Cellar door experience helps boost sales for small wineries

Small winemaking businesses generated $1 billion in wine sales revenue in 2015-16, an average increase of 12%, Wine Australia figures show.

While retailers and wholesalers generated 47% of income, cellar doors have become increasingly important sales channels, accounting for 27% of revenue.

With food and wine tourism on the rise, many small wineries are now also attracting consumers to their region via on-site restaurants, cafes, tours and boutique accommodation, in addition to the traditional cellar door.

Garry Sweeney, owner of Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills (pictured), said his business has benefited from a strong cellar door focus.

"I’ve definitely seen a rise and increased diversity in visitors from interstate and overseas in the past year," he said.

"I believe it’s important to offer visitors more than just pouring wine, so you give them a ‘sense of place’ to associate with the wine," he said.

The survey also showed that on average, production was up 7%, with the highest average growth in wineries that produce 8000–20,000 cases (up 11%). 

Wineries that produce approximately 4000–8000 cases saw the highest average revenue growth (up 16%).

Australia’s small winemakers rely heavily on the domestic market, with 88% of wine sold locally. For wineries producing more than 20,000–40,000 cases, exports accounted for 27% of sales.

If you are carrying a vine disease please make sure you have a mobile phone on you

Several leading wineries in South Australia are trialling a "virtual" fence aimed at keeping pests and diseases out of vineyards.

The software was initially developed to safeguard the Canadian poultry industry and now the vineyard cyber monitoring system known as Project Boundary Rider is in action here.

It is designed by Canadian company Be Seen Be Safe to keep South Australia’s $1.78 billion wine industry free of diseases such as phylloxera and Pierce’s disease.

Vinehealth Australia, based in South Australia’s capital of Adelaide, is overseeing the project and has begun a six-month trial at 30 vineyards in the renowned Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wine regions.

It will include the busy vintage period, which runs from February to April, when vineyards and wineries are susceptible to pests and disease partly due to high traffic volumes in and out of properties.

The Boundary Rider app places a virtual fence around vineyards, tracking the movements of people across boundaries via GPS on a smartphone.

Movements are recorded in real-time, with vignerons benefiting from an up-to-date electronic visitor record of anyone with a smartphone who has moved across their geofences.

In the event of a pest or disease outbreak, the technology provides instant data to enable a rapid response to contain the spread and minimise loss.

Of course, if anyone without a smart phone accesses the vineyard then nothing is recorded. And the intruder has to have voluntarily have downloaded the relevant app, as well, which makes the system rather less than foolproof, as I know people in the wine industry who find it hard to remember to get up in the morning let alone take their phone from their car. 

Also, some vineyards are in remote areas with phone range; and animals and birds do not usually carry iPhones.

Vinehealth Australia technical manager Suzanne McLoughlin said while it was still early days for the project, initial feedback from users had been positive.

“Having it run over vintage and in the lead up is good because it is one of the times of the year when vineyards are experiencing high numbers of visitors and contractors coming onto properties,” she said.

“The program also helps us to raise awareness of biosecurity in general for a wide range of people from fruit pickers to wine tasters.”

Australia was the world’s fifth largest wine-producing nation in 2016 - behind Italy, France, Spain and the United States.

South Australian growers taking part include Chapel Hill Winery, Charles Melton Wines, D’Arenberg, Gemtree Wines, Henschke Cellars, St Hallett Wines, Torbreck Vintners and Wirra Vineyards.

Elephant polo: sounds like a joke but is deadly serious

It is one of the more curious events on the international sporting calendar, but one that is deadly serious about raising funds for animal welfare. 

The 15th King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will be held by the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River from March 9-12. 

Sponsored by Anantara Hotels and Resorts, the tournament has become one of the biggest charitable events in South-East Asia with over US $1.3 million raised and donated to projects that better the lives of Thailand’s wild and domesticated elephant population. 

These include the world’s first Thai Elephant-Assisted Autistic Therapy Project; positive reinforcement elephant training workshops; mahout community development initiatives, and wild elephant conservation.

A total of 30 unemployed former street elephants will take part in this year’s festival during which they will be given full veterinary checks and care, food and drink and essential vitamin supplements. 

The welfare of the elephants that participate in the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament is of paramount importance, organisers say, with strict rules ensuring that the pachyderms are well cared for at all times. 

By imposing a “no micro-chip, no game” rule, Anantara guarantees that all participating elephants have been domestically bred and not captured from the wild or smuggled in from neighbouring countries.

The 2017 event will have 10 teams encompassing over 40 players, including Thai celebrities, supermodels, professional horse polo players and New Zealand rugby players. The four-day festival will also feature an opening parade, Children’s Educational Day, Ladies' Day known as The ‘Bangkok Ascot’ and fun elephant-related activities.

Anantara has long been associated with elephant conservation efforts with the formation of The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, which has performed over 40 rescues of elephants off the streets of Thailand.

For details see: www.anantaraelephantpolo.com/ 

A Spanish accent for the greatest wine show on earth

It is the trade fair to end all trade fairs and the party to end all parties is you are a member of the wine business. 

Founded in 1981, Vinexpo is the world’s leading show for wine and spirits professionals and is held in Bordeaux in odd-numbered years. 

Vinexpo leads to sold-out hotels and restaurants and some of the flashiest cocktail parties around, as well as some serious business transactions.

For first-timers (I have only been once), its scale is overwhelming, but it does provide a chance to rub shoulders with wine's most powerful movers and shakers and taste wines you may never have seen before.

Initial figures suggest 2350 wineries from 42 countries and a staggering 48,500 trade visitors from over 150 nations. 

Oh look, there is Domenico Zonin, managing director, Casa Vinicola Zonin, and yes, that is Peter Gago, chief winemaker from Penfolds. And are you going to the party hosted by Martin Krajewski from Chateau Cantenac? 

And in recent years Vinexpo has expanded. Since 1998, Vinexpo Hong Kong (formerly known as Vinexpo Asia-Pacific) has taken place in even-numbered years, and in 2014, Vinexpo expanded to the Japanese market with the debut of Vinexpo Tokyo, also held in even-numbered years. 

Vinexpo is back in Bordeaux this year; from June 18-21 and this year will see a special Spanish focus on June 19, with an exclusive tasting party pairing fine Spanish wines with foods by some of Spain’s top chefs. 

Everyone will be looking for tickets to this soiree at the Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux’s historic city centre. 

“A Taste of Spain is shaping up to be one of the most provocative and essential events of Vinexpo Bordeaux 2017,” said Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise. 

“We’re proud to work with Wine Spectator to attract such a prestigious line-up of bodegas to the exhibition. Their presence will add a new dimension to Vinexpo parties and will offer great opportunities to international buyers throughout the show. The tasting itself will be a must for any Vinexpo attendee.”

A Taste of Spain will shine a spotlight on the great wines of Spain with more than 100 Spanish bodegas invited to present their wines alongside food from the likes of chefs Ferran Adrià and José Andrés.

For details: www.vinexpobordeaux.com/

Does business class offer value for money?

There was a debate on the Australian Frequent Flyer website this morning about the value of flying business class. 

There is no doubt business can be very expensive; and to be quite honest I don't see any value for flights of six hours or under. 

Bigger seats, better food? Who needs them when you will have landed in a few hours? 

The one thing to make certain of avoiding is a middle seat in economy - when people on both sides can overflow into your seat. 

For over 12 hours, and particularly for ultra-long-haul, business comes into its own - but only if the carrier features lie-flat beds so you can get a full night of sleep.

If you need to arrive at a business appointment in London or New York fresh and ready to go, then it really makes a huge difference. If the seat is just merely more comfortable then save your cash and have a massage or arrival, or treat yourself to a slap-up meal. 

Business class may offer a more comfortable seat and a better meal, but not everyone sees the benefits. 

In the end, the decision can be whether you'd rather multiple trips in economy, rather than a single trip at the front. 

When redeeming frequent flyer points, business class typically costs double the number of points as an economy ticket. which makes redemption better value than buying a business ticket, which can cost as much as 10x an economy fare. 

If you've got the cash (or your company does), then sure, a seat that converts into a lie-flat bed, as well as the enhanced service and privacy on board is very nice. There can also be perks like priority check-in, a higher baggage allowance and lounge access. 

It all comes down to research. There is nothing more disappointing than turning left and finding business is not much better than economy. Check out the details first. 

But as Australian Frequent Flyer points out, once you've flown long-haul in business class, it can be very difficult to go back to cattle class! 

All-time great set for Leeuwin Estate concert

Iconic singer-songwriter James Taylor and his band will perform at the 33rd annual Leeuwin Concert in Margaret River on Saturday, February 18 as the final concert of their Australian tour.

Taylor's songbook encompasses timeless hits including Fire and Rain, Country Road, Sweet Baby James, Carolina In My Mind and many more.

He scored his first #1 single with You’ve Got a Friend, written by long-time friend Carole King and earning him his first Grammy Award for Best Pop Male Vocal.

Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, earned 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards and five Grammy Awards, with his Greatest Hits album earning him the prestigious Diamond Award for sales in excess of 10 million units in the US.

Tickets for what will be the 33rd Leeuwin Concert have sold out (other than some premium packages), but I hear a whisper it might be worth getting on the waitlist as soon as possible.