Branded wines struggling?

In news out today Darren De Bortoli (of De Bortoli wines) has expressed his exasperation at recent announcements by the big supermarkets that they intend to double the amount of 'own brand' wine on supermarket backed liquor store shelves.

Mr De Bortoli particularly highlighted just how damaging a tactic this would be for diversity within the wine industry, an industry that is particularly struggling of late.

Read the full article here

For us here at Cracka we fully sympathise with his point of view - it is, quite simply, a dangerous situation that will not help 'branded' producers one iota, a move that will ultimately lead to fewer good wines and a lack of diversity if left unchecked.

What do we recommend? Buy from the little guys. Buy from the family wine companies. Buy intelligently...

End nigh for Riverina grapes

According to a recent survey it seems that the end is near for many vineyards in the Riverina, with as few as 10% of the regions grapegrowers believing that they would still be growing grapes in five years time.

Read about it here

From our point of view it's a pretty sad state of affairs to hear that so many grapegrowers are losing their livelihoods. Conversely it's widely acknowledged that Australia has an oversupply of grapes, an oversupply that will need to be rectified by pulling some vines out of the ground (amongst other measures), with the low quality, high yield Riverina vineyards the first to go.

It's a hard life this grapegrowing business!

NSW Wine Awards Trophy Winners

Congratulations to the trophy winners at this years NSW Wine Awards, a competition that I helped to judge (so you can sort of blame me if you don't like the results) and a worthy one for NSW wines.
 
These Trophy winners were chosen from the NSW Top 40 Wines, which were selected by a panel of 20 highly regarded wine judges, Chaired by one of the country’s leading wine experts Huon Hooke, who whittled down over 820 wines to this impressive shortlist.

And the winners are…
 
Trophy Best Young Chardonnay ~                          Mistletoe Wines 2009 Reserve Chardonnay, Hunter ($40)

Trophy Best Young Semillon ~                                 Two Rivers 2011 Stones Throw Semillon, Hunter ($16)

Trophy Best Mature Dry White ~                              Thomas Wines 2006 Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon, Hunter ($45)

Trophy Best Young Shiraz ~                                     First Creek Wines Winemakers Reserve 2010 Shiraz, Hunter ($42)

Trophy Best Young Cabernet ~                                Winburndale Wines 2008 Fontana Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Ranges ($30)

Trophy Best Young Red Other Variety ~                Logan 2009 Weemala Merlot, Central Ranges ($18)

Trophy Best Young Red Blend ~                             Logan 2009 Cabernet Merlot, Orange ($25)

Trophy Best Mature Dry Red ~                                 Freeman Vineyards Secco Aged Release 2004 Rondinella Corvina, Hilltops ($75)

Trophy Best Sweet White ~                                       De Bortoli 2008 Noble One, Riverina ($64)

 
The results reflect the great performance of Orange and the Central Ranges in this year’s Top 40, with 3 Trophies going to wines from that area, alongside 4 from the Hunter and one each from the Riverina and Hilltops.
 
Of these nine wines, only one can be given the ultimate title of 2011 Citibank NSW Wine of the Year…and this year that honour goes to…
2011 Citibank NSW Wine of the year ~ Mistletoe Wines 2009 Reserve Chardonnay, Hunter Valley

Having tried that Mistletoe Chardonnay I can confirm that it is a Cracka - a lovely modern Hunter Chardonnay with heaps of flavour but also a sense of moderation and freshness.

For a list of the full Top 40 wines and more head to the NSW Wine Association website

Andrew Graham

Winemakers to reset vines biological clock

We were intrigued to read about a group of wine producers in the South Burnett wine region who this year are planning to 'reset their vines biological clocks' by doing a second round of pruning in November.

What this will mean is that the vines will effectively have to start their fruiting cycle again in November, a move that will push back the time when the grapes will ripen until later in the year (from February to April), allowing them to mature in cooler conditions that are more ideal for grape ripening.

Whilst not an unusual move (they harvest grapes twice a year in the tropics) the challenge can be that forcing the grapes into a second round of growth can be problematic as it saps nutrients and challenges vines. Still, it's an interesting practice that could - if it comes off - produce more elegant wines in this warm climate wine region.

Read more:

Cracka on Business Spectator



You can’t see it right now, but we’re all having to walk through doorways sideways here at Cracka, purely because our heads have become so big due to all this great recent press...

Seriously though, we are very happy to be featured on the Business Spectator site this week, with Robert Gottliebsen interviewing our chairman Shane Pettiona about all things Cracka (and business).

Check out the article

Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Alcohol Consumption - the truth

A coalition known as the Alcohol Policy Coalition in Australia released a document entitled “Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Alcohol Consumption." (view the press release here) recently that gained plenty of headlines by giving wine a fair old bashing and painted everything wine related in a bad light.

Yet a coalition of international scientists has since published a response showing just how poorly constructed and biased this policy is, showing once and for all that small amounts (2 glasses) of wine is indeed beneficial to your health.

Everyone who enjoys a glass of wine should really be across this issue as it threatens to drive up the price of your wine largely based on unscientific reasonings and health department meddling. Have a read of the response here.

Australian wine industry labelled as 'lazy'

Outgoing 'Thinker in residence' Göran Roos has come out this week attacking the Australian wine industry, criticising the industry for what he perceives as 'laziness' with the nations wine businesses having 'squandered a lot of time'.

Read the full article here (Adelaide Advertiser)

Whilst we can see where he is coming from in some ways - our industry has definitely backed off the pedal in the scale of it's technological innovation - but I think that Mr Roos also neglects to realise that the challenges facing Australian wine cannot be rectified by technological advancement. Rather, an increased focus on clever marketing is what I believe the industry actually needs. What do you think?

Andrew Graham

2011 Len Evans Tutorial Scholars Announced

Whilst I didn't get in (again) this year, this years list of Len Evans scholars again looks like a strong one, stretching from highly regarded winemakers, through talented sommeliers, retailers, wine writers and general wine vagabonds.

What is the Len Evans Tutorial
Described as one of the 'greatest weeks in Australian wine', the Len Evans tutorial aims to educate the next generation of wine brains (and palates) about the great wines of Australia and the world.

If you've got a spare moment have a look, for example, at the previous years list of wines opened (and drool). Suffice to say it is one of the greatest opportunities in Australian wine.

The 2011 Len Evans Tutorial Scholars:
1. Emma Plumridge, Rockpool, Head Sommelier
2. Joanna Marsh, Seppelt Wines, Winemaker
3. Nicholas Spencer, Eden Road Wines, Winemaker
4. Marcus Satchell, Satch Wines, Winemaker
5. Courtney Treacher, Houghton Wine Co, Winemaker
6. David Brookes, Vinosense, Wine Journalist
7. Anna Pooley, Treasury Wine Estates, Winemaker
8. Bengt Baumgartner, The European, Sommelier
9. Mario Vinciguerra, Vintage Cellars, Fine Wine Manager
10. Daniel Sims, The Wine Guide, Project Manager/Partner
11. Lisa Jenkins, City Wine Store, Head Sommelier
12. Paul Gardner, Glass Brasserie, Sommelier

As for me? Bring on 2012....
Andrew Graham

(Read the full press release here)

New Zealand should "concentrate on red wine"

According to renowned Kiwi winemaker Steven Smith MW (of Craggy Range) talking to Drinks Business magazine,  New Zealand winemakers should concentrate on improving the quality of their red wines, believing that beyond his own winery and a handful of others, most aren't taking red wine seriously.

Have a read of the full article here

What do you think? Is the offering of New Zealand reds really that lacklustre?

Here at Cracka we genuinely can't agree with Mr Smith, not with great wineries like Stonecroft, Trinity Hill, Bilancia and Unison in Hawkes Bay alone focusing largely on red wines, let alone all those great Central Otago, Waipara, Martinborough and Marlborough producers who make great Pinot Noirs, not forgetting the largely red wine focused wineries of Waiheke Island....

Cracka on Sky News