APRIL 2022
Spotlight on the Riverina
Top
20
AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST WINE COMPANIES AND THE BEST OF NEW ZEALAND
2022 ANNUAL THEME: SUSTAINABILITY | ISSUE THEME: TOP 20 WINE COMPANIES
contents APRIL 2022
ISSUE 699
APRIL 2022
Spotlight on the Riverina
Top
20
AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST WINE COMPANIES AND THE BEST OF NEW ZEALAND
2022 ANNUAL THEME: SUSTAINABILITY | ISSUE THEME: TOP 20 WINE COMPANIES
This issue features Grapegrower & Winemaker’s annual report detailing Australia’s Top 20 wine companies as well as the best of New Zealand. The cover features Jim Delegat, executive director of the Delegat Group, whose Barossa Valley Estate is included in the Australian Top 20 along with the group being one of the top NZ wine companies.
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REGULARS 8
What’s online
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International briefs
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In this issue
R&D at Work
Ask the AWRI
121 Producer Profile: Dylan Rhymer 122 Marketplace classifieds
SPECIAL FEATURE
126 Looking Back
18 Top 20: Overview
126 Calendar
22 Top 20: State of the Industry Report
10 NEWS
10 When smoke gets in your vines
11 Riverland Wine urges govt support for producers hit by “severe shock” 12 Australian wine eyes growth in near future
26 Top 20 Australia’s largest wine companies 46 The Best of New Zealand GRAPEGROWING
54 FEATURE Vineyard safety: battling the elements 58 Tapping into vineyard irrigation options 62 FEATURE Spotlight on the Riverina
65 FEATURE McWilliam’s and Calabria: one year on 70 Montepulciano Uncorked WINEMAKING
79 FEATURE Gasses in winemaking – more than just CO₂ and nitrogen 82 Calcium tartrate instability
90 Is green hydrogen a solution for wineries to cut energy use?
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Grapegrower & Winemaker
94 Young Gun: Lachlan George
99 Behind the Top Drops: Ata Rangi Pinot Noir www.winetitles.com.au
April 2022 – Issue 699
Hans Mick Editor
T 106 BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
102 2022 grape harvest: a year with hurdles on hurdles
104 Carbon progress: Is carbon sequestration still the wine sector’s Holy Grail? 106 Paul Baggio: adding winemaking to a broad portfolio
110 FEATURE Reusable wine bottles slowly gaining ground SALES & MARKETING
115 FEATURE Event labels: tying wine to place and time 117 Becoming a sommelier
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o say that Australian wine producers have experienced a challenging time over the past year is to utter nothing new. For our annual Top 20 feature, we include a summary of the year that was 2021, as well as a look forward what opportunities may lay ahead for the wine sector. We invited industry leaders to share their thoughts and you can read what they have to say on page 22. From there we explore the year that’s passed for Australia’s Top 20 wine companies. Yes, many faced hardships in the wake of stalled China exports and a number of other obstacles, but most also pushed forward to embrace renewed prospects. Read about how they all fared from page 26. We also showcase how New Zealand’s wine sector and how major producers managed in 2021 (page 46). Heading into the vineyard, we look at managing safety for workers (page 54), while writer Simone Madden-Grey investigates irrigation options among New Zealand growers (page 58). We also turn our spotlight on the NSW Riverina, for our latest regional update (page 62). This includes an update one year on from Calabria Family Wines’ purchase of McWilliam’s Wines (page 65). Journalist Harrison Davies also explores the rising fortunes in Australia of Montepulciano in our latest Uncorked feature (page 70). For wineries, we reveal more about the gasses used in winemaking (page 79) as well as the management of calcium tartrate instability (page 82).
April 2022 – Issue 699
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Engineering consultant Ian Jeffery asks if green hydrogen may be a solution for cutting energy use in wineries (page 90). We meet this month’s Young Gun, Langhorne Creek winemaker Lachlan George, whose label ‘DILF’ is short for ‘Damn I Like Fermenting’ (page 94). For Behind the Top Drops, we find out more about Ata Rangi Pinot Noir produced in Martinborough (page 99). We again look into ongoing supply chain issues affecting the industry (page 102) and tackle the topic of carbon sequestration (page 104). We learn the interesting backstory behind industry stalwart Paul Baggio, who’s recently turned his hand, successfully, to winemaking after a long businessfocused career (page 106). We find out about a unique American scheme utilising recycled wine bottles (page 110) and find out about the challenges that can exist in becoming a sommelier (page 117). There’s plenty more too – enjoy the read!
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what’s ONLINE NZ wines hit new US record despite supply challenges Exported wines have been among the offerings hit the hardest by the global supply chain crunch, and shipments from New Zealand have been no exception. Coupled with a relatively small 2021 harvest, this led to quite a challenging year for New Zealand wine marketers. Demand remained strong, however, as New Zealand exports to the United States reached another record high last year, with bottled table wine shipments increasing 7.7 per cent to 6.8 million 9-litre cases, according to the US Commerce Department. Source: Shanken News Daily
New methods of converting human waste include viticulture Converting human sewage into usable irrigation water could be Australia’s pot of gold. Water authorities across the nation are turning to “recycled” water to solve excess wastewater issues as populations grow with the added bonus of growing farm irrigation. Where previous generations turned up their nose at the idea, improved science and a better understanding of climate change, has made recycled water the flavour of the month. Source: Goulburn Post
Jancis Robinson: low intervention reaches NZ When I boarded the plane for Aotearoa New Zealand in 2017, I suspected there was more to the country than Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. But, like many others, if you’d asked me to name a low-intervention New Zealand wine producer, I wouldn’t have been able to do so. Like many winemakers, I too shy away from calling such wines ‘natural’. Source: Jancis Robinson
Daily Wine News is a snapshot of wine business, research and marketing content gleaned from local and international wine media sources, with a focus on Australian news and content.
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In this issue “Before the vintage started, bulk wine prices already suggested an oversupplied Australian wine market. The downward price pressure on grape prices is acute and coupled with high stocks in tank, it is likely that we will see many grapegrowers under pressure. The stock-to-sales ratio indicates that there will be a significant oversupply of red grapes this year.” - Tony Battaglene, page 22 “The 2021 growing season in the Riverina started out much like any other year, the timing of budburst was similar to 2020 with the emerging flower clusters showing promise of a good average yield across the region. COVID and the China tariffs were well and truly on the minds of growers, as the price of inputs rose dramatically, labour was hard to obtain and wineries were warning of lower prices, especially for red varieties.” - Jeremy Cass, page 62 “My approach to winemaking is a little more hands-off. We do not add anything to the wines until four weeks or so before bottling, White wines are naturally fermented in a mix of stainless steel and oak. The stainless steel allows for a slightly warmer ferment and the oak helps with maintaining a cooler ferment while it also adds body, texture and complexity.” - Lachlan George, page 94 “There must be a clear alignment with the brand’s values and personality, and that of the event that you are wanting to associate with, One of Squealing Pig’s most distinctive assets is the ‘little pig’ rhyme found on every bottle. Squealing Pig is fun, cheeky and celebratory – it’s the antidote to the seriousness and complexity of life.” - Ben Culligan, page 115
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March 2022 – Issue 698
Grapegro
McWilliam’s and Calabria Spotlight on
One year on
In the first half of 2021, it was announced that Riverina-based McWilliam’s Wines, one of Australia’s largest wine companies, was acquired by Calabria Wines in a deal that was rumoured to be worth upwards of $40 million. Harrison Davies spoke with Calabria’s sales and marketing manager Andrew Calabria about how the merger was faring a year on.
Riverina
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he historic McWilliam’s Wines entered a new chapter in April of 2021 after it was split in two, seeing its assets divided up between the Riverinaand Barossa-based Calabria Family Wines and Sydney-based investment firm Medich Family Office. The Riverina arms of the McWilliam’s business all fell under the wing of Calabria after the sale was finalised on 30 April, 2021. McWilliam’s was acquired after entering voluntary administration in late 2020 following fruitless attempts to save the business from going under. A year later, the waters seem to have settled and McWilliam’s Riverina assets have found a new life under new custodians. Andrew Calabria looked back on the decision and said it made sense given the
fact that the McWilliam’s brand had a synergy with that of Calabria. “The Calabria family went into the acquisition knowing how well the McWilliam’s brand would sit within their own portfolio,” Calabria said. “McWilliam’s brands offer a range of cool climate, elegant, finessed wines such as their Tumbarumba Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in comparison to Calabria Family Wines showcasing more robust reds like the Riverina Durif and Barossa Shiraz, alongside classic Italian alternatives like Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio. “Our team spent most of the last year reviewing the portfolio to ensure we are maintaining each brand’s hero varietals, avoiding duplication, and finding gaps and opportunities in the market for each company to explore.”
McWilliam’s new life looks to be defined by much of what made it a household name before: a top 20 wine company according to both Winetitles and Wine Intelligence. In addition to the branding maintaining much of its original flavour, assets like the Hanwood vineyard, winery and cellar door near Griffith would still be administered by the McWilliams family following the acquisition. Greg McWilliam said this would provide a more stable future for his family brand. “Local members of the McWilliam family are pleased that the Hanwood winery and the McWilliam’s Wines business will continue under the control of the Calabria family,” McWilliam said. “Their passion for the local region, brands and history of the company will continue under their family ownership.
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April 2022 – Issue 699
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winemaking [around] the time when we were also just starting our first vintage in 2019.”
such as Brad Case, Peter Whiddom and, more recently, Watkins Wines.
Langhorne Creek was where they landed.
“All our grapes come from within 10kms of the Ballendown Road property.
While it is a rather historic wine region, with several producers who have been making wine there for over 100 years, it still doesn’t have the prestige of other SA regions like the Barossa or the Adelaide Hills. George said the quality of the fruit and Mediterranean climate made the region Ideal for the style of winemaking he had envisioned. “Langhorne Creek is a treasure trove of not only Classic varieties but now Climate appropriate grapes like Fiano, Nero d’Avola, Touriga Nacional, Carignan and more,” he said. “Here on the Ballendown road property I take Shiraz, Chardonnay and a very small parcel of Malbec. “We have used a little bit of Cabernet in the past as well which has gone into Touriga Nacional Cabernet blends. “The remainder come from other growers
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We obviously both love wine and we’d always sort of have a laugh and a joke and try and come up with sort of funny acronyms to do with wine. Lachlan George
“I think there’s certainly potential for the region to have a few new players and produce wines that are a little bit left-field.
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April 2022 – Issue 699
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