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95 CALORIES NATURAL FLAVOURS GLUTEN FREE WHITE CLAW® PINEAPPLE SPARKLING WATER WITH ALCOHOL LANDING ON AUSTRALIAN SHORES SEPTEMBER 26TH White Claw® is distributed nationwide via Lion. Contact your local Lion representative or contact 1800 308 388 for more information on ranging this product.
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The views expressed in Drinks Trade are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily those of the magazine or The Drinks Association. Copyright is held by The Drinks Association and reproduction in whole or in part, without prior consent, is not permitted.
What I love about liquor is there is never a dull moment. It changes, adapts and innovates to feed market forces and satiate the demanding consumer. It is dynamic.
PUBLISHER The Drinks Association
Talking dynamics, Danny Celoni, Managing Director of Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), shares his views on innovation, sustainability and, most importantly, the future of the category. Check out his opinions on page 24.
All enquiries to: The Drinks Association Locked Bag 4100, Chatswood NSW 2067 ABN 26 001 376 423
In this issue, we celebrate those who make it all happen through The Australian Drinks Awards. The night was a positive reminder of how genuinely dynamic we really are. It’s been a long time between drinks; the last time we all got together IRL (in real life for those not up with the Covid spawned lingo) was in 2019. From the Supplier of the Year to the best brands, we acknowledged and rewarded, recognised the tough years behind us, the hope for the future and had a great time in the process. All the winners and the faces are on page 43.
STAFF WRITER Cody Profaca cody@hipmedia.com.au
It’s spring, so of course, we address our favourite spring wine styles for breaking out of the winter blues. Please turn to page 66 for the Vins de Provence Report on the latest rosés from the heartland and page 56 for our Tasting Panel on Sparkling and Champagne. The sparkling wines tasted were of an extremely high standard. Interestingly, there were more Champagnes submitted than sparkling wines which reflects Australia’s continued love affair with the world’s most prestigious fizz.
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Jenny Park jenny@hipmedia.com.au
For new product or current releases in Drinks Trade magazine send a sample to: HIP Media
ACCOUNTS: accounts@hipmedia.com.au
12 Cudgee Street, Turramurra NSW www.hipmedia.com.au2074 | facebook.com/drinksmedia
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EDITORIAL
CREDITS
This edition also welcomes our new writer Cody Profaca, who has delved into the dynamics occurring around the mass boycotting of Russian products in retail as a result of the war on Ukraine on page 40.
DIGITAL EDITOR Ioni Doherty ionid@drinks.asn.au
Happy reading.
PRODUCTION MANAGER Sasha Falloon .........sasha@hipmedia.com.au www.drinksassociation.com.au
PUBLISHING EDITOR Ashley Pini ashley@hipmedia.com.au
CONTRIBUTORS Zoe Brunton, Winsor Dobbin, Travis Fuller, Ken Gargett, Jack Glover, Lily Horneman, Angus Hughson, Michael McIntosh, Scott McWilliam, David Messum, Imogen Murphy, Dan O’Reilly, Charlie Simpson, Romain Stamm, MJ van Vuuren.
Editor’s Note drinks trade 9
EDITION DESIGNER Evelyn Rueda
ADVERTISING
One of the most exciting innovations in Australian spirits today is Top Shelf International’s Australian Agave Project. The Australian spirits industry is buzzing about the prospects of this massive undertaking in Far North Queensland, where a Blue Weber agave farm is soaking up the sun. They will be ripe for the picking next year, and an Australian agave spirit will be produced at scale. Agave is poised to be the next big white spirit, and Australians need to brush up on their knowledge of this ancient Aztec drink. Read up about the agave spirit sector on page 32.
ABN: 42 126 291 914
On that note, pour yourself a glass of Champagne, settle in with this edition and soak up the springtime vibes.
SENIOR DESIGNER Jihee Park jihee@hipmedia.com.au
EDITOR Melissa Parker melissa@hipmedia.com.au
13 New and Products – Current industry stories and new product announcements 24 Viewpoint – Danny Celoni, CEO, Carlton & United Breweries 24 627456 SPIRITS 32 The Age of Agave by Melissa Parker 40 The Vodka War: Boycotts dampening Russian Spirits by Cody Profaca THE DRINKSAUSTRALIANAWARDS2022 44 Brand Awards • Fan Favourites • Gaining in Popularity 48 Corporate Social Responsibility Award 49 Inclusive and Diverse Workplace Award 50 Most Improved Gender Equity Award 51 Supplier Awards • Category Management Award • Supply Chain Management Award • Most SupplierImprovedAward • Supplier of the Year 32 43 Contents CIDER 70 Cider Season by Ken Gargett WINE 56 Champagne and SparklingTasting and Review 60 Vins de Provence Buyer’s Guide 2022 62 The Lowdown on Prosecco from A to DOCG by Winsor Dobbin LAST DRINKS 74 Just the Tonic by Ashley Pini
REFRESHINGLYNEWSAUVIGNONBLANCANDPINOTGRIGIO Enjoy Responsibly
Producer: De Beaurepaire RRP: $45
Taste: Upfront berries and vanilla and hints of stewed fruits. Nicely balanced soft tannins and medium bodied palate weight. The Perceval is a savoury pinot that carries the palate weight through to a warm finish.
ABV: 13.6%
The wine: Road Block - Shiraz 2019 Producer: Chapel Hill RRP: $65
2022 marks 50 years since the establishment of Chapel Hill, as well as the launch of their Premium Collection. The collection is made up of The Vicar Shiraz, Road Block Shiraz, and the Gorge Block Cabernet Sauvignon. All are from the 2019 vintage.
and Michael Fragos, Chief Winemaker and General Manager of Chapel Hill Winery, said “Winning gold for The Vicar was a wonderful beginning. We are also celebrating our Golden Jubilee, 50 years since the establishment of Chapel Hill Winery, and we look forward to continuing our long and proud heritage for many years to come.”
Champagne Charlie Rereleased after 37 Years
Taste: The Road Block Shiraz is a sensitive beast owing to its Pirramimma sandstone geology. Heavier soils and large slabs of ironstone over sandstone result in varietal expression, richness and a tightly wound tannin structure. It was planted in 1993 and first released in 2008.
Taste: Planted in 1993 the vineyard parcel sits on the Tapley Hill Formation, comprising slatey red/ brown clay over white/ brown siltstone, underlain by the ancient rocks of McLaren Vale. The shallow soils and rocks result in more complex fruit characters as well as fine grained tannins. The Gorge Block Cabernet Sauvignon was first released in 2009.
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Taste: Presents with a deep jet-black presence that oozes depth and character. Lifted, bright fruits, blackberries, and red current; this is a powerful wine that enjoys good racy acidity and integrated tannins. 14.5% abv is balanced and carries the wine through to the back palate. Great length, and a wine that we expect will live long in the cellars of the patient.
The wine: The Vicar - Shiraz 2019 Producer: Chapel Hill RRP: $75
The Wine: PercevalPinot Noir 2019
For the first time in 37 years and only the sixth time ever, Champagne Charlie is returning to bottle shop shelves this spring. The historic cuvée marks the bicentennial of founder CharlesCamille Heidsieck. To this day, Charles is recognised for revolutionising the Champagne market upon introducing American’s to cuvées in the mid 19th Tocentury.commemorate this fact, the new release—which will retail for approximately $900—is a multi-vintage blend. Prior to creation, Cellarmaster Cyril Brun revisited all previous vintages of Champagne Charlie to best replicate the style, which was developed in close collaboration with the Heidsieck family in tribute to their ancestor.
Cyril Brun’s 2022 re-release is a classic Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend (52%/48%) comprised of 80% reserve wine. 20% of this is from the 2016 vintage and select components spent up to 25 years on lees. Champagne Charlie, along with the entire Charles Heidsieck’s portfolio, is imported nationally by Oatley Fine Wine Merchants. A bicentennial collector’s edition of Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve was also released in collaboration with French artist Catherine Gran. Products
A ‘Burgundian styled’ Pinot from the Central TheRangesdeBeaurepaire
The Vicar Shiraz recently won gold at the 2022 International Wine Challenge,
New
The wine: Gorge Block - Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Producer: Chapel hill RRP: $65
Chapel Hill Winery launches premium Vintage Collection nationally
family has released the 2019 vintage Pinot Noir from the Rylstone region in the Central Ranges. The style is a nod to the Burgundian heritage of the de Beaurepaire family and name, Perceval, a reference to the story of the Holy Grail.
Just to clarify, Jack Daniel’s makes Tennessee Whiskey, not Bourbon.
Grande Année 2014 reveals multiple facets, each of which deserves to be explored. Bollinger La Grande Année 2014 is available to purchase in Australia with a RRP of $260 from fine wine retailers including David Jones, Qantas Wines, Vintage Cellars and Kent Street Cellars.
A rainy autumn and winter gave way to two parched, sunny months, of which June was the sunniest in 50 years. Then there was summer, August in particular, which was particularly cold. Owing in part to the fine weather during vintage in September, the quality of the grape was maintained, perfectly balancing the maturity and acidity of the grape musts. The 2014 vintage made for a wine that is precise, refined and complex, both in its minerality and its exceptional intensity.
The rich heritage of the Jack Daniels Distillery has seen some fairly major storms since first registering in the US in 1866. Production at Jack Daniel has only ever been stopped three times: during Prohibition, World War I and when the grain was not up to scratch. Pretty major. So, this latest innovation from Jack Daniel’s comes from a long line of rich stories and whisky making. Mr Fletcher describes Bonded as a “big, bold, single barrel expression; a spirit forward” liquid that works well neat or in cocktails. He has worked at the Jack Daniel Distillery since 2001 and his grandfather, Frank Thomas Bobo, was the head distiller there from 1966-1989. His grandmother, Avalee Reed Bobo, worked there Askedtoo.what he thought Jack Daniel and
For this release, Nusa Caña followed traditional techniques, crushing Javanese sugar cane and dried red rice into a powder before allowing a slow ferment. The liquid was then twice distilled in antique steel pot stills prior to spending 18 months in teak wood barrels. It was then shipped to Europe for blending and bottling following 350 years of tradition.
La Grande Année 2014 is a truly gourmet fine wine. Its creamy effervescence and great structure pair perfectly with refined dishes and quality produce. Upon tasting, La
Master Distiller at Jack Daniel’s, Chris Fletcher, explained, “Regulation forces disclosure of provenance and we are proud of our heritage. Every drop of whisky is made right here in Lynchburg.”
The classic La Grand Année from the house of Bollinger has arrived on Australian shores, and in limited quantities.
New Products
Wine: La Grande Anée Producer: Bollinger RRP: $260 Grapes: 61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay Dosage: Moderate, 8 grams per litre
release is an invitation to travel back in time to the very origins of the rum known and loved globally today. Labelled as Batavia Arrack, the Godfather was developed by Nusa Caña co-founder Sam Jeveons as a tribute to the forgotten role Indonesia played in the history of rum. Predating the word rum itself, the word ‘arrack’ is used to describe distilled alcohol from south-east Asia, India, and Sri Lanka. Separately classed to designate quality, arrack from Batavia (modern day Java, Indonesia), is made exclusively from sugarcane and was dubbed “Godfather to the rum world” by spirits historian Dave Wondrich.
The Jack Daniel Distillery Launches First New Permanent Expression In 25 years: Bonded.
Nusa Caña’s Godfather presents light-honeyed in colour and has an elegant profile of fresh young cane, fragrant wild grass, and subtle tropical fruits supported by a punchy 60% abv. With only 1,002 bottles released globally, the Godfather is expected to sell out fast. Craft Revolution received Australian stock in October. RRP is $115.
“All Tennessee Whiskey is Bourbon but not all Bourbon is Tennessee Whiskey,” says Mr
LaFletcher.Grande
his father would think of Bonded, he said, “I’d like to think there are a couple of guys up in those heavens looking down on us and smiling with pride.”
Nusa Caña Godfather: A Nod to Rum’s Oldest NusaAncestorCaña’slatest
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Année 2014 Arrives in Australia
The United States’ Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 states that a bonded whiskey must be distilled by a single distiller during a single season, matured in a government bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof – (or 50 per cent ABV in Australia). Jack Daniels Bonded is all these things and more.
Australia’s Top Bartending Talent Leading A ‘Spritz Renaissance’
Details: RHUBI Mistelle
VINE YARDS GROW WITH CALL:ENQUIRIES@DUXTONVINEYARDS.COM.AUUS+61350221322
Make a positive choice
Duxton Vineyards is committed to actively reducing our environmental footprint as a grower and producer. Over 25 grape varietals, 2,400ha of vineyards and a large-scale winery, all in one of Australia’s most fertile regions - we specialise in bulk and bottled wine. Proudly the current largest certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.
Two of Australia’s award-winning bartenders, Evan Stroeve and Tim Philips-Johansson, have partnered with Garden Grown Gin makers to create RHUBI, a fresh take on the French aperitif, Mistelle.
Following an industry launch in over 470 top bars and restaurants like Restaurant Hubert, Icebergs Dining Room and Maybe Sammy, RHUBI has now hit the shelves of national retailers Dan Murphy’s, PNV Merchants and DRNKS.com.
Size: 700ml
New Products
RRP: $55 AUD
ABV: 18%
Standard drinks: 9.9 standard drinks
Evan Stroeve, 2021 World Class Australian Bartender of the Year and 2021 T25 Bartender Australia says, “Simplicity is at the heart of Australian beverage consumption, so it was important for us to create an aperitif that carries itself. We spent two years perfecting RHUBI so it can be served simply with soda, and nothing else. We also wanted to build a deliciously unique taste profile that is equally compelling for trade as it is accessible for Aussies at home”.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG AT IBA WITH BURSTS OF MARKETING ACTIVITY FOR THE INSTORE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM (IEP). THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO DRIVE SALES IN-STORE AND SUPPORTS CRITICAL SELLING PERIODS THROUGH A CONVENIENT DISPLAY SPACE. THE “ONE-STOP SHOP” DISPLAY MAKES SHOPPING THE HOTTEST OFFERS EASIER FOR CUSTOMERS, WHICH MEANS MORE RETAIL SALES.
This blast of in-store activity paves the way into the busiest season of the year for IBA – Christmas, where shoppers can enjoy an ease of shopping and fabulous gifting ideas.
“The Instore Excellence Program running in IBA retail stores is a true win/ win/win. For shoppers, it is putting stock weight of promoted lines that represent true value right in front of them instore.
The spring launch is jam packed full of exciting activity, supporting supplier partners and retailers. It kicks off with a Father’s Day campaign for The Bottle-O,
The opt in program rewards retailers with increased incremental sales, and additional retailer incentives, and has seen almost half of the IBA network across IGA Liquor, Cellarbrations, The Bottle-O and Porters stores sign up. Members are experiencing an average of +20 per cent increase in sales during the program period – success all round.
Commenting on the program, Gaudry said: “In marketing, our way of Championing Successful Independents is to make raving fans of our brands. We literally wake up each day and try to think of ways to drive foot traffic to our stores. “The in-store excellence program is a brilliant initiative that not only serves the needs of shoppers in making our stores more shoppable, but has the added benefit of meeting the needs of our valuable suppliers and retail members –a true three way win!”
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IBA is driving retail sales with the In-store Excellence Program (IEP)
A Drinks Trade Promotion
Simon Cleave, National Category Manager at ALM.
For retailers, it is driving increased sales of our main promoted lines, and enhancing our value with shoppers (whilst being rewarded with additional rebates). For suppliers, it is amplifying existing promotions that are called out in ATL media and external store poster boards, with great stock weight and off-location display in-store to maximise the return on promotional investment,” said
this aligns with the brand campaign ‘Good Value,’ with POS material on displays focusing on good value gifts, for good value dads. Meanwhile, the Cellarbations approach focuses on ‘Good Shouts,’ shouting dad his favourite drinks for Father’s Day. Footy Finals follows suit with the displays sporting ‘good value booze, for good value fans,’ showcasing good value fans from all different walks of life cheering on their teams. Josh Gaudry, General Manager Marketing at ALM, added: “We’re
rooting for the team our adorable Yia Yia (grandmother) is cheering on!”
On offer to members are display solutions to suit their store needs. Small, medium and large modular units are available, or the option to utilise an existing gondola end in-store. Point of Sale material is rotated monthly over the program period and elevates key shopping occasions.
Angove views the vineyards as more than just the source of our grapes. It is a holistic system of interconnected organic prosperity. The vine is important, but the health of the entire environment contributes to the best-tasting organic grapes. At no stage during the grape growing and winemaking of Angove Organic wines are synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilisers or inputs of any kind used. Everything comes from nature, pure and clean.
A Drinks Trade Promotion
“We are starting to see a rise in more educated consumers who possess a deeper understanding of tequila’s diversity and depth of flavour. At Patrón, we are noticing Australians are using their newfound tequila knowledge to become more refined drinkers, trading up in cocktails like the iconic Margarita, which continues to be a hit. People are now swapping the traditional silver base for a super-premium aged tequila, used in popular cocktails such as the Tommy’s Margarita”, said Joey Chisholm, Patrón Execution “AustraliansManager. are wanting to know how their tequila is crafted, what is in it and how to drink it. We have seen a trend with consumers trading up and finding enjoyment in the rich flavours and aromas of aged tequilas. Extremely versatile and perfect with food, aged tequila can be enjoyed neat, bringing out a smooth and complex flavour, or to elevate classic cocktails,” added Joey. More information on the Tequila market in Australia can be found on page 32 in Melissa Parker’s report into the category.
The Angove commitment to preserving the environment extends beyond the vineyard and winery. Angove has planted 700 indigenous trees and shrubs at its vineyard in McLaren Vale and 4700 at the winery. With the Angove winery located on Australia’s largest river system, they are signatories to RAMSAR, working to protect and improve the wetlands found at their vineyard.
Patrón Tequila, the world’s leading ultra-premium tequila, recently hosted Tequila loving Australians at the Patrón Hacienda X Casa Merida Experience in Potts Point, Sydney. The event highlighted the growing interest in premium tequilas and the depth of flavours available. Australia is the world’s third biggest tequila consumer per capita, behind the United States and Mexico. This rise in demand for tequila products has seen Australians wanting to ‘trade up’ and Patrón has been at the forefront of this premium tequila movement.
Organic agriculture and synthetic fertilisers cannot work together, so organic compost is used to add nutrition to enrich soils and ensure they are growing the most flavourful wines possible. Cover crops are grown in vineyards to help prevent erosion, provide beneficial insect habitat and improve soil fertility.
PROUD SPONSORS OF AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC AWARENESS MONTH IN SEPTEMBER, AND AS THE LEADING PRODUCER OF CERTIFIED ORGANIC WINES IN AUSTRALIA, ANGOVE FAMILY WINEMAKERS ARE COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY IN THE VINEYARDS AND WINEMAKING PRACTICES TO ENSURE THEIR LEGACY AS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS LIVES ON FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
New Products drinks trade 19
Patron Tequila Highlights Drinkers Trading Up
In McLaren Vale, Angove encourages microbats to live among the native gums surrounding the Warboys Vineyard as a way of naturally controlling pest insect species. The wild bee colony and managed beehives contribute to the organic management of the vineyard by acting as insect security guards, making the beneficial insects feel safe and protected and encouraging them to stay and defend the vineyard. The resident Indian Runner ducks are also on parade during the wetter months of the year, helping to control the snail population that, if left unchecked, make their way into the canopy to munch on the new buds and young soft shoots.
Angove Supports AwarenessOrganic
For Angove Family Winemaker, it is about putting more back into the environment than you take, all with a focus on crafting the best tasting wines possible.
The Rieslings
The Pinot Grises
Kicking summer into gear, Clare Valley’s Kilikanoon has released its 2022 whites and rosés. The six new offerings are evenly split into the Killerman’s Run signature range at $22 a bottle and their single vineyard range at $25 each.
Peter Lehmann Wines add to Portrait range
Kilikanoon’s New Releases a Rare Display of Value & Terroir
Despite sharing a medium body, silky texture and ripe fresh fruit core of strawberries and watermelon; the similarities end there, with each wine differing greatly in poise and nature. While the fruit of the Killerman’s Run is supported by peach and floral notes, the single vineyard Rosé—the Second Fiddle—reveals red liquorice and mixed spice. The added complexity is supported by a slightly fuller body and longer finish, making it ideal for wine connoisseurs who want to spend time analysing. The Killerman’s Run on the other hand is a certified crowd pleaser, and its brighter fruits make it well suited to all occasions and crowds.
Peter Lehmann Wines have added two new varietals to the Portraits range; A Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Grigio. Released in time for spring, both wines come from the Adelaide Hills and are designed to express the varietal characteristics of the of the region, being vibrant and approachable in style. and approachable in style.
The Rosés
The Kilikanoon portfolio is distributed nationwide by Bacchus Wine Merchants.
Striking the balance between elegance and approachability with ease, these are light bodied wines with gentle spirits. Expect shared flavours of nashi pear, citrus, banana, and spice, with awesome initial acidity fading into plump fruit-sweetness. Whilst sharing similar flavours, they differ in how they fall across the palate. Whereas the Killerman’s Run is more confected and simple, the Skilly Valley single vineyard shows sharper acidity that takes longer to subside, leading into a significantly longer finish.
Despite its present-day diversity, the Clare Valley is best known for a single variety, Riesling, and Kilikanoon’s newest releases are a testament as to why. For $22 and $25 a piece, both are faultless examples of the style, with the Mort Block single vineyard wine displaying just a touch more complexity in how it morphs from start to finish. Both comparting the classic flavour profile of crisp apple, citrus, and an oyster-shell like minerality, the Kilikanoon wines aren’t dominated by their acidity: an aspect of Riesling sometimes off-putting to consumers. The Mort’s Block is slightly less showy in nature, with a basis of lime in place of lemon and green apple in place of red apple. They are, however, the most similar pair of the trio; and both are absolutely worth a try.
The Explore Drinks team had the opportunity to taste through the new releases.
New Products
The Sauvignon Blanc is light and crisp with aromas of passionfruit and subtle herbal notes. Lush tropical fruit flavours are balanced by a clean and crunchy acidity on the finish.
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The Pinot Grigio has has fresh aromatics of pears and white peach, opening to a textural palate displaying bright, juicy lemon zest and melon.
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The Sanpellegrino Tonica Citrus offers up fragrant hits of lemon and orange peel, supported by the signature bitter bark and delicate bubbles of Sanpellegrino tonic. It is a flexible and versatile tonic that pairs great with passionfruit and vodka or with rosemary and gin.
Iconic mineral water brand S. Pellegrino have released three new offerings in the premium mixers category, stretching their resources and experience in the nonalcoholic beverages sector to new horizons. Included in the August release is a ginger beer and two new tonic water varieties, each retailing for $8.50 per pack of four.
added to S. Pellegrino’s Essenza flavoured sparkling mineral water range: Blood Orange & Black Raspberry. The new release joins the largely successful Lemon & Lemon Zest and Tangerine & Wild Strawberry flavours. The Essenza range is 100% Calorie free and offers subtle fruit flavours atop S. Pellegrino’s gentle bubbles. It also performs well as a non-alcoholic mocktail spritzer, a fact aided by its premium can design and feel.
Sanpellegrino Mixers Mixing up the Market
juniper-forward gin. Sanpellegrino’s new mixers present elegantly in 200mL glass bottles with labels that are both reminiscent of, and yet unique from, S. Pellegrino’s signature sparkling water. The blue is substituted for colours reflecting the flavours used, and the brand’s star symbol is embossed in the glass. The new mixers have been released under the brand’s Sanpellegrino label, joining a line-up of premium flavoured sparkling drinks including the Momenti and Naturali ranges. In conjunction with the tonic waters and ginger beer release, a new flavour was also
The Sanpellegrino Tonica Oakwood is an altogether different beast that is a uniquely original addition to the tonic category. Specially selected oak extracts impart a pleasant bitterness that harmonizes with traditional gin botanicals. It is the perfect pairing option for premium bottles of
The ginger beer, while designed with drinks like the Moscow Mule in mind, also performs well as a stand-alone beverage. It displays notes of finessed spice and citrusy freshness leading into a lengthy ginger finish. New to the tonic water category are the Sanpellegrino Tonica Citrus and the Sanpellegrino Tonica Oakwood.
The S. Pellegrino Essenza range is available at Woolworths and independent supermarkets at $15 for a pack of
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NOT LONG AGO, SIMON FORD FOUND HIMSELF ASKING QUESTIONS. IS THERE A GIN OUT THERE, SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD, VERSATILE ENOUGH THAT IT CAN BE USED IN ANY GIN COCKTAIL? IS THERE A REASON THAT GIN, A CATEGORY OF SPIRITS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY USED IN MIXED DRINKS, ISN’T CREATED WITH MIXING IN MIND? THESE QUESTIONS BECAME AN OBSESSION, AND THAT OBSESSION BECAME A BUSINESS MODEL. NOW, TODAY, THESE QUESTIONS HAVE AN ANSWER: FORDS GIN. A GIN REVERSE ENGINEERED FROM THE COCKTAIL BACKWARDS, ONE THAT HAS FAST BECOME A GO-TO FOR AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL MIXOLOGISTS WORLDWIDE.
Profile
GIN DESIGNED FOR MIXING: A DREAMBARTENDER’S
“Easily one of the Best New Gins I have tasted in the last 2 years.”
WhileFordnot a solo venture, the company’s namesake Simon Ford played a key role in the gin’s development right through from conception and philosophy to botanicals used and bottle design. A leading voice of the bar and cocktail scene for more than 20 years, Ford has travelled the globe working with and learning from some of the best brands, bars, and professionals on the planet. His experience ranges from judging global cocktail competitions to delivering seminars at prestigious conferences including the NY Food & Wine Festival and the Sydney Bar Show, and he has been profiled by publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.
For Fords gin, Simon paired up with 11th generation distiller Charles Maxwell, whose family first started making gin in London in the 17th century. Whether it’s
Botanicalswater.aresourced through Joseph Flach & Sons Ltd., and include juniper berries, coriander seed, lemon peel, orange peel, jasmine, angelica root, grapefruit peel, orris root and cassia bark.
If the 82 out-takes didn’t already bring your attention to the fact, a lot of work went into making this the ultimate barman’s gin. What’s most interesting about the process is that the team worked backwards, beginning with an analysis of the role each botanical plays in the various gin-based cocktails. From this came a preliminary recipe that was then systematically developed into the product on sale today. Fords’ London Dry gin was designed both for and around cocktails such as the Negroni, Martini, Gimlet, Pegu Club, Bee’s Knees, Gin & Tonic, Bramble, and the Singapore Sling.
genetics or just good mentorship, Charles has consistently produced award-winning gins over the years and was the first inductee to the Gin Magazine Hall of Fame. Master distiller at, and founder of, the contract distillery Thames Distillers, Maxwell and Ford entered a partnership that seemed destined for success.
quote from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge for Best London Dry Gin in 2019 read, ““A classic take on a London Dry formula, the symphony of beautifully composed botanicals is led by juniper handin-hand with coriander, grapefruit tang corrals a sweet almond-y softness in this that gin that makes it an excellent choice for dry martinis”.Themain reason Fords gin has been so successful is that it has added dependability to an often-sporadic industry sector. Whilst gin has expanded in every which way with unique fruit flavours and botanical profiles, little has been done to make the spirit more accessible and usable for the bartenders themselves, with just about every gin on the market begging for a different cocktail recipe to shine. What Fords brings to the table is simplicity and consistency: there’s no more bumbling about the bar trying to decide which bottle would best match which cocktail, nor is there any second guessing the base ingredient and wondering if it was an incorrect choice. Fords gin is a headache solver, a no-nonsense, reliable friend to
“I think that Fords was one of the first gins to take the feedback of the bartender community fully, we weren’t paying lip service, we were listening and responding to the feedback and adjusting and tweaking our gin recipe and bottle design accordingly. I know other products have solicited feedback from the bartender community, but I think we were the first to fully embrace all of the knowledgeable observations and suggestions we heard and to actually implement that into our final product,” said Simon
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mixologists worldwide.
Embodying their philosophy of making life easier for bartenders, the bottle itself has measurements embossed into the back for mixing on the fly. The front label features passport stamps corresponding to each of the approved cocktails listed above, a great selling point that helps explains just why such a gin hasn’t been crafted before. Even though the spirit itself has a common history, the cocktails hail from all corners of theAsglobe.one might expect with Charles Maxwell behind the stills, Fords is a traditionally crafted London Dry style gin made just a few kilometres away from Buckingham Palace. The nine botanicals are steeped in stills for 15 hours to focus flavours and release oils prior to distillation, a process that provides Fords with its signature weight and viscosity. The gin is then distilled for five hours in copper stills before being shipped to Newbridge, Scotland, where it is cut to 45% abv with pure spring
While the idea might seem simple, the execution was anything but. Gin cocktails vary greatly and hail from all corners of the globe, and so the task of creating a truly versatile gin was nothing short of monumental. It took his small team of cocktail and industry royalty at The 86 Co.—a spirits company he cofounded— more than 83 attempts to crack the code, and today that same blend of nine botanicals has earnt its reputation as the cocktail gin.
And, unsurprisingly, success followed. Since first release in 2012, Fords gin has gained an impressive suite of accolades including Best Gin at the 2015 Paris awards, a gold medal at the 2016 The Gin Masters awards, and 97 points at the 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. This popularity has resulted in substantial growth for the company, and hence, as of 2019, they now form part of the prestigious Brown-Forman portfolio.Ajudges
Fords London Dry gin retails for $68.99.
Paul Pacult’s Spirits Journal ***** (5 stars)
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“I genuinely mean this when I say we are out to win. Absolutely. I encourage a strong competitive environment.”
CREATING A HIGHER ORDER –DANNY CELONI.
I’ve been fortunate to be touched by so many amazing leaders, people who actually back you. My thoughts are leadership happens at all levels. We need to empower and motivate our people to be leaders and have the ability to make decisions. We have great talent in our business; we talk about talent in every single leadership team. Our intent on leadership is to make sure we show up for our employees because if we do that in a way where it’s genuine and authentic, and we create opportunities and
WORDS BY Melissa Parker
Veiwpoint
career paths for our team, they’re going to stay the long haul. I only joined six months ago, but I’m fortunate enough to be in an organisation where there are long tenures, and now it’s my obligation to take this business to the next level.
DANNY CELONI, CEO OF CARLTON & UNITED BREWERIES (CUB) TALKS SHOP, HIS PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY AND UNPACKS HIS GOAL TO CREATE A HIGHER ORDER FOR THE FUTURE SUCCESS OF THE BEVERAGE SECTOR.
Working towards a greener planet is so important to consumers now. What is CUB doing in the sustainability space? What I love about Asahi is sustainability is ingrained in the fabric. It’s not only the right thing to do for the environment, but our consumers expect it. And the proof in the pudding is what you deliver. Our Yatala Brewery Plant is one of the biggest solar projects in the country. We put 7000 solar panels on the roof over 15000 square metres and can deliver 150 million bottles a year through a sustainable energy source. That was a considerable investment, it wasn’t a
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What are your thoughts on leadership?
It’s Thursday lunchtime in the beer garden at the Glenferrie Hotel in Hawthorn. It’s a CUB pub, and there is a shiny copper ‘fresh tank’ of Carlton Draught above the bar full of unpasteurised beer piped directly from the brewery. Built in 1888, the pub was wellestablished when in 1907 five breweries, including the Carlton Brewery, merged to create Carlton & United Breweries. It is an appropriate setting to meet the new CEO of Carlton & United Breweries, Danny Celoni. Six months in as head of one of Australia’s oldest and most iconic brewing companies, Danny has spent a career in beverage from Diageo to PepsiCo. He’s done the hard yards and gained a wealth of knowledge and talks frankly about fulfilling his role’s obligations and the issues that matter.
Veiwpoint
How does CUB create value for customers?
Tell us what’s happening in the innovation pipeline for CUB? We’ll continue to focus on beer. Beer is our core product and to be honest, we think there’s still significant opportunity in beer growth. People think it’s mature, but we still believe there’s opportunity through a number of different plays. There’s a real premiumisation opportunity in innovation, and we see that play out in multiple categories, but we want it to play out in beer in a much more defined, deliberate way. One of the avenues for us has been through craft beer; our craft partners and acquisitions. We’ve typically taken these acquisitions and tried very hard not to incorporate them into the CUB list. People are prepared to pay for this proposition because it’s really unique and shows up in a bespoke way. We are driving premiumisation through that end. The other element of innovation we’re looking at is what we call pack-price architecture and thinking about certain occasions we’re trying to drive and how we bring the right pack-price architecture to an occasion. If it’s just for me, do we have the right single offer? If it’s for us, do I have the right 30-pack offer? Suppose it’s for a couple of people. Do we have the right pairings with a particular product with a specific snack to ensure we’re again showing up for the innovation agenda that connects itself to incrementality and innovations? My team and I are less interested in the innovation that’s duplicative and cannibalistic, or innovation that moves share from one supplier to the next because that’s just a share shift. I’m hoping the industry shows up with the mindset of, ‘How do we expand this category? How do we bring innovation to the table that truly creates new occasions?’
direct payback, but it was done because it was the right thing to do. We know that if we can stay anchored in that, consumers will observe it, and we’ll feel good about it. We’ve got a Linfox electric truck delivering our beers; again, less pollution in the marketplace. It’s on trial but still delivers about one hundred thousand bottles /cans per week, but the intent is to scale up. If we can drive our logistics forward in a way that would put a solution out there, what a great outcome for our environment. More broadly, for Asahi, and this is one thing Robert Iervasi (CEO Asahi Beverages Oceania) led, which I think is really impressive, is the construction of the biggest recycled PET plant in the country, in a joint venture with other partners. It’s got the ability to deliver a billion bottles of recycled products into the marketplace every year. So, if you think about that, I mean a billion bottles that normally would go into landfill. Robert expects me to deliver against it and play a role in it. It’s a genuine part of our strategy and one that we will continue to invest in and enhance every time we go to market.
and if we really focus on category expansion and occasion expansion, the whole industry will grow.
Our starting point is— how well we understand what our customer is trying to achieve - not a CUB or Asahi agenda. Then we can get clear on what initiatives we bring, such as category growth drivers, innovation or activations that help with particular opportunities or issues. We need to get under the skin of their core strategies and initiatives while understanding obstacles that inhibit them from delivering the desired results. Then we connect our strategy to theirs through joint business planning and take a long-term view.
Our intent is on customer value creation, our innovation pipeline, what innovations are relevant to the customer, and the agenda they’re trying to drive. Many customers say, ‘Look, I understand what you’re doing with
“…I’m fortunate enough to be in an organisation where there are long tenures, and now it’s my obligation to take this business to the next level.”
Congratulations on winning the Category Management Award at The Australian Drinks Award. What is CUB getting right in this area? We have to be absolutely obsessed with growing categories and expanding because a competitive battleground will always play out. For us to be true partners with our customers, they need to see we’re coming to the table with initiatives that drive more penetration, frequency and better consumption through creating occasions. Ultimately, our customers need to feel we’re showing up. The team in the off-premise has done a lot of work on how we create more responsible occasions.
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One thing that works really well for us is our RTD portfolio. Cruiser continues to be a significant player. It’s an amazing brand, had a long tenure, and is still thriving. Another brand that has come through our craft breweries is Brookvale Union. That’s gone from strength to strength, whether it be Ginger Beer, or we’ve just launched the Pub Lemon Squash. It’s a significant play for us. We’ll be doing more in that space. We’re looking at innovation in the context of the core brands too. For quite some time, our innovation in the core brands has been - they’re big, doing well, leave them alone. We’re taking a different point of view on that now. We’re thinking about how we expand more from a price-tiering perspective and how we bring more profile to expand the shelves. The last space very interesting for us is cocktails and our work with Lexington Hill. We’re seeing real opportunity there, especially in the on-premise but also in the off-premise. People want more accessible cocktails and the ability to have cocktails where it’s easy to bring to life the liquid to create the occasion. What we’re doing in the RTD space is exactly that, particularly in the on-premise environment with taps. They can just pour a cocktail, put a garnish on it, and deliver a high-quality liquid, a great product to the consumer, but an easy way to dispense for the bar owners.
What can we do to drive more frequency and visitation, so our customers benefit? Off the back of that, we’re expanding volume
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if we didn’t create a portfolio that consumers want. Bringing to life the right portfolio that consumers love is the ticket to the dance.”
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What is your attitude to competition?
working with me, for me, in collaboration, and really listening to the way we need to address our business by bringing solutions that create value.’ We truly go from breakfast to after-dinner drinks. Our portfolio starts with the coffee and juice in the morning, to a non-sugar soft drink or water with lunch, through to after-dinner drinks with beers and spirits or whatever it might be. It’s truly unrivalled in that case.
I genuinely mean this when I say we are out to win. Absolutely. I encourage a strong competitive environment. I hope that our competitors, not only our direct competitors, but all alcohol players, think about how we come to the table with innovation, initiatives, and activations that drive
What is your future vision for CUB?
It is also about a multi-beverage offering, we’re mobilising behind delivering a onestop-shop solution so reps can walk into a bar and talk about your post mix, what you’ve got in your fridges, what you’ve got on tap, what you’ve got on spirits because our portfolio is broad stretching. If we focus on being a true indispensable partner, and I say indispensable with complete humility, it’s really about our customers seeing us as an extension of their business. You know, for me, success is when I hear a customer say; ‘the team at CUB just understand my business; I feel they’re
We want to be an indispensable trade partner. I really mean that. I wouldn’t be doing my job if we didn’t create a portfolio that consumers want. Bringing to life the right portfolio that consumers love is the ticket to the dance. For me, the evolution is to create a higher order, and the higher order in my mind is: what we do enhances our industry, what we do enhances the performance of our customers and what we do creates value for our customers and amazing occasions for people to experience. If we focus on the bigger picture, the delivery of portfolio growth will always play out, and I’m passionate about that. We’ve got the support of the board, we’ve got the support of Robert and it’s one (business) now. The way we talk about it now is how we enable a great organisation to become a truly exceptional organisation for every stakeholder. If we expand categories, drive value, make it easy to do business and deliver a one-stop-shop solution from a portfolio perspective, growth and P&L delivery will come. But you’ve got to stay focused on the bigger picture, and that’s creating an industry that’s exciting and sustainable into the future.
competition. I believe there are a whole bunch of great competitors out there. I think we can learn from what they do—we’re not going to have the arrogance to say that we know it all. When things make sense, we’ll get on the bandwagon, but we’ll also lead. I really hope the competition continues out there because it supports the industry.
your portfolio; what are you doing for me? How will my customers benefit from what you bring to the table?’ Our innovation pipeline considers that so we can deliver propositions that mean something for that customer, their customers, our consumers.
calories, are made with natural flavours and contain 4.5% abv for a really fruity and sessionable experience. At less than 1 gram of sugar and no more than 2 grams of carbs, customers need only need ask themselves which flavour sounds best.
Aflavour.FLAVOUREVERYONEFOR
And thus, Truly Hard Seltzer has been brought to our shores to offer us a range of flavoursome products for less than 95 calories. Whilst not the first company to task themselves with this challenge, the team here at Drinks Trade believe Truly Hard Seltzer to be up there with the best. In fact, we can’t think of a seltzer we have enjoyed more.
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Over the past few years, the seltzer sector has been absolutely sizzling across retailer shelves nationwide, with the low-sugar content and easy-drinking nature driving their appeal. As a result, the category has expanded in every which direction, with recipes ranging from brew-based beer-inspired formulas to lighter and fresher vodka-soda blends. But while most consumers have displayed at the very least a curiosity for the more health-conscious category, thus far seltzers have been lacking in one vital aspect:
A Drinks Trade Promotion
If you find yourself moaning in this very moment about how the industry doesn’t need another bland and characterless hard seltzer batting on the block, find comfort in this: the team at Truly Hard Seltzer thought the exact same thing. In fact, the brand only exists because they were disenfranchised with the category: they felt that low calorie beverages are a vital consumer need but in an industry of pleasure, taste must always be at theTrulyforefront.HardSeltzer sets itself apart by offering big, bold flavour that is guaranteed to get our tastebuds going. Each can proudly state they contain less than 95
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CAMPARI REPRESENTATIVE OR VISIT https://trulyseltzerau.com/
NATIONAL PROMOTION FOR LAUNCH To support the launch of the new Lemonade range, Truly Hard Seltzer has partnered with UK popstar Dua Lipa to offer shoppers a chance to WIN sold out tour tickets to one of her Australian shows this November. To enter, shoppers have to purchase any Truly 4 pack and visit the promotions page tohttps://trulyseltzerau.com/promo/at:enter. MAJOR PRIZE “WIN 1 OF 3 DUA LIPA VIP InclusiveEXPERIENCES”ofreturn flights, 5* Hotel, Double Pass Tickets plus Tour Merch. MINOR PRIZES Truly Merchandise to be won instantly over the promotional period DUA LIPA TOUR DATES BRIS: 5th Nov 2022/ NSW: 8th & 9th Nov 2022 / VIC: 11th & 12th Nov 2022 PROMO POS & DISPLAY High Impact in-store visibility is available to disrupt shoppers and drive Nationalpurchase.Consumer Promotion runs from 5th September 2022 – 24th October 2022
Truly Hard Seltzer is bringing the flavour this Summer with the launch of their zesty new Lemonade range, which mixes alcoholic seltzer, sweet lemonade and juicy fruit flavours in a hybrid drink designed for the Aussie summer. The bold lemon backbone really adds a punch of sweet-sour flavour that makes it feel sweeter and richer than it is, and it is hitting the market just as other hard-lemonade beverages have been gaining traction. Coming in two different flavours— Original Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade—this new range is effortlessly refreshing, and the bold black cans make the range easy to identify for shoppers. This new offering will likely appeal to all audiences as it breaks the status quo of the standard seltzer aesthetic. Truly Hard Seltzer is sure to have a flavour for everyone to discover within the new Lemonade range.
The classic seltzer range presents similarly to the lemonade range but in a white can, better suiting the category. Compared to a lot of its competition, the bold lettering and fruit images really stand out, reflecting the company’s focus on punchy flavours. Already one of the fastest growing US seltzer brands, it is expected to share a similar success in the less-established Australian market.
All Truly Hard Seltzer products come in 330mL slim line cans and cost $24.99 per 4-pack. A $50 mixed classic 10-pack is also available nationwide.
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Also in their portfolio is their Classic series, including fan favourites such as Lime, Watermelon & Kiwi and all-new Wild Berry and Pineapple flavours. As is true for all their products, the range is composed of natural flavours and zero artificial sweeteners.
A Drinks Trade Promotion
VERY FEW—IF ANY—WINE COLLECTIONS BY AUSTRALIAN PRODUCERS HAVE ESTABLISHED A REPUTATION AS SYNONYMOUS WITH DEPENDABILITY AND VALUE AS THE TAYLORS ESTATE RANGE. FIRST COMMERCIALLY RELEASED IN 1973, THE COLLECTION HAS GROWN IN SIZE AND SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO THE POINT WHERE AT LEAST ONE SKU CAN BE FOUND IN JUST ABOUT EVERY DOMESTIC BOTTLE SHOP. WHILE THE RANGE HAS UNDERGONE CHANGES OVER THE YEARS, ITS KEY ETHOS HAS REMAINED THE SAME: TO PROVIDE GREAT VALUE WINE THAT IS CONSISTENT YEAR IN, YEAR OUT. KEEPING THE BUSINESS STRICTLY FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED HAS ALLOWED THEM TO MAINTAIN THEIR STANDARDS.
ATTENTIONGRABSNEWCUVÉE’SBRUTTAYLORSLOOK
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“Our Chief Winemaker, Adam Eggins, has quite a notable history working in sparkling wine production, having worked
at Heemskerk as part of Louis Roederer in Tasmania. Adam’s gentle and respectful approach to winemaking and fruit handling carries across the entire portfolio at Taylors, and it’s no different with our Estate Sparkling. The traditional, bottle fermented style ensures the classic hallmarks of premium quality sparkling exude from the glass. It’s a clean, approachable wine with bright citrus and lifted floral aromas with underlying notes of toffee, almonds and hints of vanilla and rose water.”
The Taylors Estate Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut Cuvée has been turning heads for ten years with its consistency and value, and now enjoys a fresh new look in line with the other members of the Estate Label Range. The new look comes as sparkling wine is in strong growth, enjoyed by more consumers as a part of a wider variety of winemakerMitchelloccasions.Taylor,third-generationandManagingDirector, said, “Australians have embraced sparkling wine in a big way, drinking it for more occasions than the traditional celebratory bubbles. This has seen a broadening of the category to include many different sparkling styles from all across Australia and all price points, giving consumers more options to fill their flutes all year round. Our first release of sparkling wine in 2012 was an exciting move into expanding our Estate collection to offer more wine lovers more varieties at an exceptional value. Over the past 10 years, we’ve trialled different labels, and stylish bottle wraps to ensure the bottle stands out on the shelf. But we are very excited to unveil our new look Estate Pinot
Since its first release in 2012, Mitchell Taylor and the team have worked closely with the knowledge and know-how of Chief Winemaker Adam Eggins in crafting the TaylorsMadesparkling.inthetraditional method using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (52%/48%), Taylors Estate Label Brut Cuvée is reminiscent of its Champenoise siblings with a decidedly fresher temperament. Expect a fresh sparkling wine with some yeasty flavours caused by ageing on lees; length and structure from the cellar reserve Pinot Noir; and a vibrant lift from the Chardonnay. Fresh fruit and clean acidity are balanced with palate weight, leading into a moderate finish. With only 0.3 grams per litre of residual sugar, expect a dry, crisp, and clean wine.
Noir Chardonnay Brut Cuvée NV, which takes cues from our recent Estate white wine redesign, bringing in bright, light refreshment design features to reflect the refreshing nature of these beautiful wines.”
“The palate opens with fresh citrus zest and stone fruit, with a subtle honeyed toast and poached pear richness. It’s a beautiful wine to enjoy with fresh seafood - especially on a summer day,” said Taylor.
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The Taylors Estate Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut Cuvée retails at $22, the same as the other 10 wines in their Estate Label range. Also on offer are four whites, five reds and a rosé. Taylors sources grapes from across South Australia and meticulously blends them to maintain a house style. True to their values, transparency is always clear, with region information available both on the back label and online.
The Agave AGE OF
Tequila
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AGAVE SPIRITS ARE POPPING UP FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES, SUCH AS SOUTH AFRICA, CALIFORNIA, INDIA AND, YES, AUSTRALIA. WHERE THERE IS ABUNDANT SUNSHINE AND HEAT, AGAVE GROWS, AND WHERE AGAVE GROWS, AGAVE SPIRIT CAN BE MADE. SO, WHY IS THIS ENIGMATIC SPIRIT CAPTURING EVERYONE’S ATTENTION, HEARTS AND PALATES AND ARE WE ENTERING THE AGE OF AGAVE? Melissa Parker Reports
The first evidence of agave spirit production was around the year 250 AD when the Aztecs produced a ceremonial fermented milky drink from the agave plant called pulque. It was culturally important because they worshipped the plant and the
He says many factors are driving this boom in Australia, including escaping the realities of lockdown. “What better way to see through lockdown than to sit and shake a Margarita and pretend you are sitting on a beach somewhere in Cabo?” We couldn’t agree more, Joey.
For the sake of clarity, mezcal means ‘cooked agave’ in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. In essence, every agave spirit is a mezcal, including tequila. Mezcal can technically be produced with any of the other 252 types of agave that exist; however, around 50 are fermented and distilled for spirit, the most popular being Espadin, 85% of mezcal production. Mezcal also has the largest denomination of origin spanning nine Mexican states, the highest production in Oaxaca.
The Cuervo family built the first largescale distiller in Jalisco in the 1600s and, by 1758, had produced the first commercial tequila. In 1974 Mexico declared tequila the ‘intellectual property of Mexico’, and the appellation was established.
A bit of history…
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Agave spirit is a big deal in North America. For the past two decades it has experienced huge growth, which has slowed down to 20% in recent years – still huge. Proximity to Mexico means tequila and mezcal are part of the social fabric. Now the super-premium category is taking off. Celebrities are producing tequilas at the rate of shots (pardon the pun) to cash in on the tectonic tequila wave. Think George Clooney with Casamigos, sold to Diageo for $1 billion (the word is they made that back in three years), Dwayne The Rock Johnson with Mana, Rita Ora with Prospero, Nick Jonas with Villa One, AC/DC with Thunderstruck Tequila, and the list goes on. Outside of North America, it is on a 30 to 40% growth trajectory and taking over from gin and vodka, particularly in the Jetset cities of London, Barcelona, Paris and Mykonos, where sun, fun and parties are abundant, and there is always an occasion for a Paloma or a Margarita.
– Joey Chisholm, Patron Tequila
The five types of agave spirit are tequila, mezcal, raicilla, bacanora and sotol.
“When looking at trends, we thought it would be the summer of rum. How wrong we were. It’s super exciting to be part of the tequila boom.”
When looking at trends, we thought it would be the summer of rum. How wrong we were.
Call it the Margarita effect or agave aspiration, but Australia is embracing a whole new category of agave spirit, including its own. This ancient Aztec beverage is experiencing a burgeoning popularity and is slated to be the next big global white spirit. The Margarita is the number one cocktail in Australia, and tequila is the fastest growing spirit. Consumers are spoilt for choice with an increasing number of Mexican agave spirit expressions and styles available here, satiating a new demand.
Joey Chisholm, Execution Manager for
drink, the goddess of Maguey (the agave) and her husband, Patecatl, the god of pulque.Agave spirit is distilled from the heart of the agave or the pina. It is steamed or cooked until a juice called aguamiel is formed and then fermented for several days and distilled twice. Agave takes years to mature fully. The riper the pina, the higher the sugar content and the more superior the spirit.Believe it or not, agave is related to asparagus and grows well in rocky, dry land and scorching heat hence why it can be cultivated successfully in parts of Australia.
premium tequila brand Patron, says it is an amazing business to be part of right now.
The most famous mezcal is tequila. Tequila is the most regulated spirit in the world, and 99% is produced in Jalisco, Mexico. The other 1% comes from neighbouring states of Tamaulipas, Nayarit Guanojuato, and Michoacan. The best tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave. Tequila must be 51% Blue Weber agave to be called tequila. Any tequila with less than 100% Blue Weber is called mixto and is usually mixed with another spirit. Blanco, Plato, or Silver tequila is bottled immediately after distillation, clear in colour, and typically unaged. Although not typical, Blanco can be aged for up to 60 days in stainless steel vats for added complexity. Many consider this the purest of tequila styles where the character of the Blue Weber agave shines through. Reposado tequila is aged between two to twelve months in sealed oak barrels imparting colour to the liquid. Joven is a blend of Blanco and Reposado or aged tequila. Gold tequila is usually a mixto that
SOTOL
The Australian Agave Project, Bowen, Far North Queensland
Sotol is interesting because while it is considered an agave spirit is not technically made with agave. It is made with a relative of the agave called Dasylirion or Desert Spoon. Produced in Durango, Chihuahua and Coahuila it has a similar production method to mezcal and is still thrown into the agave spirit category for convenience. Endeavour Group has recently ranged a sotol in Dan Murphy’s called Señor Ensamble Sotol made from distilling three different wild-harvested Daisylirion plants. It’s like tequila but with a lot more earthy character, dry spice, smoky wood, and pine notes. Vanguard Luxury Brands once stocked Sotol and Raicilla and are looking to introduce these again based on consumer demand.
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has not been aged in oak but has a caramel colour from adding oak extract or sugar syrup to give colour. Añejo is aged between one and three years in oak barrels. Extra Añejo is aged for three years or more in oak. Cristillano is an aged tequila that has undergone a charcoal filtration process to remove the colour and return the liquid to a crystal clear appearance. The result is complexity and depth with the bright freshness of a Blanco.
TEQUILA
RAICILLA
Raicilla is mezcal made outside the DO of mezcal in Mexico. It originated west of Jalisco and is usually produced using the Rhodacante agave. It is distilled once and characterised by herbaceous and vegetal aromas and flavours. It is starting the gain popularity outside Mexico.
Tequila
Bacanora is an agave spirit that comes from the mountains of Sonora in northern Mexico but is not commonly
BACANORA
commercialised and exported. Once considered like a Mexican agave moonshine, it is now extremely artisan and boutique. It is available in Australia through Agave Lux, but more about them later.
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is available nationwide. Contact them on 1300 556 081 or admin@ebev.com
know from that moment we won’t be chasing payments. In fact, we’re often paid in only 3 days. It brings forward the sale ensuring accounts are not on hold during the payment process. It’s been invaluable in growing our trade business.”
Sabino Matera, national account manager from DMG Fine Wines recounts
Drinks Trade Promotion
The drinks industry is a unique space, driven by passionate people, innovation and relationships built up over time. The eBev ordering platform is designed to simplify the ordering process for thousands of hospitality venues, but it is also an invaluable tool to our suppliers, reducing admin and risk, but more importantly smoothing the sale.
Here we hear from two of our suppliers on what eBev really means to their business.
Other boutique Australian distilleries producing agave spirit include north Queensland distillery Mount Uncle with its Dirt Road brand sustainably crafted from 100% Blue Weber agave by award-winning local distiller Mark Watkins. Dirt Road offers a White and a Dark agave spirit and is available through major retailers such as DanTopMurphy’s.ShelfInternational (TSI), on the other hand, is entering the Australian agave spirit market on a grand scale through its Australian Agave Project. The project is underpinned by the Eden Lassie Blue Weber agave ‘spirit farm’ - an appropriate term coined by a TSI board member. The
Ben Meehan is the Victoria and Southern NSW State Manager for Brick Lane Brewing. “We sell to a lot of independent hospitality outfits, and while our beers really resonate with their audience, chasing payments & debt collection is not our area of expertise, it can be a risk. eBev has taken that out of the equation. We get new customers set up and credit checked in 30mins or less and
a story, “Our Sydney Rep and I were with Restaurant Hubert, they were super keen on a few wines, especially one that would fill a high-volume pouring spot on their list. The Sommelier requested a credit app, at which point we hopped onto eBev Trade to request a credit check, only to find the group were already in the system. That was it, order placed. No external interference, no waiting for the credit app to go through the back office. A simple sales process that ensured we didn’t lose the sale.”
Tangible benefits for your wholesale business. What the eBev platform really means to our supplierswe
naturalised agave to the one in the Americas is they don’t pollinate effectively here because we don’t have the bat species in America that does that for them. Our wild agave is, therefore, all clones of the original through a vegetative reproduction root division process.
“We only get one shot at the plant itself, and we try to harvest it at maturity just before flowering at maximum sugar. We distil in the style of mezcal,” says Stephen.
“Our name Asp ties in with the Black Snake story (and an abbreviation of Agave Spirit). The Americana has a 20-year-life cycle. We never expect to be big because we harvest from the wild. We have years of supply but follow the artisan approach.”
A few distillers in Australia have embraced making agave spirit from wild agave, which grows like a weed in the Australian outback. One of the first producers of agave spirit from the Australian agave was the couple behind Black Snake Distillery, Stephen and Rosemary Smith. Strictly an artisan producer, Black Snake produced agave spirit from the wild Agave Americana and Angustifolia growing on the property. The Black Snake range includes a Joven from Americana agave, Reposado, Añejo, an Ensamble made from two types of agave and a Pechuga, which involves distilling with spices, fruit and kangaroo protein. The products are available direct from the distiller or through Nip of Courage but can also be found behind bars in reputable establishments in Melbourne and Byron Bay worth their salt-rimmed Margarita glass.
Stephen Smith says Australia has a lot of potential for agave as there is something like 100 naturalised species of agave in Australia. He says the difference between Australian
AUSTRALIAN AGAVE
RRP: $100.00, available online and instore at all major retailers including Dan Murphy’s and BWS.
Patrón Reposado is distilled in small batches and rested in a variety of oak barrels for up to five months. Taking on a light-gold colour from the aging process, Patrón Reposado is alive with notes of citrus and honey. Drink neat, over ice or use Reposado to elevate fruit-driven cocktails like the Paloma.
More than 14,000 kilometres, and halfway around the world from Latin America, a significant number of Australians are opting for tequila as their spirit of choice. Today, tequila continues to be the fastest growing spirit segment in the country, with Patrón currently being the world’s number one ultra- premium tequila. Australia is in fact the world’s third-biggest tequila consumer per capita, behind the United States and Mexico.
enjoying a drink with friends, consider elevating your Margarita order to a Tommy’s with Patrón Reposado. Or if you’re a whisky drinker, try the Patrón Añejo - best served neat or for those that like to entertain at home, a Patrón Reposado Mile High Margarita ialways a crowd favourite.
TEQUILA DRINKERS TRADE UP WITH PATRÓN’S AGED VARIATIONS
For more information visit: www.patrontequila.com | @Patron | #TequilaPatron | #SimplyPerfect Always drink responsibly.
This rise in demand for tequila products has seen Australians wanting to ‘trade up’ when it comes to their beverages. Patrón has been at the forefront of this premium tequila movement, with the brand seeing increased demand from consumers for its super-premium aged Añejo and Reposado tequilas.“Weare starting to see a rise in more educated consumers who possess a deeper understanding of tequila’s diversity and depth of flavour. At Patrón, we are noticing Australians are using their newfound tequila knowledge to become more refined drinkers, trading up in cocktails like the iconic Margarita, which continues to be a hit. People are now swapping the traditional silver base for a super-premium aged tequila, used in popular cocktails such as the Tommy’s Margarita,” said Joey Chisholm, Patrón Execution craftsmanshipRenownedManager.forauthenticity,andpremiumtaste, each luxurious and handcrafted bottle of Patrón Tequila contains 100% Weber Blue Agave and zero additives, creating a quality and flavour that can be enjoyed through every sip. Using time-tested methods of ageing and harvesting, the dedicated team at Patrón nurture the agave plants for eight years at Hacienda Patrón in the highlands of Jalisco, before selecting only the best for production.Moreexclusively, Patrón Tequila represents a tried and tested technique in
PATRÓN REPOSADO TEQUILA
PATRÓN AÑEJO TEQUILA
Aged in a combination of French oak, Hungarian oak and used American whiskey barrels for no less than twelve months, Patrón Añejo offers an intensity of colour and taste developed during the ageing process. For those who enjoy an aged bourbon or a peated scotch, consider trying Patrón Añejo for its depth, richness, notes of smoke and caramel finish. Drink Patrón Añejo neat, on the rocks, or use it to put a twist on a classic such as an Old-Fashioned.
RRP: $115.00, available online and in-store at all major retailers including Dan Murphy’s and BWS.
achieving complex expressions of simply perfect aged tequilas. Sitting alongside the classic Patrón Silver, Patrón Reposado and Patrón Añejo are the two aged variations in Patrón’s core range, which are carefully distilled in small batches before being aged in a combination of French, Hungarian and American whiskey oak barrels.“Australians are wanting to know how their tequila is crafted, what is in it and how to drink it. We have seen a trend with consumers trading up and finding enjoyment in the rich flavours and aromas of aged tequilas. Extremely versatile and perfect with food, aged tequila can be enjoyed neat, bringing out a smooth and complex flavour, or to elevate classic cocktails such as the Margarita, Patrón Reposado Paloma or Old-Fashioned – just to name a few,” addedWhileJoey.out
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The TSI Australian Agave Project product is slated to be released in November 2023 if not earlier. The brand name has been decided and will be revealed before the end of this year. The range will be classical to start and then introduce a uniquely Australian product with a local twist down the“Weline. are very respectful of the founding fathers of Mexico – they have done a phenomenal job, but we would like to rewrite the playbook, push the boundaries, and see what we can do,” says Trent.
“When I first tried the R&D liquid, it had a beauty of something I hadn’t seen before. There is no reason agave should be isolated to one region, country, and terroir for all its life. We would love to take this to the next level for a new chapter for agave and take it beyond Mexico.
“Here in Australia, the bar has been raised considerably in recent times in terms of consumer choice and more are prepared to pay a premium for something exciting and unique, “ Trent concludes.
Business Development Director for Vanguard Luxury Brands, James France, says it will be fascinating to follow this journey. He says on the plus side, it will assist with sustainability since agave supplies in Mexico are under stress, but also says it will be interesting to see how countries like Australia deal with the high costs of farming and harvesting, which are far lower in Mexico. Vanguard stocks 100% Blue Agave tequila brands such as Batanga, Calle 23, Ocho and Fortaleza and mezcals Los Siete Misterios and Second-generationIlegal. Mexican Australian and founder of artisan Mexican spirit importer Agave Lux, Howard Baynie, expressed a similar curiosity. Howard is also an owner of distilleries in Mexico, including Jalisco, and wonders how the cost
Trent says the vision for the product is to win over the Australian market first and then take it overseas, where they will lean heavily on the terroir story as the point of difference.“Wewill lean heavily into the terroir piece. I embarked on that mission in 2015 when I built Volcan. I never understood that terroir existed in Mexico, and no one really went after that space as in the highlands vs
I have said for many years: good tequila is not an oxymoron! We also need to educate people that it’s not made from a cactus, there is no worm, and the official categories, including tequila and mezcal, can only come from designated parts of Mexico–James France, Vanguard Spirits.Luxury
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“Most people don’t understand why they like certain tequilas, and it is either the terroir or the way they are made. What is great is there is a lot of attention
farm is located just outside Bowen in Far North Queensland. Remarkably it is 20 degrees south to Jalisco’s 20 degrees north. President of the Australian Agave Project for TSI, Trent Fraser, says when he is at Eden Lassie, it feels like Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico where he spent years working on tequila brand Volcan. “The temperature, the humidity and the median rainfall are identical. The agave plant just loves the heat and an abundance of sunshine,” says Trent.
Tequila
So, what do some of the importers of Mexican spirits think of the potential of Australian agave spirits?
on the category, specifically around the bigger players and because of the celebrity movement. I’m not a big advocate for it, but they have brought a lot of eyeballs to the market, which is fantastic. Many people are doing exciting things, and hopefully, we can be a part of that in a different way.
Eden Lassie Agave Farm, Bowen, Far QueenslandNorth
lowlands vs single vineyard versions.
“I would say agave spirits are about 20 years behind whisky from a consumer standpoint,” says Howard. He says it helps to educate Australians by using wine as a comparison because we are all familiar with wine, and he says agave spirit is similar. “Once people understand the geographic indication, the varietal, where it comes from, who made it and what techniques, agave spirits are no different to the wine category.”“It’sthe next wine category, and we say that respectfully to wine, but the category has grown so much in terms of the repertoire of products you can choose from.
a night drinking tequila. “Super-premium products made the right way will lead to a more enjoyable experience.”
Ian Harris, CEO EBev, says the tequila category has shown substantial growth across the eBev platform despite the pandemic slowdown in the on-premise with spectacular sales results this year from their Espolon Tequila brand.
– Trent Fraser, The Australian Agave Project.
Rosemary Smith, Black Snake Distillery
“In five years, when the Australian agave is fully mature, we will have educated consumers on the quality spirit in the market and Australian agave,” says Joey.
Joey Chisholm thinks many consumers don’t understand they are drinking lowquality spirit when they pull up badly after
The collective opinion amongst producers, suppliers and retailers is Australian consumers need education on agave spirit’s complexities and nuances.
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We are very respectful of the founding fathers of Mexico – they have done a phenomenal job, but we would like to rewrite the playbook, push the boundaries, and see what we can do
“At the end of the day, the challenge is going to be price and if they adjust the palate of the product to suit an Australian broad appeal market or let the agave flourish and show its true colours. It will be an interesting one to watch.”
of producing Australian agave spirit will translate into the price per bottle compared to premium Mexican brands.
James France agrees we have a long way to go to dispel myths about the category and to educate people about the craft of these spirits. “Ihave said for many years: good tequila is not an oxymoron. We also need to educate people that it’s not made from a cactus, there is no worm, and the official categories, including tequila and mezcal, can only come from designated parts of Mexico.
For example, like the clones of a grape, there are more than 300 agave sub-species, and the terroir adds to the taste and sensory experience because the layers and the complexity comes from the plant.”
RETAIL
“People are finally becoming attuned to premium agave spirits. There is a whole new generation of agave drinkers who have thankfully not tasted the low-end mixto products that gave the entire category a bad reputation for decades.”
Once the domain of the on-premise, agave spirit shows new growth in the off-premise sector. France says despite continuous growth for the category at Vanguard, they finally see stronger demand in the retail sector.“In the past, agave was about 80% onpremise in the super and ultra-premium sector. The majority of retailers had very little interest in them, and many baulked at the price point,” James says.
Harris says: “Total value in the category grew by 19% in 2021 from 2020 despite COVID headwinds, with 2022 full year forecasts looking like a 38% YoY increase. 1800 Tequila saw a large increase in the on-premise buyer base seeing a 47% increase in 2021 over 2020. Espolon Tequila is flying in 2022 with a 522% increase year to date, almost entirely with its Blanco Tequila. However, the biggest brand is still Jose Cuervo with 44% of the total category, followed by Don Julio, both rail pour favourites.”Thenext decade will be an exciting one to watch for the development of this category in Australia. Expect to see consumer interest in agave blossom and the Maguey worshipped through the ceremonial drink the Margarita or make that a Paloma, or maybe a Tequila Sunrise. The ancient Aztecs would be proud. MP
In the spirit of sharing his knowledge, Howard invested time over lockdown setting up the Agave Lux Agave School on his company website. It is an excellent resource for bartenders and retailers interested in diving deep into the craft of agave. A fluent Spanish speaker and ex-resident of Mexico, Howard knows his stuff.
EDUCATION AROUND AGAVE SPIRIT
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WORDS BY CODY PROFACA
With a new industry norm set, many independent retailers have jumped on the bandwagon, in some instances even stashing boxes of Russian products aside to wait for the political tension to end.
WHAT HAS AUSTRALIA’S BOYCOTT ACHIEVED?
WHAT DOES A BOYCOTT MEAN FOR CONSUMERS?
It’s also important to note the symbolic value of a vodka boycott. Vodka has long been entwined with Russian politics, with the nation’s state-run vodka monopoly only ending in 1992 with the fall of the Soviet
Few news stories have animated the global market as much as the Ukraine War.
Union. In fact, for the centuries stretching from Ivan the Terrible to Tsar Nicholas II, no less than one-third of state revenue came from domestic vodka sales. Thus, removing Russia’s gift to the world from the international market is a direct strike against the very heart of the nation and is as powerful through symbolism as it is through economics. Furthermore, extended periods without access to Russian vodka pose the threat of disrupting the connection many consumers have of vodka being an inherently Russian product, discrediting the nation in a uniquely sentimental way.
In a quest for solidarity, multinational corporations from Coca-Cola through to Marks & Spencer have halted operations in Russia, and countries as far-reaching as Switzerland and the Bahamas have imposed trade embargoes in a unified effort to wound Russia’sAustralia’seconomy.drinks industry is no exception. Endeavour Group (Dan Murphy’s, BWS, Jimmy Brings and
BoycottsRussianDampeningSpirits THE VODKA WAR:
Vodka
AS THE WAR ON UKRAINE ENTERS ITS SEVENTH MONTH WITH NO END IN SIGHT, CODY PROFACA DELVES INTO THE IMPACT BOYCOTTS ON RUSSIAN PRODUCT ARE HAVING ON THE VODKA RETAIL MARKET.
Surprisingly, not much. IWSR data reveals that, in 2021, not a single Russian company landed in the top 5 vodka brands by volume worldwide. In fact, in the USA—the world’s 2nd largest vodka market—only 1% of vodka consumed is of Russian origin. In Europe that figure is 3%. Besides Russia itself, the UK, Germany, the US, and Israel are the next 4 biggest consumers of Russian vodka by volume, however IWSR notes that quantities are relatively small. With Australia’s consumption being even less
more) was the first to act, removing all Russian products from shelves at the end of February. Aldi Australia and Coles Group (Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Cellars) followed suit just a few days later, with Metcash (IGA Liquor, Cellarbrations, Thirsty Camel and The Bottle-O) declaring that all corporateowned non-independent liquor stores would cease stocking Russian products.
While vodka might seem like a small drink in a big sea, the collective impacts of boycotts across the board and across the globe have already left their mark. As a result, Russia’s economy is expected to contract by 10%.
“I think any brand or any company should reflect on their own company values and what they stand for and therefore why their consumers and customers and partners and employees and etcetera do business with them.”
Whilst Australian liquor retailers have been grabbing both the public’s eye and
Stoli’s history has long been entwined in Russian politics, a fact both exacerbating their Russian stigma and reinforcing their stance against it. To this day, Russian company FKP Soyuzplodoimport produces a vodka in Russia under the Stolichnaya label.
MOVING FORWARDS
Vodka is a growing category in Australia. IWSR findings forecast a 2.8% compound annual growth rate of Vodka by volume between 2019-2024, with a 4.8% growth in the premium and above category (>$47.50). This is significantly higher than the estimated 2% growth of spirits overall.
With the market currently expanding rapidly with a Russian-sized hole in its core, there is a chance other nations will fill the gap in the market and begin the slow process of deconstructing the synonymity between Russia and vodka. Buying habits change fast, and, with the war ongoing, there is yet to be any talk of returning Russian products to shelves. Even with the end of the war, it is likely that Russian vodka will carry a stigma that will permanently reduce its long-established shelf space in bottle shops worldwide.“Idothink it’s going to take a while to come back, and there will be a significant impact for them, but that opens up opportunities for brands like ourselves to fill that void, as I’m sure other vodka brands feel the Whateversame.”occurs, it is unlikely Russia’s vodka industry will suffer any drastic collapse. Despite being the third largest exporter behind Sweden and France, 93% of Russia’s vodka is still consumed internally. In other words, vodka would likely become to Russia what it has been throughout history: a drink of the nation for the people, a national treasure to be treated on the
significant, a vodka boycott is very much a symbolic affair. This means very little change at the cash register for the majority of consumers.Furthermore, a lack of Russian vodka on the market is unlikely to leave any significant gap in the sector. Vodka at its best aspires to be a neutral and clean spirit, and because of that location and terroir aren’t all that important. Instead, the base starch used, the quality of ingredients, and the attention to detail will have greater influence over the end-product. Whereas Poland uses rye and the Finnish use barley, Russia and most other nations predominately use wheat. Should a cocktail recipe call for Russian vodka, consumers can confidently substitute in any other wheat-based vodka.
“Mr Shefler, our owner, has been up against President Putin fighting for the Stoli trademark since the year 2000.”
global market in a manner coincidental with political sentiments. This is only likely to change if consumer sentiment changes. When political tensions eventually start to ease, this will be an interesting space to watch.
SHOULD THE DRINKS INDUSTRY BE POLITICAL?
international headlines for their proactive boycott, Stoli is very much paving the way for brand-led campaigns in the industry. Two of their initiatives to date include a limited-edition Ukraine bottle with all proceeds going to the World Central Kitchen and the recommencement of closure-cap production in Ukraine.
While customers won’t face too much of a change at the checkout, a select few companies marred by misconceptions of being Russian are feeling the brunt of the boycott. Formerly Russian brands Smirnoff and Stoli have felt the weight of their past despite now being based in USA and Latvia, respectively.TimSnozyi, the Global Vodka Category Leader at Stoli—formerly Stolinchnya—says the name change decided within the first week of conflict was unavoidable.
“Literally,sales. a week or so after the initial invasion, our founder made the decision.”
“People assumed that because of our name being Stoli—Stolichnaya—and our Russian heritage, that we were still in fact, a Russian brand, and so we did have an initial dip in
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022 AUSTRALIANTHEDRINKSAWARDS2022Brand-FanFavouritessponsoredbyManildraGroupBrand-GaininginPopularitysponsoredbyIRICorporateSocialResponsibilitysponsoredbyEndeavourGroupInclusiveandDiverseWorkplaceAwardsponsoredbyColesGroupMostImprovedGenderEquityAwardSupplierAwardsCategoryManagementsponsoredbyBevChainSupplyChainManagementsponsoredbyGS1MostImprovedSuppliersponsoredbyALMSupplieroftheYearsponsoredbyAdvantageAustraliaSYDNEY, 28TH JULY - FORTY-THREE AWARDS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO AUSTRALIAN PRODUCERS AND SUPPLIERS AT THE 10TH ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS INCLUDING 36 BRAND AWARDS, THREE CONTRIBUTION TO INDUSTRY AWARDS AND FOUR SUPPLIER AWARDSSUPPLIER OF THE YEAR, MOST IMPROVED SUPPLIER, CATEGORY MANAGEMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT. WORDS BY IONI DOHERTY. drinks trade 43
love. The top 200 drinks brands identified by Dan Murphy’s ranging and ALM withdrawal data are automatically entered into the competition - Chris Papadimitriou, Director, Thrive Insights.
FAN FAVOURITE AWARDS sponsored by Manildra Group
WINNERS
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
The Fan Favourite award has legendary status in the drinks industry – celebrating iconic beloved brands that Aussies have fallen in love with and can’t get enough of. Fans across the nation connect a shared fondness for these delicious top drops – and you’ll know why at first sip. These award-winning cherished brands deserve a spot on your shelves – all are brilliant combinations of premium quality, craftmanship, flavour and technique - Debbie Forster, Head of Ethanol, Manildra Group.
BEER & CIDER
Classic – Victoria Bitter Contemporary – Great Northern Premium – Corona Extra Craft - Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale Non-Alc – Heineken 0.0 Cider – Somersby Non-Alc Cider – Kopparberg
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The Brand Awards are divided into two categories - Fan Favourite and Gaining in Popularity. Winners are determined by research undertaken by Thrive Insights via a survey of over 4,000 target consumers. The awards are distributed across Beer, Cider, Wine, Spirits and RTDs categories. It’s the second year for the Fan Favourite Nonalcoholic Award in each category and the first year for the Fan Favourite Seltzer award.
Carlton & United Breweries has made a big comeback this year, winning four of the seven possible Fan Favourites awards in the Beer and Cider categories. Firstly, VB wrestled back the title of Fan Favourite Classic Beer, having been briefly toppled by XXXX Gold in 2021, while Great Northern continues to dominate the Contemporary Beer category winning again this year for the third year running. Corona Extra regained the top spot for Beer – Premium which was awarded to Lion’s Heineken last year, while Lion won Fan Favourite Craft Beer with the award going to Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale, just ahead of James Squire One Fifty Lashes (also Lion) which won the award last year.
BRAND AWARDS
This year it seems drinkers are a bit more adventurous, seeking new and interesting products. The Gaining in Popularity award showcases this perfectly with some exciting brands taking out these awards. Japanese beverage brands remain highly desirable, with brands from Japan winning awards in Beer and RTD. Smaller brewers are also well regarded by consumers, taking out awards in Craft Beer and Cider. Non-alcoholic drinks categories are becoming more competitive, with a growing range of zero% alcohol options. Winemakers, brewers and distillers are now offering a wide selection of exciting and full flavoured alternatives consumers
SPIRITS
WINE
We are delighted to sponsor the Australian Drinks Awards ‘Gaining in Popularity’ category. At IRI, an organisation dedicated to helping brands to drive growth through enhanced understanding of consumer behaviour and the broader market, this category is about recognising and celebrating the brands that do this the best. The past year has been a year like no other and at IRI we are pleased to see so many wonderful brands in contention, from well-known household brands through to new market entrants. This year’s awards show us that innovation, insights, agility and action are alive and well and have helped so many drinks businesses to not only survive over the last year, but to thrive. Well done - Chelsey Peace, Marketing Director, IRI.
White Wine – Kim Crawford Rosé Wine – Cupio
Sparkling – Brown Brothers Champagne - Moët & Chandon
Cider – Golden Axe Cider
White – Oyster Bay Rosé – Squealing Pig
Dark – Jim Beam Bourbon & Cola Light – Vodka Cruiser Originals
Dark – Jack Daniel’s Light – Smirnoff
WINE Red – Penfolds
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
Non-Alc – Gordon’s 0.0 % Gin with Tonic & Lime
Non-Alc – Wolf Blass Zero
Non-Alc – Gordon’s Gin 0.0
wine, RTDs and cider.
BEER & CIDER Classic – Reschs Pilsener
SPIRITS
Contemporary – Miller Chilli Blood Orange
Premium – Kirin Ichiban Craft – Your Mates Larry Pale Ale
Light – Minus 196 Double Lemon Shochu Vodka & Soda
GAINING IN POPULARITY sponsored by IRI
The Gaining in Popularity award showcases emerging and interesting brands with a number of challengers this year. This award always generates considerable interest, and this year is no different with some exciting brands taking out this category - Chris Papadimitriou, Director, Thrive Insights.
Red Wine – Paxton Vineyards
Dark – Brookvale Union Spiced Rum & Ginger Beer
Penfolds and Oyster Bay remain the favourite red and white wines for Australian wine drinkers while, TWE’s Squealing Pig has taken the lead as Australia’s favourite Rosé. Brown Brothers is again the Australian fan favourite when it comes to Sparkling. Thrive Insights’ research shows that Moët & Chandon is head and shoulders above its competition as the favourite Champagne brand among consumers. Wolf Blass’ brand strength is on show in the non-alcoholic wine category. It hit the market in October 2021, rapidly found its feet and became Fan Favourite. This year we are seeing strong competition in the nonalcoholic wine category, after McGuigan dominated the category last year.
RTD & SELTZER
WINNERS
Sparkling Wine – Purple Reign Premium Brut NV Champagne – Louis Roederer
The Gaining in Popularity awards reflect consumer engagement across spirits, beer,
In the premium beer category, Kirin Ichiban, one of Japan’s most beloved brands, has been a hit amongst Australian beer drinkers, while the distinctive Your Mates Larry Pale Ale is a craft beer to watch, taking out Gaining in Popularity Craft Beer award - Chris Papadimitriou, Director, Thrive Insights.
Dark – Twenty-Third Street Whisky Light – Aviation American Gin Aperitif/Liqueur – Hellyers Road Whisky Cream Liqueur
Aperitif/Liqueur – Baileys
Heineken 0.0 was awarded Non-alcoholic Fan Favourite Beer again this year. CUB’s Somersby Cider is again the clear Fan Favourite Cider in 2022 and Sweden’s Kopparberg Non-Alcoholic Cider is the favourite non-alcoholic cider for consumers this year.
Seltzer – Smirnoff Seltzer
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Thrive says Cupio in Rosé and Purple Reign in Sparkling have proven popular in their respective categories. Joval Wines’ Louis Roederer, one of the last, family-owned producers in Champagne gained the most in popularity this past year, ahead of last year’s top three Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon and G.H. Mumm.
RTD
WINNERS
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
THE AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS IS ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THIS EXCITING AND DYNAMIC INDUSTRY OF OURS. POST-COVID THERE WAS A BUZZ TO BE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN IN REAL LIFE.
SOCIALS
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
WINNER Taylors Wines
Family-owned winemaking business, Taylors Wines was awarded the 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility award. Global Brand Manager, Joanna Blaszczyk accepted the award from Endeavour Group’s CEO Steve Donohue on behalf of the family-owned wine company.
sponsored by Endeavour Group
Taylors Wines has made significant investments in water conservation, energy
We at Endeavour are very passionate about the topic of sustainability. We are very focused on our imprint: the imprint we leave on others, the customers that we have the privilege of serving and the communities that we are lucky enough to operate in…It is clear that sustainability is deeply woven into the long-term strategic plans at Taylors. I’ve known that for as long as I’ve done business with them, so it’s a real pleasure to announce that Taylors has won the Corporate Social Responsibility Award – Steve Donohue, Managing Director, Endeavour Group.
efficiency, vineyard health and waste reduction. For a medium-sized company, over the past 12 months,Taylors has made very substantial steps to improve its performance and champion sustainability.
Judges said that their submission excelled as it demonstrated a commitment to sustainability in the winery’s strategic business alignment, support and action at the leadership level, and in fact at all levels of the business and demonstrated the impacts, metrics and outcomes of its sustainability agenda. Importantly, it positions the family-owned winery as a role model for industry, showing that wineries don’t need to be big to make an impact.
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The Corporate Social Responsibility Award recognises an organisation’s unique initiatives and strategies demonstrating a commitment to socially responsible principles. In the case of Taylors Wines, it is their industry leading
Taylors was certified by the newly established Sustainable Winegrowers Australia in February this year, announcing the installation of 270 solar panels on the Jaraman Cellars at its Clare Valley winery at the same time.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITYSOCIALAWARD
I am absolutely thrilled and proud of the team at Taylors Wines. As a family business we take very seriously our CSR as we hand our business from one generation to the next. The team have worked tirelessly in best practice in our environmental credentials and it is an exciting journey that we have embraced across all facets of our Taylors Wines, from water in the vineyard through to winery energy savings and packaging breakthroughs. We are also proud to support our marine life with helping to save the endangered white seahorse - Mitchell Taylor, Winemaker and Managing Director, Taylors Wines.
commitment to environmental sustainability that brought the award home to the Clare Valley winery. Taylors Wines came in ahead of brewing giant Asahi Beverages by the narrowest of margins.
Mr Taylor penned a note to the Australian government in October last year, ahead of UN Climate Change Conference – COP26 – calling on them to keep temperature rises well below 2°C, the family has lobbied governments and it was the first Australian independent winery to sign to Science Based Targets initiative committing to reduce emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050. It should also be noted that the family-company was one of this year’s finalists for the Most Improved Gender Equity Awards at the Australian Drinks Awards.
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
Taylors was the first winery in the world to create a 100% carbon neutral wine range in 2009, in the same year attaining ISO14001 certification for its Environmental Management System. The business has made significant investments in water conservation, energy efficiency, vineyard health and waste reduction and its commitment to sustainability is embedded within all layers of the business. Its approach is multi-faceted covering climate, land and sea-based initiatives.
Treasury Wine Estates
WINNER
INCLUSIVEMia
Congratulations to Treasury Wine Estates. This business demonstrated outstanding employee engagement and consultation, leadership in personal and professional wellbeing, clear example and success of flexibility in working and training and development, innovation through mentoring programs, sustainability and corporate values and principles that incorporated cultural change to diversity and inclusion -
We’re thrilled to again be recognised by the Drinks Association as an industry leader in inclusion, equity and diversity. They’re values at the very core of our organisation. Embedding inclusion and equity as a mindset in every role at all levels of our business globally creates diversity of all kinds: gender, cultural background, age, experience and thought. While there’s still more to be done as an industry and society, we’re proud to be leading the charge. Inclusion, Equity and Diversity is foundational at TWE. With a vision to build a globally inclusive team, TWE builds upon its existing foundations to “elevate the capability and confidence of leaders and consolidate our collective commitment to IE&D by integrating it into everything we do – Michael Jackson, General Manager ANZ and Global Channels, TWE.
• Re freshing its commitment to IE&D,
firmly anchoring IE&D in human rights and sustainability
• Im proving its ways of working to drive inclusion, such as developing its approach to blended work; globalising its Domestic & Family Violence Policy and seeking feedback on Mental Health to improve a sense of belonging and care.
Treasury Wine Estates was awarded the Inclusive & Diverse Workplace Award for the second year in a row. Mia Lloyd, Head of Trade at Coles Liquor, presented the award to TWE’s General Manager ANZ and Global Channels, Penfolds, Michael Jackson, who was in Sydney to attend the event and also accepted the Fan Favourite award for red wine for Penfolds. Ms Lloyd had also been on the judging panel and said the bar was set high for this category, describing the submissions as “outstanding” and making it a difficult call.
Lloyd, Head of Trade at Coles Liquor.
AND DIVERSE WORKPLACE AWARD
sponsored by Coles Group
• L ifting the capability and confidence through specific programs for leaders and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Today, inclusive leadership training has been delivered to almost 200 people leaders and Empower Me training to more than 25 high potential female leaders.
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
• En gaging with employees, consumers and communities, such that in 2022, 70 per cent of employees report feeling included at TWE and 80 per cent report they feel they can be their authentic self at work.
TWE is recognised by the AFR as one of the Best Places to Work, is certified as a Great Place to Work in the UK and Treasury Americas was recognised as one of the Healthiest Employers of the Bay Area (4th in the mid-sized firm
drinkscategory).trade 49
Since 2021 when TWE announced it was in its DNA to focus on behaviours which create inclusion and a sense of belonging for all, it has built upon those foundations and engaged with employees at all levels of business. This includes:
Bacardi’s impactful and considered approach to improving female representation sees it win the Most Improved Gender Equity Award. This year saw four finalists contend for the award, each determined by data derived from the Embrace Difference Council’s Scorecard which showed that Campari, Taylors Wines, Moët Hennessy and Bacardi made the most substantial gains in gender equity this past year. But it was the Bacardi submission that got it over the line.
diverse and equitable drinks industry - Kelly Eastwell, People and Culture Director ANZ,
We are so proud and really honoured to receive this award on behalf of the whole Bacardi team - as a collective team we live a culture of belonging and inclusion and through our continued efforts have created the opportunities for greater gender equity across the business. We’d also like to congratulate our fellow finalists as we’re all working toward celebrating a more
WINNER Bacardi
inclusive work environment and overall “Theculture.focus on gender equality, equity and parity within leadership roles and more, so female representation on the ANZ executive team (where we achieved and have maintained 50:50 representation in 2020) has been targeted, focussed and yielded the momentum desired.
MOST GENDERIMPROVEDEQUITY AWARD
• Bespoke education programs and professional development opportunities for its people
50 drinks trade
Additionally, paid parental leave is now referred to in gender neutral terms, there is continued support toward adoption leave, miscarriage, domestic violence, and mental health, all supported by a wellbeing Inallowance.itssubmission, Bacardi said: “We have kept focused on our strategic commitment to create and enable a more diverse and
• Tailored mentoring and recognition programs underpinned with workplace flexibility
the initiatives implemented by Bacardi include:
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
• An overhaul of its recruitment processes in order to enhance female representation.
“We commit to continuing the steps to further evolve, working collaboratively, focused strategically and executing with Thisexcellence.”isthesecond year that the Most Improved Gender Equity Award has been presented to the company showing the most improvements in gender equity. Prior to 2021, the award was known as the Gender Equity Award.
SomeBacardi.of
• Drives category growth
CUB’s excellence in Category Management supported by their high-quality insights and an objective approach to driving growth has been recognised for years by their trading partners. They are a very deserving winner of this award. Collaboration between suppliers and retailers on Category Management can be a powerful combination for achieving growth.The discipline of Category Management continues to be the most significant area of underperformance, and therefore biggest improvement opportunity, for liquor suppliers in Australia. The Category Management Award is designed to recognise the supplier who represents best practice capability, and who retailers consider exemplifies their expectations from the industry. Liquor suppliers have some of the best knowledge and passion for their consumers of any companies in the world. Suppliers who can bring that knowledge objectively to work with retailers to jointly create category development plans are likely to win disproportionate support - Steve Andrews, General Manager, Advantage Australia.
We are thrilled that our work in Category Management has been recognised in the 2022 Awards. This award reflects CUB’s commitment to expanding the beer category and creating value, including by unlocking new occasions and delivering initiatives that excite consumers and drive them into stores and venues Our major focus is to create value for customers and partners, and we are committed to listening to them and showing up for them in the way they need us to. We are very pleased to have been acknowledged in this way and we look forward to taking it to the next level together - Danny Celoni, CEO of Carlton & United Breweries.
Carlton & United Breweries has continued to show leadership in Category Management for several years now. BevChain is proud to support an organisation that leads the way in the beverage sector with this critical expertise and strong customer focus - Misha Shliapnikoff President, BevChain
SUPPLIER AWARDS
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• Customises initiatives to differentiate the business
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022
• Provides objective insights for category Thedevelopmentawardiscalculated by the above measures being aggregated and ranked. CUB scored 40 in Category Management.
MANAGEMENTCATEGORY sponsored by BevChain WINNER Carlton & United Breweries
The winner of the Category Management Award is chosen according to the results of the annual Advantage Engagement Program and the purpose of the award is to recognise the increasingly important discipline of Category Management.
For the first time this year, the Category Management Award was measured according to the following measurements:
Advantage notes that category management is a key contributor to the retailer supplier interface and so becomes important in measuring how suppliers are perceived when it comes to retailer engagement.
Carlton & United Breweries has won the Category Management Award for the first time since the award was introduced in 2020. It recognises the “critical competency of category management, including planning to meet category objectives, providing valuable insights, optimising category assortment and shelving”.
Accolade Wines set out to become the most customercentric supply business in Australia. Over the last two years, we have put our energy in collaborating with our customers on shared metrics, asking for help when needed, and working together on mutually beneficial outcomes. The Supply world has been hit with unprecedented challenges over the last 12 months, COVID, pallet shortages, natural disasters, global shipping pressure, cost increases on raw materials and I could go on. Yet it has been our ability to stay in front of these challenges, work with our customers, and respond accordingly to deliver against our shared ambition. I’m so proud of our Accolade Wines team, their resilience and determination to turnaround our performance in a very short amount of time. A big thank you again to our customers for their continued support – we couldn’t be prouder - Joe Russo, General Manager Supply Chain & Operations, ANZ, Accolade Wines.
Australian Vintage Limited takes the top award for the second year in a row and for the first time, Accolade Wines is on equal footing for the win.
The winners of the Supplier Awards are determined via Advantage Australia’s Engagement Program of on- and off-premise retailers. A supplier will win the Supply Chain Management award based on the highest Advantage Score by combining all supply chain measures. The award recognises excellence in the capabilities and behaviours for managing both short- and longer-term supply complexities in collaboration with retailers and wholesalers, as well as the ability to consistently drive high quality service outcomes and deliverables.
an efficient, collaborative and innovative supply chain is being recognised across the industry. Putting the consumer at the heart of everything we do is core to our strategy and winning this award is aligned with that. As always, we really appreciate all the feedback we receive from our customers via Advantage and we are excited to continue to improve and optimise our supply chain management even harder into the future - Jeff Howlett, General Manager at Australian Vintage Limited for Australia and New Zealand,
Accolade Wines and Australian Vintage Limited
Supply Chain Management Award. AVL and Accolade Wines have won this award because they have demonstrated exceptional skill around the fundamentals of supply chain management as well as an ability to collaborate with partners. Nothing happens in supply chain without collaboration. A recent Deloitte study showed that 79 per cent of companies with high-performing supply chains, achieved above average revenue growth. An efficient supply chain leads to a better customer experience which has a flow-on for sales activity, but also a reduction in claims and other disappointments which can tarnish a business relationship. This keeps costs down and drives improved business performance - Maria Palazzolo, GS1 Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer.
We’re really proud to receive this award for the second year in a row. This reaffirms that the hard work our incredible team has been doing to create
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022 52 drinks trade
sponsored by GS1
JOINT WINNERS
It’s unusual but fantastic to see two suppliers recognised this year for best-in-class supply engagement. During a time of persistent challenges in maintaining supply continuity, retailers have appreciated both Accolade’s and Australian Vintage’s proactive supply communication, speed and agility in addressing supply issues and opportunities, and doing what they say they will do regarding service levels - David McLoughlin, Client Director, Advantage Australia.
SUPPLY MANAGEMENTCHAIN
As GS1 manages the most widely used suite of global open supply chain standards we are delighted to have the opportunity to support the
The Supply Chain Management Award was sponsored by GS1, in a partnership intended to drive industry standards and improve business and supply chain efficiency in the drinks industry. This year is the third during which supply chain and logistics managers have weathered a storm of unpredictable conditions including the continuing pandemic, warehouse and transport staffing problems, timber shortages, business and transport costs, expensive raw materials, energy costs spiking and the war in Ukraine.
Brown Family Wine Group has won The Most Improved Supplier of the Year Award in 2022. The award is calculated by taking the largest change in rank from all suppliers rated by retailers and wholesalers in the Drinks Association’s Advantage Trade Engagement Program. The family business moved twelve spots up the scale to tenth position. The Most Improved Supplier Award was introduced to the Australian Drinks Awards in 2018 to celebrate suppliers who have successfully set and executed a plan of improvement and been acknowledged by retailers for improving their professionalism and delivery across the entirety of their commercial relationship.
Brown Family Wine Group
MOST SUPPLIERIMPROVED
through rigorously doing what they say they will do. This reliability has made them easy to do business with, which is the highest priority for retailers in their supplier relationships as they have been navigating the difficulties of recent years - Steve Andrews, General Manager, Advantage Australia.
Brown Family Wine Group has been recognised by their trading partners for building trust
channel and account management, it is a genuine full team commitment that has led to valuable customer relationships and to bringing the best possible experience to life for consumers. Across our entire business we continue to build a much deeper understanding of our customers strategies and priorities, and we have changed the way in which we engage customers with a category first approach allowing us to have more meaningful top to top strategic conversations and aligning our strategies for joint growth - Shane Bulluss, General Manager of Australia and New Zealand, Brown Family Wine Group.
sponsored by ALM WINNER
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022 drinks trade 53
Every organisation strives for improvement in performance, so it is a real honour to be recognised among your peers as having made the greatest gains. Congratulations to Brown Family Wine Group - John Barakat General Manager Retail & Wholesale Operations, ALM.
At Brown Family Wine Group, we consider the annual Advantage Report as a critical sounding board to ensure we deliver continuous improvement in the way we work with our customers. The customer remains at the heart of everything we do and over the last 12 months we have made significant changes to our planning cycle to ensure we engage our customers much earlier, working together on joint solutions that grow the entire category whilst engaging shoppers and consumers on their journey into wine. The company has more to do in this area, but the entire team is delighted that their significant efforts have made such an impact this year and been Fromrecognised.grapegrowing, supply chain, logistics, category management, and brand marketing to
The Australian Drinks Awards 2022 54 drinks trade
in December to become Global Chief Supply Chain Officer, completing the global Executive Leadership Team.
in May as well as winning the Most Improved Supplier of the Year award at the 2021 Australian Drinks Awards.
Another outstanding result for Accolade, this year converting their Most Improved award into the overall Supplier of the Year, not to mention also sharing the number one position in Supply Chain. Retailers have seen their customer-centric approach take off over the last few years, describing them as a partner who employs proactivity, collaboration and reliability in their approach to doing business David McLoughlin, Client Director, Advantage Australia.
SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR sponsored by Advantage Australia WINNER Accolade Wines
The business underwent a leadership overhaul in 2020. Along with Mr Clarke joining in February that year, Robert Foye was appointed Global CEO, Joe Russo took on the role of General Manager of Supply Chain and Operations, ANZ, and Derek Nicol relocated from the UK to Australia
At Accolade Wines, we are obsessed with three things – serving our customers, constantly innovating, and making great wine! We have some of the best global talent in our business who are focused on these areas, and it is working. We all know it has been a tough year. But it’s in times of challenge and crisis that leaders are made. In the last two years, Accolade has become the best supplier in the industry as nominated by our customers, launched sustainable new products, brands and marketing campaigns that consumers love, and we have one of the best wine portfolios in the world. I am hugely proud of every person in the ANZ team for the work they have done to get here, and we are focused on doing everything we can to work with our customers to continue to deliver our great wines to wine drinkers everywhere - Robert Foye, CEO, Accolade Wines.
This has been great recognition of the hard work from everyone at Accolade over the past the two and a half years. I am very proud of our team and the journey we have been on to get here. All of that said, today is not taken for granted. We know we still have a lot to do to achieve our goals, but winning awards like this tells us that we are doing all the right things in the eyes of our industry. - Andrew Clarke, Regional Managing Director ANZ, Accolade Wines. Accolade’s win follows the business being named Endeavour Group’s Large Supplier of the Year
It is the first time Accolade Wines has won the Supplier of the Year award in the ceremony’s ten-year history. Regional Managing Director, ANZ, Andrew Clarke is now two and a half years into his tenure at Accolade during which time he and his team have prioritised customer service, implemented proactive customer communication and been responsive, persistent and agile when it comes to adapting to the changing consumerdemands of the past two years.
CÔTES DE PROVENCE COTEAUX D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE COTEAUX VAROIS EN PROVENCE VINSDEPROVENCE.COM
In contrast to almost the whole of the rest of the world, Australia saw growth in Champagne sales in 2020. This momentum continued in 2021, with volumes reaching 9.9 million bottles (up 29.7% compared to 2019), to a value of €160.0 million (up 40.9%). Over the last decade, turnover has increased by 8.5% a year on average. New Zealand even passed the million-bottle mark for the first time (up 46.9% vol). Discussions around the growth in the prestige Champagne category were of interest, with Moët’s Dom Perignon and Ruinart both now on tightly controlled allocation. The number of producers exporting to Australia is up from 261 to 304: quite simply we can’t get enough of a good thing.
THE ANNUAL DRINKS TRADE SPARKLING AND CHAMPAGNE PANEL TASTING IS ALWAYS AN EVENT. THIS YEAR WE WERE KINDLY HOSTED BY THE TEAM AT THE OLD FITZ BISTRO, PART OF THE ODD CULTURE GROUP, A PERFECT VENUE FOR CELEBRATORY WINES TO BE POPPED AND A CHANCE TO DISCUSS ALL THINGS SPARKLING.
The sparkling category, (excluding Champagne and Prosecco) is also bouncing back hard from the pandemic, eBev reports its largely on-premise customer base grew Australian sparking sales by 46% between 2020 and 2021, with a forecast incremental growth in 2022 of approximately 21%. The team at Accolade support this insight, seeing the key drinking occasion for sparkling as no longer the weekend, with consumers looking for a little luxury early in the week.
&ChampagneSparkling
Tasting Panel 56 drinks trade
With a crack team of panellists from all corners of the trade we split the samples into their respective subcategories and tasted blind. Each team then came together to award a consensus score and to identify the best wines in each category. Quality was excellent, and whilst only the top scoring wines feature there are many more that only just missed out.
OUR EXPERT PANEL OF TASTERS
MJ VAN VUUREN
Strategic Planning Pernod Ricard
LOUIS POMMERY ENGLAND BRUT
Winemaker/IndustryConsultant
On PremiseManagerChannel MoëtAustraliaHennessy
• Very toasty and rich aromatics. Starting off with Flint and dabbling in butterscotch. Moreish custard apples with plenty of body - IM
TRAVIS FULLER GM Kilikanoon Wines
ZOE BRUNTON HeadMonopoleSommelier
SCOTT MCWILLIAM
• Bright light, green hints. Juicy green fruits, kiwi apple, super fresh. Textured with good length - SM
• Baked potato, fresh bread and honeyed nose. Toast, chamomile, fresh fuji apples on palate. – LH
94 Pts – Gold
MICHAEL MCINTOSH
DAVID MESSUM
Winepilot & AustralianThe
MUMM MARLBOROUGH PRESTIGE
ARRAS BRUT ELITE
• Toasted/aged wine notes, round mouthfeel with very good lengthDOR
ROMAIN STAMM
SPARKLING BRUT NV
ANGUS HUGHSON
Store Manager Darlinghurst Fine Wines
LILY HORNEMAN
CHARLIE SIMPSON
BusinessManagerDevelopment
95 Pts – Gold
• A nose to dive deep into, bright red apples delving into flor like characteristics. Ripe orchard fruits finishing through with green fairy floss - IM
JACK GLOVER Marketing Director Accolade Wines
DEAN O’REILLY
94 Pts – Gold
ABHI AYARE Head Sommelier 66 King Street
Business Development Manager – Champagne MoëtAustraliaHennessy
IMOGEN MURPHY
Sommelier Manon Brasserie
FWP Accolade Wines
Winemaker, Awards Judge, Consultant
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Founder Virtuous Vines Importer
• Autolytic, stone fruit on nose. Bright crisp fruit, long fine finish. Well structured, balance of fruit and autolytic notes. Standout. - MJVV
HOUSE OF ARRAS VINTAGE ROSÉ
SPARKLING ROSÉ
95 Pts - Gold
CHANDON VINTAGE 2016
96 Pts - Gold
SPARKLING BRUT VINTAGE
• Lean zesty, lemons, touch drying. Fine lemony finish. Very very fine - TF
SPARKLING BLANC DE NOIR & BLANC DE BLANC
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YARRA BURN PREMIUM CUVÉE
• Pale salmon pink. Good precision and focus of fruits, complex autolysis. Lots of autolysis, fresh, vibrant, well made with a silky finish – AH
ARRAS VINTAGE 2013
• Lovely! Oaky ambition, must be aged, but the fruit is still hanging on, looks more BdN in earnest but excellent – CS
ROSÉ NV
96 Pts – Gold
• Bready, mushroom notes and wilting lilies on nose. Well balanced acidity and mousse, lemon cake, white florals. Very good. - LH
• Elegant stone fruit, saline spray nose. Autolytic, saline minerality and seamless stone fruit. Elegant, well structured, long finish. Slight lifted note. - MJVV
93 Pts - Silver
Tasting Panel
JANSZ TASMANIA SINGLE VINEYARD
• Elegantly lifted in the glass, attractive chalky sea spray note. Really beautiful fine bead structure. Lovely soft but firm phenolics. Longer finish. Extremely well balance of fruit and autolytic characters and very harmonious - ZB
• Strawberry, red apple skin, bright and clean. Pure reds and fine textural complexity. Juicy length - JG
HOUSE OF ARRAS BLANC DE BLANCS 2013
• Pale bronze, complex honeyed toasty aromas - shortbread. Youthful bright cleansing acidity, tight, powerful, long, built to last. Young and will age well - AH
• Good intensity and concentration. Tightly wound and fine through a lemon citrus, sea spray finish – TF
95 Pts - Gold
92 Pts – Silver
CHARDONNAY VINTAGE 2016
• Almond and marzipan, honeyed nose. Very elegant developing nose. Good balance and length. Honey, texture, balance, good acid, some age. - RS
95 Pts – Gold
95 Pts - Gold
96 Pts – Gold
CARBON CUVEE CARBON BRUT NV
NICOLAS FEUILLATTE RESERVE
EXCLUSIVE BRUT NV
• Scented with poise and layered red fruits. Lovely back palate purity and summer berry complexity. – JG
BOLLINGER PN TX17
Tasting
• Orange hues, pretty with fine bead. Good acid and lifted red fruit, yum. Celebration wine. - DM
BOLLINGER ROSÉ
• Great colour, pink with sweet fruit nose, oak complexity, delicate bitterness carries flavour long - CS
97 Pts – Gold
JACQUART MOSAIQUE ROSÉ BRUT
CHAMPAGNE NV
• Pale pink - Solid, fresh, long, solid line. Lots of fun there, power length. Very good – AH
60 drinks trade
96 Pts – Gold
• Very pretty and uplifting. This is elegance at haute couture level.
BLANCCHAMPAGNEPanelDENOIR
• Developed honey, honeysuckle, flint. Yeast and croissant dominant, great acid, creamy. Well balanced wine with good acid & flowers aromas – RS
• Cream, butter, honey & dill. Textural, very refreshing, cream & dough. Great length. Elegant & delicate. Highly refreshing. Honeysuckle finish. – RS
DE SAINT-GALL LE TRADITION NV
• Yellow nectarine, brioche - nicely balanced. Rounder style, good acidity, persistent - ZB
CHAMPAGNE ROSÉ NV
• Little restrained on nose. Strawberry, apricot, fresh yeast on palate. Powerful and building. One of the top BdN - RS
• Pronounced nose, red apple, lemon, baked bread, mushroom. Good flavour concentration, Ripe fleshy fruit, great persistent acid line.
95 Pts – Gold
• Lots of reserve wine here. Richness of brioche, butter and toast. Umami mushroom and truffles. For more than a couple of glasses it needs food but wow! Exceptional complexity! – MM
• Soft and yeasty aromas, belying a fresh and brioche focused example. With yoghurt like acidity this showcases power and finesse. Bold and beautiful. – MM
DE BLANCS GRAND CRU NV
• Refined primary fruit with a Herbaceous kick of lemongrass on nose. Elegant mousse with girth in the mid palate of cracked macadamia nuts. Moreish finish being quite persistent. Very Tertiary - IM
• Elegant signs of autolysis followed up with ripening citrus fruits. Rich flaky puff pastry topped with fresh caramel, macerated pears, wet stone and moreish salinity - IM
96 Pts - Gold
• Lifted, complex, bready brioche nose. Generous, big fruit, long - SM
96 Pts – Gold
CHAMPAGNE BLANC DE BLANCS
94 Pts - Gold
MOËT & CHANDON GRAND VINTAGE EXTRA BRUT 2013
BLANCS 2015
DE SOUSA AVEC LE TEMPS BLANC
95 Pts – Gold
• Tight and zesty with citrus pith and evolving nuance. Building depth and direction. Lengthy – JG
• Great concentration, layers green apple, pear and biscuit. Bright, fine and long - TF
• Lifted bright, clean fresh with complex toasty pastry brioche nose. Sweet sour tartness, with delicate complex fruits, great length refreshing – SM
CHAMPAGNE AYALA LE BLANC DE
• Rich and full, interesting style. Lots of autolytic appeal, toasty. Some oak slightly drying the finish. - TF
• Great mousse and fine bead. Buttery and yeasty with supporting citrus pith notes. Fine profile and weight. Everything you look for in vintage Champagne. - DM
95 Pts - Gold
97 Pts – Gold
BOLL & CIE GRAND CRU EXTRA BRUT VINTAGE 2010
• Developing autolytic notes, unctuous softness with racy citrus drive. Very good - CS
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• Great buttery brioche, bready notes. Fine, complex mousse and mouth feel. Lots to give, citrus, white blossom notes, mineral finish. Excellent – DM
CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE
VINTAGE 2008
• Pale colour - Lovely fine autolyticalmost a smoky diesel character. Lovely wine, long, vibrant, has time – AH
POMMERY GRAND CRU ROYAL
NICOLAS FEUILLATTE PAL MES
• Stone fruit, toasted brioche nose. Fresh, fine and bright acidity well balanced on palate. Linear profile and tension with long finish. - MJ
D’OR BRUT VINTAGE 2008
62Prosecco drinks trade
PROSECCO
IS BOOMING. CONTRIBUTOR WINSOR DOBBIN VISITS THE ITALIAN WINE REGION TO EXPLORE BEHIND THE SCENES. WORDS BY Winsor Dobbin
The Lowdown on Prosecco from A to DOCG
In the beautiful Prosecco region, in the hills of the Veneto above Venice, they make sparkling wines that have challenged the previously unrivalled popularity of those fromAndChampagne.Italiansparkling wine sales have soaredWithpost-pandemic.productionapproaching a billion bottles a year, Prosecco is all the rage in wine bars across the world with the entry level Prosecco DOC wines offering freshness and immediate drinkability.
Prosecco is often enjoyed as a spritz (mixed with Aperol or Campari) or with peach juice, as part of the classic Bellini cocktail. It is usually made from the indigenous glera grape (itself sometimes known as prosecco), although other varieties areWhileallowed.the bulk of Prosecco DOC is grown on low-lying plains in an extended area covering 23,300 hectares, the DOCG Prosecco Superiore is grown exclusively on hillside vineyards – and the fruit is always hand-picked.Butwhatdifferentiates Prosecco from the plethora of sparkling wines in the marketplace? Visits to industry giant Villa Sandi, medium-sized producers L’Antica Quercia and La Tordera and boutique Mongarda gave an insight.
Which is a problem for produces of higher-quality wines from Prosecco, who struggle to differentiate their wines from the cheap and cheerful offerings.
In the Prosecco Superiore DOCG region in the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene: the locals were desperately poor until the wine
Overboom.the course of the centuries the continuous labour of man has modified the morphology of the countryside, creating unique scenery characterised by vineyards that create a patchwork on the hillsides.
Viticulture is exhausting and difficult because of the slopes, some of which have gradients of up to 70% and which force growers to conduct vineyard operations almost exclusively by hand.
Prosecco has been one of the wine industry’s global success stories over the past two decades, but Italy’s most popular sparkling wines remain much misunderstood.
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The Italian method for making sparkling wines calls for re-fermentation in autoclaves (large, pressurised tanks). The Charmat
There is a long history of winemaking here, dating back to Roman times, and the School of Oenology and Viticulture in Conegliano was founded in 1876. It was the first of its kind in Italy.
The name Prosecco is derived from a village near Trieste, but the wine style is produced in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giuli regions, largely around the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in the impossibly picturesque rolling hills north of Treviso.Theregion was named a UNESCO World Heritage region just three years ago. It is dotted with medieval walled towns and cities and old churches with frescoes and mountainous backdrops.
“The vineyards are in very difficult locations – which means we always have to pay attention,” says Stefano Gava, chief winemaker at Villa Sandi.
Visitors can take detours off the La Strada di Prosecco tourist route into sleepy hillside villages where the odd wild boar still roamsParticularlywild. in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG zone, this is some of the most expensive vineyard land in Italy.
and wine producers here run the gamut from small farmhouse makers with just a few rows of grapes on steep slopes to those with historic mansions like Villa Sandi, which dates to 1622 and is one of the grandest wine estates in Italy. Many of the producers are still family owned and operated.
In 1962, a group of 11 producers created the Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco from Conegliano Valdobbiadene, drawing up production regulations designed to safeguard the quality and image of their wines.In1969, this consortium obtained Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and in 2009 that of Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), the highest recognition of quality for Italian wines.The producers decided to highlight the name of the region, placing before that of “Prosecco” the name of the area’s most significant towns: Thus, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore was born.The DOCG area is characterised by a geomorphological shape known as a “hogback” - a series of steep, rugged slopes extending in an east-west direction, interspersed with small parallel-running valleys.The wines here are made either as fully
The whole region is a gourmet paradise
method, known as the Martinotti method in Italy, makes the wines cheaper to produce than Champagne, where the secondary fermentation occurs in bottle.
In the central part of the pyramid there is Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Towards the top of the pyramid, we find Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, including star vineyards known as Rive.
Prosecco is made in many styles.
A tiny amount of Prosecco is made as a still wine, but extraordinarily little of it makes its way outside the region.
Prosecco sparkling (spumante) or lightly sparkling (frizzante), in a range of dryness but while DOC wines are best consumed when the wine is as young as possible - and certainly within a couple of years of production – while DOCG wines are usually more complex and can age for up to a decade.
Putting it simply: wines labelled DOCG are posher Prosecco. Only 16% of Prosecco wines are DOCG certified.
A quality pyramid has at its base Prosecco DOC, grown largely on flat lands in nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions.
Within that zone the finest wines come from the tiny Cartizze commune, with absurdly steep vineyards where the grapes must be hand-picked and then transported via a pulley system.
The Spumante (sparkling) version is the iconic type of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.
Extracontent.Brut has residual sugar between 0 and 6 g/l, while Brut can have residual sugar between 0 and 12 g/l.
Cartizze comes from an area of barely 108 hectares, subdivided among more than 100“Onegrowers.ofthe major issues that we have as a region is teaching consumers how to differentiate between the different levels of Prosecco and to identify DOCG wines as the best available,” says Consorzio director Diego Tomasi.
In 2019 another style was recognised: Sui Leviti (On the lees), is now the name used for Prosecco Col Fondo (with sediment) – made in the ancient bottle fermented style.
The yeasts that give the name to this type of wine fall to the bottom of the bottle in which the refermentation takes place.
At the summit of the pyramid, there is Superiore di Cartizze DOCG, the “Grand Cru” of Conegliano Valdobbiadene.
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It is, very confusingly, produced in four fundamental styles: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry and Dry, depending on residual sugar
Extra Dry, the region’s traditional version, has residual sugar between 12 and 17 g/l while Dry is not really dry at all, with residual sugar varying between 17 and 32 g/l.
In much tinier volumes than for the fully sparkling version, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco is also produced in the frizzante (semi sparkling) and tranquillo (still) styles. In these cases, the name Prosecco is not followed by the adjective Superiore.
Since the first plantings in 2000, five other King Valley winemakers have followed suit -including Brown Brothers, Chrismont, Pizzini, Ciccone and Sam Miranda.
Wine lovers might also consider Relais Le Betulle, a country hotel overlooking the vines and olive groves; Our Rustica: a rustic retreat and hands-on cooking school run by Anglo-Italian couple, and Relais Ca Milone: a charming country house B&B and restaurant in the centre of a 10-hectare wine estate.
Tucked away in a quiet corner in the high country of north-east Victoria, the King Valley is a little slice of Italy Down Under.
Prosecco is a DOC or DOCG white wine produced across nine provinces in northern Italy. It is named after the village of Prosecco in the province of Trieste. It is made from the Prosecco grape (renamed Glera in 2009) but local rules allow up to 15% of the wine to be other permitted varieties.Prosecco is almost always made in sparkling or semi-sparkling style (spumante and frizzante, respectively), but a still wine (tranquillo) is also
For full info www.coneglianovaldobbiadene.itsee
It is a cause of much angst to Italian wine producers that Australia has its own small but thriving prosecco industry.
For a boutique experience, the Locanda Sandi is a six-room hostelry that oozes quality and is home to a terrace restaurant that is perfect for long, lazy liquid
“For us a good balance between sugar and acid is essential so that people can enjoy two or three glasses, and not just one,” says Villa Sandi winemaker Gava. “That is the case no matter what the level of sugar is.”
The Strada del Prosecco was set up in 1966, the first recognised Wine Route in ThereItaly.are dozens of places to stay including the comfortable, older-style Canon d’Oro hotel in the heart of the Conegliano, within walking distance of several good restaurants.
Nearby,lunches.the lovely city of Treviso, known as Little Venice because of its rivers, canals and many churches, barely rates a mention in many guidebooks, but it is a delightful base.
The Dal Zotto family has a rich Italian heritage and pioneered prosecco in Australia.
In the DOCG region, 2021 figures show there are 198 sparkling wine producers who, in 2019, made over 100 million bottles. Just under 40% is exported.
Tomasi points to the following factors as making the region ideal for crafting sparkling wines; the mild spring-summer climate; medium-high summer rainfalls; a long-lasting autumn, good hills ventilation and a very high diurnal range.
This region was once tobacco country, but over the past 40 years it has become renowned for producing wines made from alternative grape varieties, many of them crafted by Italian families.
THE BASICS
Family patriarch Otto Dal Zotto was born in Valdobbiadene, and his family produced Australia’s first commercial prosecco.
Sustainability is a focus and since 2019, a ban has been imposed on the use of glyphosate in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco area, even though Italian and European regulations still allow it to be used.
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2021 VINTAGE
Vins de Provence Buyers Guide 2022
DAVID MESSUM Consultant/Winemaker Just the Drop
to put out different cuvées for different market segments of greatest interest. These wines scored well, showing the associated quality of a continued movement to organic farming and a deft hand in the winery, even with some judicious oak use. The result is wines full of character that will see the region long retain its crown as the home of rosé.
Charlie is one of three Australians to have successfully completed the unique international Masters Degree, the MSc OIVMasters in International Wine Management. He is the Managing Director of Virtuous Vine - importer/distributor of high-quality French natural wines.
THE PANEL
CHARLIE SIMPSON Managing Director Virtuous Vines
VINS
BUYERSPROVENCEDEGUIDE2022
OUR TEAM OF EXPERT TASTERS TOOK A MORNING TO TASTE AND DISCUSS THE BEST OF PROVENCE’S 2021 ROSÉS. THEY DETERMINED WHAT STOOD OUT, WHERE THE WINES SIT IN THE TRADE, AND HOW STYLES ARE EVOLVING.
Matt is a 20 year wine veteran, with accolades such as the Good Food Guide Sommelier of the year, multiple wine list awards, a Len Evans Scholar, Group Sommelier for the Solotel Group and Plumm Glassware Ambassador. Matt currently is the Group Wine Ambassador for Joval Wines.
2021 was anything but plain sailing for winegrowers. It delivered the first frost during budburst in fifty years, winter drought, rain in spring, a frost event and a wildfire in August, (fortunately of minor impact). Thankfully a hot and dry summer produced healthy fruit with average alcohol content and lovely acidity.
David runs the Drinks Industry marketing agency Just the Drop, bringing stories and context to international brands and regions. He also makes wine under his Born & Raised wine label from Central Victoria, speaks about wine and rides a bike.
Whilst all the wines scored well, it is the confidence of many producers to either follow the unique style of their terroir or
MATT DUNNE Group Wine Ambassador & Resident Sommelier Joval Group
WELCOME TO OUR SPRING EDITION, A CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS VINOUS. WHAT CAN BE MORE UPLIFTING AS WE SAY GOODBYE TO WINTER THAN THE THOUGHT OF WARMER DAYS ENJOYED WITH FRIENDS AND A GLASS OF THE OG ROSÉ. THE SEASON OF PALE AND DRY PROVENCE ROSÉ IS UPON US, BUT DID IT EVER REALLY LEAVE?
The team noted that reduced yields and the hot summer produced wines broadly characterised as denser in flavour, often a touch darker and pinker in colour with great fruit concentration both in the mid palate and the acid line.
Château Les Mesclances – RomaneCôtes de Provence 2021
Silver – 91 Points Cranberry, rhubarb, ripe melon, like a fruit bowl up front but heaps of salinity too, all the hallmarks of classic Provence - MD Barton & Guestier –Tourmaline - Côtes de Provence 2021
The team were unanimous with the top two wines, with the ‘Romane’ just taking out top Clean,spot.refreshing, sea spray, fresh crushed cherry juice, lovely purity and structure, long length. Generous, good density of stone fruit to that fresh cherry hit. Characterful, and something to linger over – MD
THE STANDOUTS
Silver – 90 Points Bright, lots of rosé petal aromas, honeydew, touch viscous which adds to the seamless finish - MD
Excellent attack, fresh blackcurrants on nose, with warm, dried thyme notes. Moreish and edgy, lots going on. Complex right through to the long finish - DM
Château La Coste - Grand Vin Rosé - Coteaux d'Aixen-Provence 2021
Silver – 90 Points Serious, fine winey, good acidity if a little lean initially. Interesting take on a superpremium wine, like it. Would do well in fine dining venues - DM Estandon Coopérative en Provence - Saint Louis de Provence - Coteaux Varois en Provence 2021
Château Sainte Croix – Charmeur - Côtes de Provence 2021
of large format oak adds interest - CS
Silver – 91 Points Bright, tightly coiled, fruit forward, rhubarb tang, cranberry crunch, softer finish. Very drinkable - CS
Commanderie de la Bargemoned’Aix-en-ProvenceCoteaux-2021
Silver – 92 Points
Bronze – 89 Points
Château du Carrubier – IngénueCôtes de Provence 2021
Juicy, more brooding than its peers, red currant and strawberry, liquorice. Touch short on finish but perfect for food pairing and wine bar setting - CS
Silver – 92 Points Alpine herb nose, orange blossom, good acid, salineTouchMD
Hugely versatile, it wouldn’t be out of place in a fine dining venue, matched with rich and deeper flavour dishes - CS
Maison Saint Aix - AIX Rosé - Coteaux d'Aix-enProvence 2021
Silver – 93 Points Tangerine, orange blossom and a cool amaro vibe. Super interesting and utterly delicious - CS
A complex wine the team thought showed great confidence from the winemaker, this is a fine wine that pushes the considered ‘normal’ of Provence rosé.
For all its complexity it was still light on its feet and asked the question, is this where the winemakers of Provence are heading? If so, it’s an exciting prospect – MD
Château de Saint Martin - Grand Cru classé - Grande Réserve - Côtes de Provence 2021
Gold – 96 Points
Fresh and candied red fruits on the nose, classic Provence. Good acidity and line, a little darker and denser than previous vintages - DM Commanderie de Peyrassol - Chateau Peyrassol - Côtes de Provence 2021
A Provence rosé that will satisfy the clichéd ‘ladies that lunch’ drinking occasion, but also has a little extra oomph to get excited about. Great drink, good value too – CS
Gold – 95 Points
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INVOICE PAY
This time, a little different. I last looked at the local cider sector for Drinks Trade a few years ago and all was well. Cider was in rude health, consumers were clamouring for the stuff, innovation was rife and the future looked an exuberant and exciting one. Things have changed, but I do not believe that the sector is dead or even on life support. Just that the emphasis has shifted. Belts have been tightened.
Through the doom and gloom, there are shafts of light. Between 2006 and 2016, Australians drinking cider in an average four-week period increased by almost 600%, from 337,000 to 2,349,000. We’ve not seen anything like that lately, despite predictions at that stage that these figures
were only likely to continue such incredible growth. 2017 to 2022 sees the sector in decline. Cider consumption suffered thanks to alternatives and the national decline in alcohol consumption per capita. Covid has not helped. The decline has been almost 4% a year, down to $268.8 million. Unfortunately, indications are that this is continuing and may even increase.
For this piece, I contacted around fifteen of the top cider local producers, seeking their thoughts on the industry and their own progress. They covered a range of styles, regions and standards. One, yes just one, responded. A couple of others sent samples – one could argue that those samples spoke eloquently on the makers’ behalf – such cracking ciders must surely have a future. I did hear from a couple of sommeliers for whom the category is important and a single retailer, despite sending a range of requests.
When I last looked at cider, Cider Australia were very helpful. This time they were very polite. Seems they don’t do statistics for their sector any more (Covid has hurt). They do maintain a website but otherwise, I’m not too sure what they do.
Altman is GM for The Hills Cider Co, which has operated out of the Adelaide Hills for more than a decade now. She notes that “as Hills Cider is created from whole fresh apples and pears grown in Australia, we continue to see strong demand for high quality ciders made with minimal
SEASONCider
WORDS BY KEN GARGETT
Those providing the information are often disappointed that not everything they have submitted is included (I have literally had pieces where a single producer has submitted material which alone exceeded my word limit for the entire piece). All of this is useful as it shows the health of the sector, its direction, what has happened and what will hopefully be achieved, both in respect of the sector as a whole and by individual producers.
that it has been hurt by Covid – it is hardly alone there, and to what extent it bounces back from that remains to be seen – but perhaps more troubling for the future is that many drinkers who were experimenting with and enjoying cider have turned to seltzers and RTDs. What remain are those who genuinely love good cider and who will stick with it, and producers who are making fabulous examples of a range of styles and who have the support of their loyal customers, even if that is not quite in the same numbers as when the first flush of youth in the local cider industry made it flavour of the month. Those who thought they’d dabble in making a cider, because last week they made a gin and next week they might try a vermouth, have left the industry. Such a shakeout was probably inevitable and it is likely to help the industry in the longVanessahaul.
My overall impression of the sector is
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Australian Cider Report 2022
ANYONE READING THIS PROBABLY HAS A FAIR IDEA HOW THESE WORK BEHIND THE SCENES. OUR INESTIMABLE EDITORS SUGGEST A TOPIC, A SECTOR THEY WANT COVERED (OFTEN THE WRITER HAS LOOKED AT THAT SECTOR PREVIOUSLY TO ALLOW FOR CONTINUITY AND MAINTAIN SOME FORM OF EXPERTISE). WE CONTACT PRODUCERS, DISTRIBUTORS, IMPORTERS, RESTAURANTS, RETAILERS, INDUSTRY BODIES – WHATEVER IS APPROPRIATE FOR THAT SECTOR. NORMALLY THIS RESULTS IN SUCH A FLOOD OF INFORMATION, STATISTICS, SAMPLES AND SO FORTH THAT THE PIECE WILL FAR EXCEED THE EDITORS’ LIMITS AND RESULT IN PATHETIC PLEADING FOR A FEW EXTRA LINES OR MORE.
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24 venues in NSW and one in Queensland. Cider is represented at venue, either bottled or on tap. Their pubs look to the large producers and ciders on tap whereas the restaurants focus on craft quality offerings, like Willie Smiths Organic Cider and Apple Thief. Cider represents 2% of beverage revenue, and had been seeing regular significant increases until the latest financial year, which hit a 40% decrease. As Annette
notes, “Cider has seen growth curtailed by the ongoing cocktail trend, seltzers and the rise of the RTD’s in the millennial shopping basket.” She has some useful thoughts for the sector. “To keep relevant and on trend they need to reinvent themselves, similar to the craft beer movement. A closer look at labelling, sugar levels and provenance to appeal to the new generation that seeks a story linking to environmental ethics and
intervention. We are strongly focused on quality and producing the best cider in Australia. This continues to set Hills Cider apart from many ciders in the market.” She also identified the work they are doing with zero alcohol cider and various flavour combinations and has acknowledged that they are “seeing increased pressure in onpremise with strong competition for taps from new entrant products such as keg cocktails.”Forme, Vanessa’s thoughts reflect the situation throughout the industry. Quality ciders will create demand and the industry must look to innovate where it can, but it faces threats from competing drinks eager to steal market share. The way forward? An overseas trend to release seltzers with a cider base is one avenue. Rather surprisingly, it seems that canned cider, opposed to bottled, is faring better. Those linking their ciders to health benefits are also reaping the rewards.
James Welsh, sommelier at Stillwater in Tasmania, a State where cider is still integral (not for nothing is it known as the ‘Apple Isle’), noted what an important role cider plays at Stillwater (and sister establishment, Black Cow Bistro), “very important that we support the outstanding/bespoke ciders from Tasmania. Over the years at both Stillwater Restaurant and Black Cow Bistro we have offered ciders from producers like Willie Smiths, Hansen, Franks’, Lost Pipin, Spreyton and Red Brick Road.” For James, the sector is “holding and slowly gaining momentum and interest, particularly into large format speciality ciders like Willie Smith’s single varietal Bulmer’s Norman and the Yarlington Mill. I think these styles are very food friendly and almost replace a bottle of table wine or champagne at the dinner table. There is no reason we can’t follow the paths of great cider regions of the world like Normandy in France, it might just be a matter of time, maybe 300 years to rival the great pear ciders of the world like Eric Bordelet!” Surely, this focus on quality regions, produce and styles is what will define the cider industry in Australia in the coming
Annetteyears.Lacey MW is the Group Beverage Manager for the Soletel group of
Between 2006 and 2016, Australians drinking cider in an average four-week period increased by almost 600%
the ‘farm to bottle’ narrative. Cider, like all beverages may be left behind as the newest beverage category catches the eye of this growing
From the Huon Valley in Tasmania, this is presented more like a sparkling wine, including the use of a Diam stopper, and it is just as serious. Made from a wide range of apples ideal for cider, a deep bronze in colour. Fresh, bright, good acidity, clean appley notes which linger delightfully. This is first class.
The most obvious conclusion to an examination of the cider sector in Australia is that the bulk producers will continue, though perhaps in a more restricted manner and with alternative options. The future seems to lie with those who specialise. They have a promising future, but the sector needs to get out in front of drinkers, to push the products and to convince consumers that cider in Australia is not dead and buried.
Australian Cider Report 2022 72 drinks trade
WILLIE (6.3%,RELEASEHERITAGESMITH’SAPPLE2021750ML)
Finally,generation.”TonyHarper, avowed cider fanatic, has just opened his third independent wine store in Brisbane, all under the Craft banner (https:// craftwinestore.com.au/ - cider yet to be included). Tony divides the sector into “three broad styles”. First, “large-volume commercial ciders using concentrate rather than crushed apples. You know the brands. Ewww …”. Secondly, “real artisans, using heritage cider apples and generally featuring brettanomyces as part their makeup, and aiming at the Normandy style. Two Metres Tall, Willie Smith’s Dry, St Ronan’s, Borrodell, Daylesford Cider and a host of other small producers fit this part of the puzzle.” Finally, the “new wave using real apples, but making clean, bright ciders often pairing it with fruit: Pagan (the special releases from Pagan are awesome! Apricot, Quince … layered, textural, thoughtprovoking. But even the standard cherry cider is terrific), Hills, Barossa Cider Co, Batlow, Frank’s, Hillbilly.”
From Adelaide Hills fruit, this is clean and crisp. Freshly baked apple pie comes to mind. Hints of citrus and a fine line of acidity to carry the flavours. Balanced, hints of a little complexity and a dry finish. Bright fruit notes. Ideal for a great drink on a warm summer’s day.
PAGAN CIDER LIMITED RELEASE ‘QUINCE AND APPLE’ (8%, 750 ML)
This Tassie limited edition cider, also in a sparkling wine bottle, was recommended to me by a ciderholic (is there such a thing?). It is a link to the new world for this drink, incorporating some quince notes with the apples. An intriguing red ochre colour. This is wonderfully complex. Crisp and fresh and very persistent. Stonefruit, golden apple notes, cherries, freshly baked pie. Love it. Undoubtedly up for food matching with a range of dishes – good cheeses are an ideal suggestion – but it also works wonderfully well with a good cigar.
For Tony, this is not a sector on decline. At his Craft stores, it is that third category which is excelling, “a kind of nice middleground. Purists tend to go for the funky stuff.” For him, cider is “a market that has grown over the past two decades. Its growth has slowed, but cider has become an important part of any bottle shop. It accounts for only 1% of our turnover, but that is WAY up from where it was even five years ago.” Tony also acknowledges that there are “many cider producers that don’t see the retail shelves. I can only assume that they have small productions and sell out between cellar-door and the local markets.”
Finally, a very brief note on a few of the top ciders – has there been a move to quality? Absolutely.
THE HILLS CIDER COMPANY APPLE CIDER (5%, 330 ML)
East Imperial – Cola option
– Citrus
This Byron Bay brand born ten years ago is built on ‘cool’. The latest offering is Yuzu –a hybrid citrus grown in cool, mountainous regions of Japan. Yuzu embodies all the best parts of lemon, grapefruit and mandarin. It’s complex, nuanced, tart, sweet and refreshing. Built for spring.
Here are three offers all vying for space behind your bar, and on your shelves.
Last Drinks
launched, exited and launched again as brands look to grab share from some of the world’s biggest players. Punching well above its weight is this offering from East Imperial - Kima Kola - made with honey and cane sugar delivering a naturally light cola with a blend of cinnamon, clove and mutmeg balanced with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. Worthy of mixing with a quality
The range of premium mixers available in Australia are a growing presence in both the on and the off-premise channels, and the consumers brand awareness is now a key to home bar aficionados. From craft brands to syrups and sugar-free versions, we have more choices than ever.
brand delivers a citrus version of their “Tonica” range – packing a punch with fragrant hits of lemon and orange peel, supported by the signature bitter bark and delicate bubbles of Sanpellegrino tonic. It is a flexible and versatile tonic that pairs great with passionfruit and vodka or with rosemary and
THE BATTLE FOR ‘SHARE OF THROAT’ IN THE PREMIUM MIXER SEGMENT CONTINUES TO ATTRACT QUALITY PRODUCTS AND GREATER CHOICE FOR THE TRADE. CONSUMERS HAVE EMBRACED THE FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS THAT COME FROM MIXERS THAT ARE MORE THAN PURELY CARBONATED WATER, BOUNDLESS SUGAR, AND THE OBLIGATORY QUININE HIT.
ThePunchS.Pellegino
JUST TONICTHE
SanpellegrinoBourbon.
– The Ninja
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Premium cola is potentially the giant category yet to be tamed. Fever Tree has
Strangelovegin
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