The Flying Winemaker, Eddie McDougall on the Asian Wine Market

Eddie McDougall

THE FLYING WINEMAKER

HONG KONG BORN AND AUSTRALIAN RAISED, EDDIE MACDOUGALL IS AN AWARD-WINNING WINEMAKER, CHAIRMAN OF THE ASIAN WINE REVIEW, WINE CRITIC, COLUMNIST AND TV PERSONALITY BEHIND THE FLYING WINEMAKER, ONE OF ASIA-PACIFIC’S MOST DYNAMIC WINE BRANDS. HERE HE TALKS ABOUT MOVING BACK TO CHINA AND THE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WINE INDUSTRY.

You moved back to Hong Kong just after Hong Kong abolished the wine tax, and Hong Kong became this global wine centre. Is that still the case?

It is still very much the trusted hub. I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest. Certainly, China is emerging to be much bigger, and a lot of the clientele buying the wines have been from China so as far as buyers, China is still the bigger beast, but in terms of trading or business networking, the centre is still Hong Kong. The huge boom for Hong Kong initially was really in the fine wine sector, so auction houses were going ballistic with record deals and record trading transactions. As it evolved and as the money started drying up with Chinese austerity measures, anti-corruption laws and a few other things people didn’t have as much disposable income or were not necessarily buying based on the highest price being the best. People started to become more educated about wine. People are taking more risks and making better decisions for themselves from a commercial trading level but also on a consumer level.

Where do you perceive the rest of the wine market to be outside of Hong Kong?

China is interesting because it always starts with the first two cities (Shanghai and Beijing) and then funnels through to the second, third and fourth cities and provincial areas. So there is no doubt in China there is sign of decline in imports into China, and the shift is about – we can make great wines ourselves, we don’t need to drink other people’s wines. The eat local, drink local mentality is starting to hit home in China, and you can see that with some of the craft beers and indeed the astronomical growth in wine production that is happening in China right now. Since we filmed The Flying Winemaker series that was 2013, 14 and 15 plantings have doubled, tripled and wineries have doubled, tripled. Foreign talent moving into China to make wine or Chinese talent who have been trained overseas in France or Australia are turning back to China to make wine and plant vineyards. There has been a considerable uplift in that local domestic consumption and production.

So there is a shift from the obsession with prestige wines such as Burgundy and Bordeaux to drinking their own?

Absolutely. That is exactly how it is, and you see it on wine lists. First wine by the glass is a Chinese Chardonnay. It’s not a Chilean Chardonnay or a Cabernet on first pour. People are now saying we as a Chinese business want to support a Chinese winery.

How is the quality of Chinese wine and what varietals are they growing?

Winemakers and grapegrowers are starting to understand much more about what they can produce locally. When they first started, they thought, OK we are the same latitude as Bordeaux, everything we do is going to replicate Bordeaux, from the grape varieties to the replica chateaux. That trend or fad has moved on, and these guys have realised that sure, they can make some nice Bordeaux blends but the terroir doesn’t lend itself to producing the best. So it evolved, and they experimented with other varietals such as Marselan which has seen a lot of success. Maybe this is the red grape for China in terms of how it is performing? Other varietals such as Shiraz in Ningxia are winning awards; they are delicious. The appetite for strictly drinking cabernet is shifting. That said, the flavour profile for bigger, richer wine is still popular because it is easier to understand. The intricacies of say, Pinot Noir, requires more maturity in the drinker. That will come.

How much does Asian cuisine dictate wine trends in Asia?

Asian cuisine is broad. I think when we draw the comparison into the wine world it is full of weird and wonderful adjectives that describe wine and metaphors that describe sensations and so forth. What we use in the west to describe all these things may not necessarily translate. The Chinese palate memory is more responsive to describing things in different ways.

It’s not how the food has shaped the tastes it is more about association.

When we talk about things being salty they say it’s more soy sauce-like. When they say fresh or ‘sin’ in Chinese, it means the most original or natural taste. This is where the disconnect is. Trying to find how to describe flavours and connecting them with wines is something that will develop over time. Also, most Asian meals are not one-trick ponies, such as a bowl of pasta with a tomato-based sauce. In Asian cuisine it is three or four plates for lunch and dinner.

How is Australian wine perceived in Asia now?

It has experienced a big lift over the number of years I have been exposed to it here; a shift from straight-up commercial to a focus on regions other than just South Australia. We have seen great recognition in wines from Margaret River and Tasmania. Certainly, there are some key brands leading the charge, but they are definitely opening doors. There has been a regional attention shift. People realise there is more to Australia than Shiraz and Chardonnay.

You are the Chairman of the Asian Wine Review. Can you tell us a bit about that role? Is that to promote Asian wine globally, and what is the export market like for Asian wine?

It is fairly limited. A lot of it is domestically consumed. Each state in India, for example, has different tax laws and to be honest, their populations are high enough. They don’t need to export. But in saying that India’s second-largest export market is France. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that; people in France drinking Indian wine.

Japan is doing well. Everyone has got a soft spot for Japanese cuisine, and the refined way they cook. People are more embracing of Japanese wine because it is likely to be of good quality. They have had incredible success particularly with the grape varietal Koshu, and I believe it is selling in Australian restaurants with good international wine lists.

China is more insular with its distribution. They have enough of a population to support their entire production. Direct to the consumer gives more margin and less hassle.

Thailand and Indonesia are growing grapes and making wines and having success. The wines are commercially very good. They will not be the world’s greatest wines, but there is a market for it and there is the experiential opportunity where people don’t need to leave their country to experience a winery. We take it or granted that we can drive out our door and be not far from a winery in places like Australia and France.

Can you explain the style of these so-called tropical or equatorial wines?

What happens in these areas is the ripening period is incredibly short, and the shutdown cycle of the vines from dormancy to budburst is also really short. They are restricted to varietals that have a short ripening window, such as Chenin Blanc, Verdelho and Tempranillo. Cabernet would never get ripe and disease-prone varietals such as Pinot Noir or Chardonnay can’t cope with the humidity. Varietal selection has been the best part of 30 years of experimentation in these countries and looking at indigenous varietals and even table grapes to produce wines. Places like Indonesia or Bali are having some success with Javanese varietals for the production of sparkling wine. Thailand is looking at Chenin Blanc picked earlier to make a Cremant-style wine. They have had to think on their feet and cop the criticism, and they have gone against the odds and stuck their necks out and have made progress. They are rewriting the books. When I was studying viticulture, there was nothing about tropical viticulture. I have a high level of respect for these winemakers because it is an expensive industry.

What is next for Eddie?

We have just bought a vineyard and winery in New Zealand called Gladstone in the Wairarapa, North Island. It is an estate planted in 1986, and we are very excited to be the new custodians of what we hope will be one of NZ’s top wine producers at a more boutique level. We will focus on Pinot Noir.

We also produce wines in the King Valley and Margaret River. I am growing the team and bringing more talent into the fold. I can’t be everywhere, and I need to spend time in the trade.

The second thing is we have just launched a product called Little Pig Rosé from the Margaret River. It is a fun-loving wine. We are trying to own the commercial space when it comes to rosé in Australia and make it more recognised outside Australia rather than it being all about Provence. We want to get that little piggy out. We relaunched it this year because I made the first vintage in 2010 and after a couple of years I put a hold on it because ‘little pig’ in Chinese is what my Chinese grandmother called me because I was born in the Year of the Pig. I stopped producing it the year that she died, seven years ago now. So the wine is emotional for me. We decided to resurrect it this year because it is the Year of the Pig and we launched it on the day of the anniversary of my grandmother’s passing. The pig is back.