Awards for women in wine: sexist or necessary?

My first thought was: What a lot of sexist nonsense. 

Not your usual sexist nonsense this time, but an awards event for one sex only: women. 

The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, which promotes wine to female consumers, recently announced the launch of the Australian Women in Wine Awards "to acknowledge and reward the work of women in the Australian wine industry, and industry leaders who champion equality and fairness for all sexes in the workplace".

Jane Thomson 

I know there would be an uproar if there were to be an award for "best male winemaker", or "best male viticulturist" but maybe these awards are not as silly as it may seem. 

After all, only 10% of those involved in the winemaking industry are women, and I regularly hear tales about discrimination. 

As David Breuer of Temple Breuer Wines, who employs two women winemakers, points out so accurately: "You do not, as far as I know, need a penis to make wine." 

I was also swayed by conversations not only with Fabulous Ladies founder Jane Thomson (don't try arguing with her) and some of the finest winemakers in the country, including Sam Connew of Stargazer and Corrina Wright of Oliver's Taranga, who say that it is essential women wave the flag for those doing well in the industry until the numbers bear some semblance of equality. 

“For decades we’ve been wishing and hoping to see a significant rise in gender diversity in the Australian wine industry,” says the feisty Ms Thomson. “Unfortunately, wishing alone hasn’t worked. Current estimates put female participation at around 8-10%, and some areas - like viticulture - are actually in decline. 

"The Australian wine industry needs positive female role models and leaders. With these awards we hope to highlight a few more of them.” 

So here we go: the awards, the first of their kind in Australia, offer four categories which will be judged by six members of an advisory board that is made up of some of the industry’s leading female talent. 

The entry deadline for the Australian Women in Wine Awards is Tuesday, October 6, 2015 and winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 17.

The Award Categories for 2015 are: 

• Winemaker of the Year - sponsored by Wine Ark 

• Viticulturist of the Year – sponsored by Wine Australia

• Owner/Operator of the Year – sponsored by Cellarhand

• Workplace Champion of Change – sponsored by Vinomofo 

Enter at womeninwineawards.com.au.

The advisory board includes Jane Thomson (chair) – Founder & Managing Director of The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, Samantha Connew - winemaker and owner of Stargazer Wines and Compass Wine Consulting, Jeni Port - wine writer, Corrina Wright - CEO and winemaker at Oliver’s Taranga, Toni Carlino – independent wine marketing consultant and Jenny Houghton – viticulturist and owner of Maygars Hill Vineyard. 

Ben Who? Changing of the guard as low-profile Bryant takes the reins at Jacob's Creek

After 40 years with the same company, Bernard Hickin has announced his retirement as chief winemaker for Pernod Ricard (which includes Jacob's Creek and the former Orlando brands) as of June 2016.

Hickin joined the business (then known as G Gramp & Sons) in 1976, the same year as the Jacob’s Creek label officially launched.

Hickin will be succeeded by Ben Bryant, a young Australian winemaker who joined Pernod Ricard Winemakers (then Orlando Wines) in 2000. He has since held a number of winemaking, operational, marketing and brand development positions, including chief winemaker for Wyndham Estate.

“I have inherited not only a world-class brand in Jacob’s Creek, but a world-class team of passionate winemakers who have worked tirelessly to make the brand what it is today – and I look forward to joining them on the next stage of the journey,” Bryant said.

Bryant has so far kept a very low profile within the the Jacob's Creek operation and his appointment will come as a surprise to many industry observers. 

He has only 15 years of experience in the wine industry and only just over a decade as a winemaker. He's been promoted over existing team members Rebekah Richardson, Daniel Swincer and Nick Bruer.

Following in the footsteps of industry legends Ian McKenzie, Phil Laffer and Hickin, he has big shoes to fill. 

As a student, Bryant earned a little extra cash pruning vines in the Central Ranges of New South Wales.

He grew up in Mudgee and his first position was as a cellar hand at the local Poet’s Corner Winery, which was then owned by Orlando Wines. 

Gripped by the wine bug, he enrolled in oenology at Charles Sturt University. He has subsequently worked in numerous regions across Australia, including the Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley and Riverina, as well as doing a vintage in China. 

He joined the winemaking team at Wyndham Estate in 2008 and was named chief winemaker in 2010. He has since had a marketing stint in Hong Kong. 

  

Throughout his 40 years in wine making, Hickin (above) has been responsible for several major innovations, including moves to increase sparkling wine production and varietal labelling.

He was appointed chief winemaker of Australian brands in 2006, and then Jacob’s Creek global chief winemaker in 2010.

Brett McKinnon, global operations director for Pernod Ricard, paid tribute to Hickin's commitment.

“We are extremely grateful for the contribution that Bernard has made towards our success,” he said. “He will be missed by the team and we wish him all the very best for his retirement.”

Hickin will remain with Pernod Ricard until June 2016 and will assist with the transition and focus on various winemaking projects within the company portfolio.

Jacob’s Creek is one of Australia’s leading global wine brands, offering quality wines with great varietal expression. The brand was first launched in 1976 and is named after the place where Johann Gramp planted his first vines on the banks of Jacob’s Creek in 1847. In doing so, Johann founded the Gramp & Sons business and created a history of winemaking innovation that dates back over 160 years.

An excellent base from which to explore three wine regions

Staying in motels in country regions of Australia can be fraught with pitfalls.

There are motels with wafer-thin walls so you can enjoy sharing the activities of your neighbours; motels with no wifi, or where the bath towels are the size of a dish cloth.

There can be issues with cleanliness, flickering or dying bedside lights and TV remote controls that are dead as a dodo; which you only discover after the reception desk has closed and you want to watch the football.

Fortunately, none of these are an issue at the Strath Motel, where I laid my head for the past two nights while exploring the vastly under-rated wine region of Langhorne Creek.

Home to wineries including Bleasdale, Bremerton, Lake Breeze, Cleggett, Temple Bruer, Brothers in Arms, Heartland, Kimbolton and Angas Plains, among others, Langhorne Creek is a little short of accommodation; with just a handful of self-catering cottages. 

It has excellent venues for lunch, including The Winehouse and Angas Plains, and a wonderful old country pub, the venerable Bridge Hotel, which serves huge, rustic and tasty meals.

If you want to stay in a town, however, then Strathalbyn, a 10-minute drive away, is your best bet. And the Strath Motel offers comfortable digs at affordable prices, as well as being just 15 minutes' drive from Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills and a short drive from the many attractions of McLaren Vale. 

It is also the gateway to the Murray region and close to Lake Alexandrina and Victor Harbour.

Strathalbyn is a lovely, if not lively, old town with historic buildings and recommended eateries in Leo's and the Victoria Hotel.

The Angas River winds its way through the centre of town and there are some very pretty gardens.

The Strath Motel has 23 rooms with a choice of standard, twin or family accommodation. There are TVs, internet access, iron, ironing board, toaster, microwaves, fridges and reverse-cycle air conditioning that kept me toasty warm on brisk nights.

There are tea and coffee-making facilities (the biscuits were replaced after I scoffed them on the first night) as well as free on-site car parking.

It's not five-star, but it is very comfortable. And it ticks all the boxes for warm country service. 

The Strath Motel, 4 North Parade, Strathalbyn, South Australia. (08) 8536 3311. www.strathmotel.com.au   

   

Meet the Tasmanian wine domaine without any vines - but not for long

It might seem a little presumptuous to call your new Tasmanian wine brand Domaine Dawnelle when you do not yet have a domaine – but viticulturist and winemaker Michael O'Brien has that little fact in hand.

A domaine is defined as a vineyard that makes and bottles wine from its own grapes.

The first release under the Domaine Dawnelle label is a 2013 pinot noir which O'Brien has sourced from the Tinderbox vineyard, where he has contract managed the vines for three years.

O'Brien describes the concept as “vineyard designate” - and he will source fruit for future vintages not only from Tinderbox, but also from Elsewhere in the Huon Valley and other sources of quality of fruit.

A vineyard designated wine is one produced from the product of a single vineyard, with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label. It is a concept that is popular in both Burgundy and California.

But there will eventually be a domaine, or home vineyard. O'Brien has planted pinot, chardonnay and riesling vines at Granton, and has more in the pipeline, next to Laurel Bank, where he will eventually have a winery and cellar door if he gets planning permission.

In the meantime, while his own vines mature, he is attempting to source the best fruit he can – an expensive exercise. He currently makes his wines at Moorilla Estate, where he stores his barrels. 

Just 1500 bottles were made of the 2013 pinot ($56) , most to be sold direct, but O'Brien, who previously worked at Stefano Lubiana and in Oregon, among other places, before starting his own viticultural consultancy, has big plans.

“My point of difference is that I look after the vines and am hands-on all the way through the process,” he says. “Any wine I make is all my work and I will focus on the site rather than winemaking influence.”

Dawnelle, incidentally, is the name of an old family farm. See www.domainedawnelle.com.    

New Wynns releases offer style and substance

The first Wednesday in August of each year has become recognised by the Australian wine industry as "Wynnsday" and marks the release the vintage premium line-up from Wynns Coonawarra Estate, one of the country's benchmark wineries.

The Wynns Coonawarra Estate collection for 2015 marks the return of its two icon wines (released only in outstanding vintages), the 2012 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon and Wynns 2012 Michael Shiraz. 

There is also the first single vineyard release from the Childs vineyard - an absolutley brilliant wine which for me steals the show. 

Chief winemaker Sue Hodder

All the wines in the new release reflect the attention to detail shown by winemakers Sue Hodder and Sarah Pidgeon (and input from Luke Skeer, now at Devil's Lair) and viticulturist Allen Jenkins. 

The Wynnsday line-up also includes the V&A Lane Shiraz 2013, V&A Lane Cabernet Shiraz 2013, Black Label Shiraz 2013 and Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2013.

Hodder says the quality reflects the low-yielding and early-ripening 2012 vintage.

“Wines are finely structured with a clearly defined Wynns style of balanced fruit expression," she says. "They are both current drinking and age-worthy expressions of a truly great Coonawarra vintage.”

Hodder, along with Jenkins and wine critic James Halliday will host an online virtual tasting of the 2015 Wynns new vintage release wines on August 12 from 8pm AEST.

But you have plenty of time to buy before the tastings. All the new wines are available from August 5 from wine merchants and the Wynns cellar door. 

For more information visit: http://bit.ly/WynnsVirtualTasting 

Here are my abbreviated tasting notes: 

John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 RRP $149.99: Lovely structure and balance. Very sophisticated.  

Michael Shiraz 2012 RRP $149.99: Extremely rich and powerful. One for the cellar.

Childs Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 RRP $89.99: Intense but elegant. Very varietal. Most delicious. Snap this one up.  

V&A Lane Shiraz 2013 RRP $59.99: Rich and soft and in my opinion one to drink now. 

V&A Lane Cabernet Shiraz 2013 RRP $59.99: Intense, dense, briary and full of interest. One of the stars.

Black Label Shiraz 2013 RRP $44.99: Blackberries, pepper and spice. Very appealing.

Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 RRP $44.99: As ever, reliably good. Ripe fruit, dark and medium-bodied.

Tasting Australia returns in 2016

Tasting Australia, the previously biennial celebration of South Australian wine and food, will be an annual event from 2016. 

Organisers hope gourmets and wine enthusiasts from around the world will make their way to Adelaide and surrounding areas from May 1-8 next year to indulge in a program that will feature everything from coastal seafood feasts to wine masterclasses.

Traditionally held as a biennial event since its inception in 1997, the success of Tasting Australia (which really should be called Tasting South Australia) has triggered demand for the festival to evolve into an annual event. 

The event is billed as "a journey through South Australia's best produce from the hands of authentic food producers and chefs, celebrated by food heroes". 

The last event, in 2014, attracted around 50,000 people to over 80 events across the state, and each focused on “origins” by exploring the legacy and roots of South Australia's food and wine culture, honoring the history and personalities behind the culinary experiences.

The same creative team as in 2014 will remain at the helm of the festival in 2016. Simon Bryant, a celebrated local chef, and wine expert Paul Henry will remain as the event's creative directors, while Barossa foodie Maggie Beer is the event patron. 

“Plans for the 2016 festival are on track, and we can't wait to share the program with everyone over the coming months,” said Bryant. “We are excited and want everyone who comes and participates to eat, drink and celebrate with us to know the importance that a sense of place, history and culture has in forming South Australia's renowned food and wine identity.”
          
The 2016 Tasting Australia event will highlight South Australia's food and wine touring route, The Epicurean Way - the gastronomic journey that takes visitors on a self-drive adventure around four of South Australia's premier wine regions all in the one itinerary.

The festival will promote the touring route with a tour along the Epicurean Way – "curated" by by the event's creative directors.

Local gourmet producers participating include Lachlan Cowill (Hentley Farm), Tim Bourke (Southern Ocean Lodge), Peter Davies (KI Beehives) and Kris Lloyd (Woodside Cheese).

For more information on Tasting Australia visit www.tastingaustralia.com.au; and for more detail about South Australia visit www.southaustralia.com