quality and depth of this annual presentation has made it one of the highlights of the WCA calendar. Copies of the presentations can be viewed below.

Michael Walton - Nielsen

Click on the above heading to download the slides on Australian Wine Market Insights - Surveying the Key Trends shaping the Australian Off-Premise Wine Market

Monica Gessner / Trish Kelliher - Roy Morgan Research

Click on this heading to download the slides on the State of the Nation and the impact on Wine Consumption

Rebecca Geer - Passport

Click on this heading to download the slides on insights into Open Source Marketing

Transcript

Click on this heading to download the full transcript of the Consumer Insights event

SYDNEY ROYAL WINE SHOW LUNCHEON - February 2008

The 2008 Wine Press Club Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show Trophy Winners Lunch has been hailed a tremendous success from one and all and we would like to greatly thank everyone who attended. In its second year at Star City with a record number of attendees - just over 450, our sincere thanks to the entire team at Star City for their incredible support of the event which we are proud to announce will continue there in the future.

Click here to read Tom Cannavan's speach at the SRWS

AGM, ANNUAL LECTURE & PRESIDENT'S DINNER - October 2007

Mike Paul's WPC Annual Lecture was well received at our October 2007 event. He issued a wake up call for Australian wine producers: "Australia needs to become a bit more edgy.....It needs an injection of personality, of irrationality" and should be less obsessed at the premium level with replicating the Old World in order to make significant headway in what is a much more difficult market for Australian wine.

Read our media release here

Click here to download Mike Paul's full paper

The AGM and President's Dinner book ended the lecture and were once again very well attended. Despite some hearty discussion over formalities, the proposal to change our name was well-received and there was some hearty debate about utilising club funds. Darren Jahn's President's Dinner was a terrific affair with wine options led by Huon Hooke, and wine chat from James Halliday and the announcement of the 2008 Young Guns.

Read the President's report here.

ALCOHOL AND BALANCE IN RED WINES - July 2007

A tasting, discussion and dinner around the concept of alcohol levels and the definition of balance in red wines was held at Stuart Knox's terrific 'fix st james' restaurant in the city. Angus Hughson was joined by Steve Webber and Reid Bosward as we chewed over this vexing and polarising topic.

Click on the above heading to download the transcript of this event.

MARKETING WINE IN THE 21ST CENTURY - May 2007

We gathered a panel of five fascinating speakers for a range of insightful presentations and a short forum discussion on the latest and most effective methods of marketing wine. Communication, technology and passion for the product were some of the main themes and each speaker touched on some useful reminders for all of us to consider. We've recorded and transcribed the evening into what is a rather long document but it's worth the read. Speakers comprised: Phil Sexton, Mark Kehoe, Bert Werden, Sam Willard and Sparky Marquis.

Click here to download the full transcript

INTERNATIONAL WINES - AUSTRALIA'S MOST DYNAMIC MARKET SECTOR - March 2007

Our March 2007 event was indeed thought provoking. Over 100 members and guests attended a fascinating presentation and discussion of the growth in imported wines and the changing Australian palate. Speakers David Le Mire (Negotiants Australia); Nick Hildebrandt (Bentley Restaurant and Bar) and Grant Ramage (Coles Liquor Group) provided fascinating insight and comment on their various sectors and generally agreed that the growth is being led by Champagne, NZ sauvignon blanc and under $35 retail table wines from France and Italy. Pinot Grigio and Rose were singled out as having great volume potential. They presented an interesting array of wines to illustrate their points, and we're grateful to the importers for their support in the supply of those.

Click here to download article by Huon Hooke in SMH Good Living

AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS - February 2007

The winners of the Saltram Australian Wine Communicator and WINE Magazine New Writer Awards were announced at this year’s Wine Show Lunch. Campbell Mattinson, in accepting the Saltram Award, was so grateful as to be close to tears, not to mention our Patron and Judge James Halliday as he read an excerpt from Campbell’s outstanding book ‘The Wine Hunter’. There was barely a dry eye in the house. The winner of the New Writer Award, Kerri Thompson, was unfortunately busy, mid-vintage, in her home town of Clare. Our hearty congratulations go to both of them.

Click here for the Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award 2006 media release

SYDNEY ROYAL WINE SHOW TROPHY WINNERS LUNCH FEB 2007

This year’s Lunch was by all accounts a resounding success. With attendance back into positive growth for the first time in years (up 15%) the feedback about the smart Star City venue, food and sound system was overwhelmingly positive and the throngs that headed upstairs to Astral loved the social catch up on the roof top. The gods were kind and gave us an unusually pleasant February day. Naturally, the trophy winning wines were the stars, with Chairman of Judges James Halliday noting that finally some Chardonnays shone through.

Visit
http://www.sydneyroyalshows.com/WDFF/WineResultsDisplay3.aspx?TO=1&SY=2007 for the full trophy results.

THE WINES THAT DEFINE AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 2006

The Wine Press Club held its final function for the year at Astral, Star City Casino, on 21st November. The evening began with complimentary drinks and a tribute to Club patron Len Evans, who passed away in August. As Darren Jahn, President, said: “Len was our first and only patron, and for most of our 28 years of existence.” Darren went on to detail Len’s life and contribution to the wine industry, and announced that the Club will be making a sizeable donation to St Vincent’s Hospital in Len’s honour. He also revealed that wine luminary James Halliday will step into the role of Patron.

The main event of the evening was Jeni Port’s tasting and presentation of the Wines That Define Australia. In 2005, Jeni’s editor at The Age had asked her to list six wines which best represented Australia. In her final piece, reprinted in the Sydney Morning Herald, Jeni listed another four wines she thought were also worthy contenders.

Her choices were:

Grosset Riesling *
[yellow tail] * Chardonnay
Freycinet Pinot Noir *
Mount Mary Quintet Cabernets *
Penfolds Grange *
Morris Old Premium Liqueur Muscat *
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay
Tahbilk Marsanne
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon
Yalumba ‘The Signature’ Cabernet Shiraz
* first six selection

Jeni’s choices generated plenty of debate, with people arguing for and against the inclusion of particular wines and styles. Jeni strongly and articulately defended her choices, making for a thought-provoking evening. The tasting was held at the award-winning Astral restaurant, at Sydney’s Star City Casino, a venue notable not only for its spectacular harbour view, but also for the outstanding inventiveness and quality of chef Sean Connolly’s cuisine. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and insightful night, and a great way to end the year.

FAULTY OR FABULOUS - OCTOBER 2006

Does the yeast Brettanomyces make wines faulty or fabulous? We invited Australia's foremost authority on the subject, the AWRI's Peter Godden, to tell us all about it over a quickie pasta lunch at Pazzo in Surry Hills.

He brought along wine spiked with varying degrees of Brett, and talked us through them, in tandem with wine merchant Jon Osbeiston. Participants quickly became experts in the art of spotting Brett idicators - the odours of band-aids, cloves and horses. Peter concluded his address by saying the ongoing aim of his Brett research is to enable winemakers to allow or eliminate Brett at will.

AGM, ANNUAL LECTURE & PRESIDENT'S DINNER - AUGUST 06

America's Dan Berger, our first international guest, delivered the fourth annual WPC Lecture at the ANMM on Wednesday August 9. Preceded by our AGM and followed by the President's Dinner, Berger's lecture was very well received, some say our best yet. He made some provocative remarks relating to the topic "The quality or the critter? Australian wines and the American palate". View the media release for a summary of his presentation or the full paper for his in-depth comments.

Darren Jahn's President's Dinner featured an outstanding array of regional Australian wines selected by Darren and commented upon by Berger. Nick Bulleid MW conducted an options game around a controversial wine also put on by Darren - the $1.99 Dan Murphy's cleanskin 2006 unwooded chardonnay - which most of the room assumed to be a pinot gris/grigio. Needless to say, nobody won. The dinner wines were either donated or provided at a heavily subsidised price and we thank the wineries for their genorosity:
Arras Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2000, Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2005, Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2003, Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2004, Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2004 and 1998, Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2004 and Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut 2005.

Click on Dan's image to download the full paper.

Click here to download the Media Release

LEGENDS OF THE VINE

On the eve of Wine Australia, the Wine Press Club brought together three of Australia’s greatest wine legends—Len Evans, Chris Hancock and Sir James Hardy—for an armchair discussion about their contribution to the industry.

ABC Radio’s Simon Marnie was the presenter, and the conversation ranged from Len Evans’ arrival in Australia to Chris Hancock’s pithy observations on Rosemount to Sir James’s thoughts on the contributions big companies can make to the industry.

The event, held at the Australian Maritime Museum, was recorded on film for posterity. It was a great success and will be the first in a Legends of the Vines series.

CONSUMER SNAPSHOT

Our 2006 Consumer Snapshot event was once again well attended and extremely informative. Matt Knight from AC Nielsen and Sandra Przibilla from NILWA presented some fascinating and at times surprising insights into consumer behavour. Click on their names for a copy of their powerpoint presentations.

Matt Knight - ACNielsen

Sandra Przibilla - NILWA

Click here for Sue Bennett's article

This is a comprehensive summary of the presentation, published in the Daily Telegraph's Food and Wine section.

SHOW ME THE CHARDONNAY - April 2006

By all accounts this was an outstanding event. James Halliday has written a terrific article on the tasting that will be published in the Weekend Australian and we certainly couldn't write a better review ourselves.
Click on the above heading to download James' Article.

and Click here for the Tasting Results

SALTRAM AUSTRALIAN WINE COMMUNICATOR AWARD 2005

The Presentation Dinner for the Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award 2005 was held at Bilson's, Sydney on Thursday March 30th. The evening began with a glass of Champagne Lanson, followed by an outstanding array of Saltram wines matched with Tony Bilson's superb food. The event was emceed by Sydney radio personality Simon Marnie.

We're pleased to announce that James Halliday has won the 2005 Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award for his 2006 Australian Wine Companion. As judge Jancis Robinson remarked, "That it is the work of one person is almost incredible".

James was one of three finalists, the other two being last year's winner Campbell Mattinson, and wine writer Jane Adams. The work of all three demonstrates integrity, knowledge and passion, and the ability to communicate their love of wine to a wider audience and we congratulate them.

Click here to download a copy of the media release

2006 SYDNEY ROYAL WINE SHOW TROPHY LUNCHEON

The Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show on Friday, 17 February 2006, was one of the best-attended events ever held by the Wine Presss Club. This year's speakers included James Halliday, the Chairman of Judges, and special guest Matthew Jukes, the influential UK wine writer. The talks were throught-provoking, with Jukes call on NSW restaurateurs to stock the wines of their own state. To see his full speech, click on the above heading.

2006 Macquarie Bank Royal Sydney Wine Show Results

For full Royal Sydney Wine Show Results go to Royal Sydney Wine Show Results

Click here James Halliday's article 25th March 2006

AGM, JAMES HALLIDAY LECTURE & PRESIDENT'S DINNER

1. AGM

Our 2005 Annual General Meeting was held on Friday November 25 at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour. The President’s and Treasurer’s reports and minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously adopted. These are available to members upon request to the Administrator.

2. Annual Lecture: “Thank You Mr Evans and Sorry, Mr Parker ” presented by James Halliday.

James Halliday, one of Australia’s leading wine journalists and Wine Show judges, presented this year’s Annual Lecture.

Following the tradition established by previous speakers, Halliday addressed a number of contentious topics. Key among these were recent criticisms of Australian wine styles by American critics Robert Parker and Matt Kramer.

Halliday used a statistical analysis of recent capital city wine show results to illustrate his argument that Parker’s view of Australian wines was narrowed and biased, as demonstrated by remarks in edition no. 161 of Parker’s The Wine Advocate.

He next used the data to take on Matt Kramer’s criticisms of the show system. Kramer has suggested that the shows are subject to taste fixing by the big companies, who also set the standards. Halliday demolished these arguments by detailing the composition and expertise of the judging panels. Halliday was keen to acknowledge that much of the excellence of the show system is thanks to the influence of Mr Len Evans AO and described how Evans continues to nurture a new generation of fine judges through his annual Len Evans Tutorial system.

After publicly thanking Mr Evans, Halliday concluded his provocative presentation by calling on Australia’s wine marketers and export marketing bodies to do more to introduce Australia’s super- and ultra-premium wines to the world.

Click above photographs to download Halliday’s paper.

3. President’s Dinner

A record 165 members and their guests attended the President’s Dinner, hosted by president Darren Jahn. MC Katrina Valkenburg provided spirited commentary to what proved to be an entertaining and lively evening. The president summarised the year’s activities and highlighted the current record membership levels and growth, concluding that 2005 had been a particularly successful year.

Guest speakers included the pioneering Australian wine and food journalist, Frank Margan and the WPC Patron, Len Evans AO OBE. Both speakers entertained the audience by reminiscing about the less-than-sophisticated beginnings of modern wine journalism, which eventually led to today’s robust food and wine press. While Evans also emphasised that Australia’s wines still face formidable barriers to entry to the international stage, he concluded by saying the barriers were surmountable, given the quality of Australian wine.

All sixteen wines served at dinner had been awarded 95 points or more in Halliday’s 2006 Australian Wine Companion. Vice President Chris Anstee proposed a vote of thanks to the wineries that generously supported the dinner. A copy of the menu and wines is attached.

Click here for James' article Weekend Australian 25 March 2006

Click here to download the President's Dinner Menu

BALANCE - MATCHING FOOD AND WINE

An evening with Lyndey Milan was never going to be less than lively! Together with Colin Corney, co-author of their newly released book Balance, Lyndey guided 40 members and guests through a rapid-fire cookery demonstration followed by their own execution of a three course dinner.

Colin offered five varietal wines to match, and clash, which ensured a noisy yet instructive question and answer session. Inevitably, variations in the individual execution of the recipes and individual tastes led to a diversity of favourite food and wine pairings. Lyndey and Colin tried manfully to answer and accommodate a range of opinions, proffering, only a very last resort, a solution in the form of signed copies of their excellent book at a handsome discount to those who attended.

MAGNIFICENT MUDGEE

Discovery, honesty and drinkability. Three words that summed up this tasting experience of Magnificent Mudgee. Nick Bulleid MW set the stage and then let Drew Tuckwell, Jane Wilson and Bob Roberts tantalise our palates and minds with flight after flight of great wines. We started the night with Riesling and Semillon then moved onto Chardonnay followed by Emerging Varieties, Shiraz and finally Cabernet.

It was a real discovery for many to see the Louee Riesling, from vineyards well above 1000m, with a flavour profile all its own, not in the shadows of Clare, Eden, Henty or Great Southern, but rather singing its own tune. So too the entire flight of Sangiovese wines, Drew Tuckwell's passion was most evident as he led us through these stunning examples of 'New World doing Old World' wine. Jane Wilson was amazingly generous to supply the "World's Best Zinfandel" from Lowe Family Wines for everyone to taste and admire and to round out an exciting bracket of wines.

Then it was over to Bob Roberts to tear shreds off the modern winemaking world providing some exellent evidence as to why the modern bent of overripe, over sugared, over oaked, just generally over done wines, is not the be all and end all. His examples of older Huntington Estate Shiraz and Cabernet shone with "their lifted secondary characteristics", showing why how old fashioned winemaking ideals can create magical wines.

Honesty was a word that kept coming up a descriptor for each of the wines, and this is what made them so drinkable. The wines we saw were fantastic, made with plenty of passion, quality and skill, providing wines that were a pleasure to drink. A course of angel hair pasta and a roasted red pepper sauce followed by venison osso bucco with blue cheese polenta further enhanced the sheer quality, honesty and drinkability of the wines. A thoroughly enjoyable evening had by all.

To learn more about Mudgee wines go to www.mudgeewine.com.au

ASVO WINE SHOW PROJECT UPDATE

This quickie event at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Kirribilli in September 2004 saw members and guests receive a summary by Nick Bulleid MW from the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology's (ASVO recently released recommendations for Wine Show Judging and the use of Medals.
Members and guests enjoyed Nick's presentation whilst enjoying a glass of delicious multi award-winning Sir James Vintage 1999 sparkling along with freshly shucked oysters.
For further information visit www.asvo.com.au/wineshows/

A SNAPSHOT OF THE AUSTRALIAN WINE CONSUMER & WINE INDUSTRY TRENDS

Michael Walton's presentation on behalf of ACNielsen/Scantrack Liquor Services, at the RSYS Kirribilli in Jule 2005, was fascinating. How someone can make numbers sound so interesting amazes us! This sell-out event was over-subscribed and very much enjoyed by those attending. If you would like a copy of Michael's PowerPoint presentation, please click on the heading above.

WHAT DEFINES VALUE FOR MONEY?

Our April 2005 event was a sell out. Five brackets of five different varietals at a retail value between $7.50 and $20.50 were tasted blind to determine value for money. The Wine Man and Life Member, Peter Bourne hosted the evening and lead members through the tasting. A similar tasting was held by the WPC a few years ago and was a huge success with some surprising revelations, this event was no different with a few gems uncovered in the cheaper price bracket.

THE STELLA CASELLA STORY-HOW YELLOWTAIL GOT IT RIGHT

Phillip Casella presented to a capacity crowd at the RSYS for our June 2005 event. Along with colleagues John Soutter, Bob Campbell and Libby Nutt, Phillip Casella told the story of Yellowtail and the keys to its success. Part luck, part very hard work and part strategic planning, Yellowtail will go down in history as one of Australia's most successful wine brand launches and continues to break records with production volume and sales. Casella's export sales have exceeded 12 million cases since 1998 and last year they won the coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy sealing their commitment to quality. After the Casella presentation, guests participated in a tasting of the Casella range and other Australian export brands dubbed 'critter' wines - a whole new category in the US market - after their Australian wildlife branding concepts.

SALTRAM AUSTRALIAN WINE COMMUNICATOR AWARD PRESENTATION DINNER

The inaugural Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award was presented at a ceremony held at Bilson's at the Radisson, Sydney. The finalists Jeni Port, James Halliday and Campbell Mattinson were all in attendance. Lyndey Milan emceed the evening and announced the winner of the award, Campbell Mattinson, for his Winefront Monthly piece, In the lee of the craig - Craiglee. Campbell's prize includes a trip for two to Italy or USA kindly donated by Saltram with $1000 spending money donated by the Wine Press Club of NSW. Campbell is choosing to travel to Italy. The Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine New Wine Writer Award was also announced and the winner was Angus Hughson. The Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award is an initiative of the Wine Press Club of New South Wales honoring excellence in wine communication and the bettering of the Australian wine industry through the development of ideas, knowledge and information.

FELLOWSHIP PRESENTATION - LEARNING BY OUR MISTAKES

In June 2003 Max Allen was awarded the biennial WPC Fellowship to aid his publication of "Grog - A Cultural History of Alcohol in Australia". The same year he was awarded the 2003 International Wine and Spirit Competition International Wine Communicator of the year Trophy.

Sixty members spent a fun evening in March 2005 to discover why these awards were bestowed upon Max and in his relaxed, informal and entertaining style, he provided us with an update on his progress in compiling "Grog - A Cultural History of Alcohol in Australia".

2005 MACQUARIE BANK SYDNEY ROYAL WINE SHOW TASTING, LUNCH AND SPURGLE

The annual Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show Trophy Winners Lunch is recongnised as the leading social gathering for Sydney's wine elite. This year was no difference with near on 400 members and guests in attendance. They tasted their way through thousands of wines at the exhibitor tasting, enjoyed 13 of the trophy-winners with lunch, before heading next door for some cleansing ales and sparkling reds.

So roudy was the largely industry crowd that MC Peter Bourne spectacularly smashed a wine glass in order to gain our attention! It worked. Chairman of Judges Brian Croser AO shared with us his views of the show along with those of the International Judge, Michael Fridjhon from South Africa.

Our congratulations go to the winning wineries, especially Seppelt, who won the Wine Press Club of NSW Trophy with their 2003 Victorian Shiraz. Our thanks go to the beverage supporters and raffle donors - we raised almost $6,000, which will support our Fellowship Award.

AUSTRALIAN CLOSURE FUND PRESENTATION

Tuesday February 1st, 2005 Allen Hart, Southcorp's Research & Development Winemaker, released the findings of his study into "the role of oxygen in the ageing of bottled wine" at an intimate presentation for WPC members and guests at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

Hart's research was completed with the support of a $6,000 grant offered by the Australian Closure Fund (ACF), supported by the WPC (and in conjunction with Auscap, ACI and Grosset Wines). Jeffrey Grosset announced the formation of the ACF in November 2003 when he presented the inaugural Wine Press Club Lecture in Sydney.

Attendees enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch accompanied by wines from Grosset, Seppelt and Penfolds wineries, on the quarter deck of the Squadron.

Click on the heading to download a copy of Hart's paper along with a media release that includes Grosset's summary.

WPC MASTERS OF WINE TASTING

At our January 2005 event we were delighted to welcome Michael Brajkovich MW, as our guest speaker and to lead the discussion at The Four Seasons Hotel, with his chosen topic - “Is New Zealand Leading the New World with Pinot Noir?”

Michael was New Zealand’s first Master of Wine and he chose over a dozen exceptional Pinot Noirs from all over the pinot-growing world to taste with us and discuss in relation to the volume of pinot noir that is currently being planted, and coming into production, in New Zealand.

Those who were fortunate to get a seat at this function enjoyed wines from Dog Point, Wither Hills and Cloudy Bay in Marlborough. Palliser, The Escarpment and Ata Rangi from Martinborough. Pegasus Bay from Canterbury and Felton Road, Carrick and Gibbston Valley from Central Otago. From Burgundy in France, Denis Mortet Burgogne, from Oregon in the USA, Rex Hill Willamette Valley and from Australia, Frogmore Creek in Coal River, Tasmania and Diamond Valley Close Planted in the Yarra Valley Victoria.

The Four Seasons served a delicious light meal to accompany the wines.

AGM LECTURE & PRESIDENTS DINNER

Our November 2004 event, in the lead-up to Wine Australia, saw 170 members and guests enjoy a fascinating presentation from Brian Croser, founder and chief winemaker of Petaluma as he delivered the second Annual Wine Press Club Lecture at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Entitled “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”. Brian’s presentation discussed the challenges facing the Australian premium wine industry in the global market place. A full copy of his excellent paper can be found at left.

The AGM and a glass of Croser 2002 preceded the lecture. The committee reported on a great year and outlined some exciting initiatives for 2005, not the least being the Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award outlined on our welcome page.

Committee member Katrina Valkenburg entertainingly MC’d the President’s Dinner which followed the lecture. We paid tribute to Betty Hinchliffe and enjoyed the company of her husband Clem and family who were our guests for the evening. Such a good time was had by all that we received a number of new member applications on the night, including Brian Croser and Jeffrey Grosset.

A clearly delighted Huon Hooke won first prize in the terrific raffle – taking away a $2000 Vintec 50 Bottle Temperature Controlled Wine Storage Cabinet from Transtherm Pty Ltd. Our thanks also go to the following valued sponsors and supporters: Beringer Blass (wine), Brian Barry (wine), Cellarmasters (wine), Ferngrove Vineyards (wine), Penley Estate (wine), Petaluma (wine), Peter Lehmann (wine), Riedel Glassware (raffle), Southcorp (wine), Sydney River Cruises (raffle), The Mode Group (catering), Tyrrell’s (wine) and Wine Industry Appointments (financial sponsor of WPC Lecture).

OCTOBER 2004 EVENT - WHO OWNS THE NAMES?

Our annual joint event with the Food Media Club of Australia saw 75 members attend and took the form of a discussion forum on the topic of ‘Who Owns The Names?’, a look at the usage of European terminology in Australian food and wine. The Forum was held over a delicious dinner at Luke Mangan’s Moorish restaurant and bar in North Bondi.

FMCA President Peter Howard was a gracious and entertaining Master of Ceremonies and presided over five outstanding presentations and a panel discussion. Food marketing specialist Helen Waterworth, utilised her teaching background to loudly project her views including pointing out that these names have become styles and benchmarks and how important it is to pay homage to their place of origin by respectfully getting the flavours right.

Australian Wine and brandy Corporation CEO Sam Tolley valiantly argued the positives of removing European terminology from our wines, reminding us that doing this has contributed to our success in the international marketplace. Australian wine exports have grown from around twenty million dollars in 1985 to over 2.7 billion dollars today.

Mark Purbrick, CEO of the Wine Society and Tahbilk winery family member explained why his family removed the word ‘Chateau’ from their winery name and argued that for the most part, Australian producers have suffered little in being forced to remove such terms.

We invited the Commercial Attaché to the French Trade Commission, Emmanuel d’Halluin to bravely speak for the Europeans, and an excellent job he did. With a smile on his face and a good sense of humour, Emmanuel explained why they’re so proud of their traditions and regional names arguing that we would and should feel the same about our own Coonawarra or Barossa. He says that the French are having the same difficulties as we are in changing their laws.

Popular culture commentator, David Dale completed our quintet of speakers on an amusing and heartfelt note. He argued that we as Anglo Saxons are underprivileged in our vocabulary, that the English language lacks the resounding romance of French or Italian. He described us as a linguistically deprived minority that should pay due homage to the Europeans even to the extent of paying an APRA-like royalty for the use of their terms.

Many laughs were had over these enjoyable presentations, no doubt fuelled by an outstanding selection of classic Australian wine styles (all of which have or will have soon changed their product names to confirm with labelling regulations). Our thanks go to Cellarmasters, Southcorp, Hardy’s, McWilliams, Tahbilk and DeBortoli.

SEPTEMBER 2004 EVENT - MEMBER'S CURRENT RELEASES TASTING

Our 'Quickie" for September was held at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron in Kirribilli. Overlooking the beautiful Sydney Harbour with the sunset in the background; you couldn't ask for a better way to end the day.

There were some truely unusual wines and label presentations; namely the Mouthpiece "Paul Lindner" 2002 Shiraz which took one back to the 40's with their labelling and the wine in the bottle didn't disappoint either. All together there were 17 categories for the members to taste.

An excellent selection of quality cheese sourced from Simon Johnson received as much praise as the wines.

AUGUST 2004 EFFECTIVE WINE COMMUNICATIONS - Articulating key messages to stakeholders

It should come as no surprise how popular this event was as it covered a topic important to all of us – wine communications. 80 members and guests enjoyed an outstanding meal from Chef Tony Bilson and a terrific selection of wines from the Club’s cellar. These included numerous past Sydney Wine Show trophy winners, some excellent aged Hunters and a top-class range of screw-capped sealed wines left over from last year’s 25th Anniversary Dinner. We were well and truly spoilt!

We selected three specialist speakers on the topic of Effective Wine Communications – Articulating Key Messages to Stakeholders and each of them over-delivered. Host Peter Bourne opened the presentations by challenging us to define just who our ‘stakeholders’ are. PR guru Peter Lazar of the large PR firm, Professional Public Relations captured our attention with an entertaining and informative presentation that sought to discuss just what PR is. He followed this with a couple of amusing beverage communications experiences his firm had had – that of communicating a message about 4 litre casks and the launch of Swan Light Beer.

Liquid Idea’s Angie Bradbury brought the discussion back to our industry and reminded us that PR is not just about media relations but about selling more wine. She noted that PR is just one aspect of the marketing mix and that wine producers need to be aware that even the best PR in the world won’t fix the problems of poor distribution.

Past President Huon Hooke supported us again this year, this time to give his views on the state of play of wine communications. Huon noted that in the latest Wine Industry Directory there are some 101 ‘wine’ writers in Australia and NZ – and that they are not the PR service for the wine industry – his first duty is to his readers. He reminded those present that we should be sending out more sub $15 wines – not just our most expensive. And remember – he receives over 4,000 samples each year on his doorstep alone. So make sure yours count!

NEW & INTERESTING VARIETALS WITH MICHAEL TREMBATH

JULY 2004 FUNCTION – OLD WORLD Versus NEW
Can Australia compete?

On Monday, 12 July 2004 at Grappa Ristorante and Bar, sixty six of us indulged in an insightful tasting and dinner of new and interesting varietals, led by imported wine specialist and educator Michael Trembath.

Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and Tempranillo were the key focus of the tasting due to the fact that they’re relative newcomers to Australia and are attracting immense interest by both the consumer and trade. Each of these varieties have captivating flavours and a myriad of personalities which have led to Australian winemakers showing a willingness to work vintage in Old World countries in search of perfecting their skill at making these distinctive varieties.

Wines were chosen from leading New World producers and placed next to a European benchmark. It is here that we were able to debate whether New World producers are mimicking the style of their European counterparts or whether they have their own unique style.

We thank Grappa Chef, John O’Riordan who put together a delicious 3-course menu that helped us to intricately explore these interesting varietals. We’re especially grateful to Michael and the companies who donated wines for the tasting.

A SNAPSHOT OF THE AUSTRALIAN WINE CONSUMER

On Thursday June 24th,2004 Robert MacMahon, National Marketing Manager, Free Standing Liquor of the Woolworths group presented over 60 members and guests a presentation focusing on a number of key consumer trends and issues facing the Australian wine industry today. This presentation was of exceptional value to all members who do not normally have access to the expensive data usually accessible to the larger companies. The lecture was followed by a barbecue lunch with wine in the spectacular grounds of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron overlooking Sydney’s glorious harbour.

The lecture provided highlights and insights into Australian consumer purchasing and consumption trends for the alcoholic beverage sector, with a deeper level of detail on the wine sector.

The core information highlighted consumer purchasing trends by wine style, grape variety & price point with some information on underlying demographic shifts. Robert also included a segment on consumer response to retailer promotions, followed by an analysis of consumer motivations and perceptions which have never been more critical to our industry than they are today in our over crowded market place.

All agreed we should re-visit this topic next year. Our thanks go to Robert, Woolworths, the wine donors and the RSYC.

HUNTER VALLEY METAMORPHOSIS TASTING - June 2004

This event, held at the Four Seasons Hotel was extremely well received by the fortunate 65 members and guests attending.

Past President Nick Bulleid led a tutored tasting of some spectacular wines and kept the reins on the Hunter Valley’s Bruce Tyrrell and Iain Riggs. The wines were tasted in three brackets with a delicious entrée and cheese platter in between.

Semillon:
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 2003, 1997, 1989;
McWilliam’s Lovedale 2003, 1998, 1996;
Capercaille 2003, 1999;
Marsh Estate 2003, 1991.

Chardonnay:
Tyrrell’s Vat 47 2002, 1999, 1997;
Evans Family 2003, 1999;
Lakes Folly 2002, 1998;
Scarborough 2001, 1998.

Shiraz:
McWilliams Old Paddock and Old Hill 2002, 2001, 1998;
Lindemans Stevens 1998, 1997, 1995;
Brokenwood Graveyard 2002, 1994;
Drayton’s Joseph 2000, 1991.

Nick’s presentation and the tasting itself served to remind us of how well the Hunter’s semillon, chardonnay and shiraz wines age and what good value they are. We also learnt some interesting titbits from the panel:

“I blame the accountants for the predominance of Semillon in the Valley… it delivers some 800 to 850 litres per tonne compared to chardonnay’s 560 to 600.” (IR)

“Semillon was originally known as ‘Green Grape’, then ‘Shepherd’s Riesling’, before it eventually became ‘Hunter River Riesling’, as ‘Riesling’ was all the rage back then.” (IR)

A ‘spectratrafometer’ is an instrument that winemkaers use to measure the colour of wines in bottle, in order to weed out oxidised bottles of mature wines prior to release or wine show entry.

Brokenwood’s Graveyard Shiraz 2002 was the only wine to be sealed with a screw cap and one of the few that had no discarded bottles.

90% of the wines bottled at Tyrrell’s in 2004 will be under screw cap.

“Anyone who thinks that chardonnay is only any good when it comes from a cool climate area needs to taste a line-up of wines like these…” (BT)

At the close of the evening, Club President Darren Jahn presented a very surprised Nick Bulleid with Life Membership to the Club in recognition of his time as President.

NEW ZEALAND RIESLING COMPARISON TASTING - MARCH 2004

The Wine Press Club’s Committee Member, Rob Geddes MW, led the tasting and subsequent discussion. John Forrest, owner/winemaker of Forrest Estate, and a true rieslephile, spoke for New Zealand while Michael Symons, long-serving roving winemaker for the Petaluma Group, discussed Australia’s past, present and future in the world of Riesling.

Four styles of Riesling from New Zealand were tasted – dry, medium-dry, auslese and botrytis along with some Australian examples to put them into stylistic context.

This was a great value event and an excellent opportunity to learn more about what New Zealand Riesling producers are doing and where their wines fit in along-side ours.

PIPER HEIDSIECK & CHARLES HEIDSIECK - APRIL 2004

This event was very popular and sold out within a couple of days.

Those lucky enough to get a seat were treated to a tasting of Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck champagne with Regis Camus who is the chef du cave for Heidsieck. He succeeded the late Daniel Thibault two years ago.

The highly awarded and respected Daniel Thibault had a strong belief that a ‘House’ winemaker for a champagne style was only ready after seven years to be honoured with the title of winemaker to that House.

Thibault noticed the talent of Camus early and set about passing on ‘the knowledge’ that enabled Camus to evaluate the base wines at the House of Piper and Charles Heidsieck and consistently reproduce its famous style.

This year Regis Camus celebrates his tenth year as winemaker at the House of Piper and Charles Heidsieck.

The Wine Press Club of New South Wales is honoured to present Regis Camus as host of a champagne masterclass during his visit to Australia.

This will be a memorable event and an excellent opportunity to learn more about champagne and compare and contrast wines from different vintages under the tutelage of one of Champagne’s great winemakers.

The Wine Press Club of NSW is grateful for the assistance of Impressions Marketing, Maxxium for P and C Heidsieck, and the Observatory Hotel.

MACQUARIE BANK SYDNEY ROYAL WINE SHOW LUNCHEON - FEBRUARY 2004

The 2004 Sydney Wine Show Lunch was an outstanding success. The Wine Press Club hosted our largest attendance (400+) for a number of years and enjoyed the comradeship of a wide range of members and guests. The wines and menu were excellent and Andrew Jefford, International Judge and Brian Croser AO, Chairman of Judges gave memorable speeches.

We were extremely pleased to be able to once again return to the format of years gone by, with complimentary drinks after the lunch, generously sponsored by Matilda Bay Brewery and Sir James Hardy Sparkling Shiraz. All in all, a great day had by all.

Our thanks to the wine, beer and water donors plus all those who provided raffle prizes. The record-breaking raffle raised almost $6000 and will go towards our Fellowship Award.

AGM, INAUGURAL WPC LECTURE AND 25TH ANNIVERSARY PRESIDENT'S DINNER - 2003

Judging from the amount of positive feedback that has been received, the Inaugural Wine Press Club Lecture was a resounding success and something that can be built upon in the future. Jeffrey Grosset put an enormous amount of effort into his presentation on Wine Seals, which dealt with all manner of closures, from the earliest use of glass as a seal through to cork, synthetics and screw caps. Jeffrey introduced us to the aboriginal word ‘pankgarra’, which was used by some Aboriginal tribes to describe the environment. He suggests it could be an indigenous Australian term for terroir.

The Australian Maritime Museum proved to be a fantastic venue for all three events on the night but came into it’s own by providing a back drop of Darling Harbour for the 25th Anniversary President's Dinner. As well as hearing from our residing President, we were treated to some musings from the past by some of the Club's founders such as Nick Bulleid, John Parkinson, Robert Mayne, Huon Hooke and Betty Hinchliffe to name a few. Mode catering did an excellent job with the food, but the stars of the night were the outstanding wines, including 1998 Arras Chardonnay Pinot Noir, 2002 Pierro Chardonnay, 2001 Grosset Gaia 2001 and 2001 Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz – the latter three wines were under screw-cap.

InterContinental Sydney 2003 NSW Wine Awards (September 2003)

Friday 26th September saw the culmination of the 2003 NSW Wine Awards with the Trophy Presentation Dinner held at the InterContinental Sydney Hotel. 150 members, guests, sponsors and winemakers (including all twelve finalists) gathered for the pre-dinner tasting of the Top 40 wines and then partied on over a sumptuous dinner accompanied by all of the trophy winning wines and runners up. The quality of the wines was superb and more than a few laughs were had as we were entertained by Mistress of Ceremonies, Cornelia Frances, and the antics of Katrina Valkenburg who ran a monster raffle.

WA Lunch, Dome Restaurant (August 2003)

Our thanks go to Franklin Tate, Judi Cullam, Shirley DeZolt and Patrick Coutts, and their wineries, for sharing both their views and wines with us in August. The Dome Restaurant at the Arthouse Hotel was a fantastic venue and served up a simply delicious meal at this great quickie lunch. The speakers presented quite differing viewpoints on the theme of "to pay or not to pay - why is WA better" and there was some discussion as to whether they are, on average, over-priced. However there was no disputing the quality of the wines.

Bringing Back the Passion with Zar Brooks, Salt Restaurant (August 2003)

The response to this new format event, held at Salt, was fantastic. 65 members and guests, including a number of media, enjoyed a delicious meal from chef Luke Mangan and an interesting, somewhat controversial presentation from Zar.
Once, during a wine show, our patron Mr Len Evans AO OBE whispered into Zar's ear: "You have absolutely no talent whatsoever". Coming from Evans, that was high praise indeed!
Zar entertained us with comments on a number of topics:

• On the Australian wine market - "there are two markets in Australia - Sydney and the rest of the place"
• On the big company wines - (after sniffing his glass of red) "there's one thing that should definitely NOT be said about this wine: 'this wine represents good shareholder value'"
• On the growth of the supermarket wine chains: "these days you only have to make 3 phone calls to sell to 80% of the premium wine market"
• "I'd like to eliminate food and wine matching as I think that wine is just a part of the meal and that's the way it should be."