Change in approach proves a huge success for a Tasmanian winery

Family owned Delamere Vineyard in Tasmania is to launch a video showcasing its wine-flight tasting concept.

From tomorrow, Shane Holloway and Fran Austin, the husband and wife team at Delamere, will launch an evocative new video explaining the new tasting experience at their cellar door in Pipers River.

"We all know what a challenging year 2020 was for everyone," says Fran. "Here at Delamere, venue closures, travel restrictions and social distancing meant our normal channels of getting wine to market and connecting with our direct customers all but collapsed. 

"Like small business operators across the country, we got busy doing what small business owners do best: Innovating!

"The initial shut down gave us space to take stock and think about our business differently. As restrictions began to ease, we decided to finally act on an idea we’d been tossing around for years -moving from the traditional bar-style wine tastings, to a more formalised format of wine-tasting flights.

"The experience involves a curated tasting of 4 x 35ml samples of wine, presented in stemless glassware, delivered on a beautiful custom-made wooden board, with four flight options on offer.

Re-opening cellar door was a huge decision — we were incredibly conscious of how we went about safely sharing our wines and our vineyard in these uncertain times. This new tasting concept allowed for comfortable, seated tastings, eliminated the potential for glass-to-glass contamination when pouring from the same bottle and provided full flexibility to distance our cellar door customers as required.

"Importantly, we believed the new format would let us not only maintain, but actually improve our customer service, allowing us to better share the breadth of what we do at the winery, the different wine styles, how the wines are crafted and why they taste the way they do. It really is the most interesting and educational way to learn about wine. 

Sounds great, right? The only catch was, we weren’t sure at the time if people would understand the concept and would be prepared to pay the tasting fee. We planned to add a booking system to our cellar door website, to help manage visitor number restrictions.

So, the idea came to us to develop video footage to accompany the booking system, explaining the tasting concept in a visual way."

The tasting flights have now been up and running successfully for three months. And most people opt for the ‘Prestige’ flight (the most expensive one). 

"Our fears about the acceptance of the concept have proven unfounded, and our belief that it is a much more engaging way to teach people about wine is beyond doubt," says Fran. 

"It may have helped that many of our peers locally implemented a similar tasting concept around the same time (Holm Oak, Moores Hill and Stoney Rise just to name a few). As the saying goes, great minds think alike!

The video, produced as a result of a Covid-19 recovery grant program from George Town Council and Bell Bay Aluminium and in co-operation with local videographer Jasper da Seymour, captures the essence of the Delamere experience. 

Here is a sneak peek. https://vimeo.com/508168177

The video will launch from tomorrow. 

China Syndrome starts to strangle Australian wine exports

Australian wine exports slowed in the 12 months to December 2020, decreasing by 1% in value to $2.89 billion, as increased Chinese tariffs started to affect the industry. 

Wine Australia’s latest Export Report released today showed a 0.5% increase in volume to 747 million litres (83 million 9-litre case equivalents) and a 1% decline in average price to $3.87 per litre free on board (FOB).

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, exports hit a record year-on-year value of $3.1 billion in the 12 months ended October 2020, before recording a steep decline in the final two months of the calendar year. 

The previous year-on-year high point had been $3 billion reached in 2007.

Clark said that there had been a sharp increase in exports from August to October, primarily to mainland China and the United Kingdom (UK), while the decline in November and December was predominantly in exports to China.

He said that, unsurprisingly, exports to mainland China were immediately down following the imposition of the temporary tariffs in November. 

The sharp decline in export volumes and value in the final two months of the year saw the overall value for 2020 decline by 14% to $1.01 billion and volume drop by 29% to 96 million litres (10.7 million 9-litre case equivalents).

It was expected that exports to China would remain low in coming months affecting total export numbers during 2021.

Clark said the decline in exports to China had been offset by significant growth in exports to Europe, up 22% to $704 million – the highest value in a decade. 

There was also growth in North America, up 4% to $628 million, and Oceania, up 11% to $115 million.

"Wine businesses are resilient and are already adapting to these changed market conditions, increasing their engagement in markets other than China, particularly the UK, USA, Canada and the domestic market," he said.

New boutique hotel unveiled for Pyrmont in Sydney

Sydney will get a new luxury boutique hotel when Aiden Darling Harbour opens in Pyrmont village mid-year.

The property will have 88 compact rooms, a hidden 25-metre-high mural, contactless technology and all the must-haves for what is being billed as "an easy, luxurious yet affordable stay in central Sydney".

There are eight storeys in a remodelled 1930s Art Deco building on the city's fringe but away from much of the hustle and bustle.

Guest rooms will include pillow menus, meditation and white noise channels, double-glazed windows, blackout blinds and customisable lighting with pre-set bio-adaptive scenes to create the right ambience.

There will also be a Nespresso coffee pod machine, Dyson hairdryer, Rituals bathroom amenities, combined clothing steamer and iron, wall mounted TV, Chromecasting allowing guests to stream their Netflix, Stan or other compatible media provider, and space-saving storage.

Some rooms also feature a private balcony complete with outdoor furniture, looking out to Darling Harbour and the city skyline.

A highlight of each room will be wall murals above the bedhead depicting flora from the local area, hand-painted by award-winning Australian artist Jessica Le Clerc. She is also the creator of the hotel’s secret internal wall mural rocketing up 25 metres high but hidden away, visible only from a handful of rooms, providing a private art exhibition experience to select guests.

Other locally-inspired works by Jess can be seen in the boutique hotel’s combined lobby, café and bar on the street level facing Pyrmont Bridge, where guests (and locals) can enjoy all-day dining and access 24-hour reception, self check-in and check-out via kiosks, speedy complimentary wi-fi and digital room keys.

Pyrmont is a harbourside inner city suburb of Sydney next to Darling Harbour and connected to the CBD by footbridge.

“Aiden Darling Harbour will be a neat little package of all the must-haves for a great Sydney stay, whether you’re in town for business, celebrating an anniversary, seeing a show at the many nearby entertainment venues, or simply enjoying a city getaway or staycation,” said hotel creator and owner Nicolas Chen of IHHL.

The opening of Aiden Darling Harbour will mark the debut of the Aiden boutique hotel brand in Australasia.

For more information, visit www.aidendarlingharbour.com.au.

Eat, drink and be merry: a new venue for an iconic Sydney space

Sydney's historic The Rocks quarter will be home to an ambitious new distillery, bar and kitchen opening in June. 

Hickson House Distilling Co is the latest venture from Mikey Enright and Julian Train, the team behind The Barber Shop and The Duke of Clarence, along with distiller Tim Stones (ex-Manly Spirits).

The trio’s multi-faceted project will add a key new venue to the area, in line with City of Sydney’s vision to create one of the world’s best heritage precincts.

 

Hickson House will open among the soaring brickwork and girders of the former Saatchi & Saatchi garage, scene of many infamous warehouse parties.

 

The distiller will craft gins, aperitifs, whiskies and specialist spirits; starting with a range of Hickson Road gins, including a culinary-inspired gin paired with a complementary kangaroo dish; all crafted with locally-sourced ingredients, such as native botanicals from The Loch farm at Berrimah in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands.

 

There will be immersive, experiential tours, culminating with tastings, a spirit store and private dining experiences; with a mezzanine lounge sitting above an expansive bar, serving bespoke cocktails alongside a botanical-inspired menu.

 

The space has been designed by Sydney’s Steel & Stitch and Sara Mathers from the UK, working together to create a New York warehouse-style bar beside an active distillery.

 

“Our vision is to create a city distillery that feels balanced by a fully-stocked bar serving all of our favourite spirits, so patrons can come for a behind-the-scenes distilling experience, modern Australian cuisine or just a simple G&T," Enright said. 

"Julian, Tim and I are so looking forward to rolling up Hickson House’s iconic door this June to welcome Sydneysiders, visitors from all states and, hopefully sooner rather than later, overseas travellers to our unique venue.”

Hyatt opens its doors in Brisbane

Maybe 25-30 years ago, there was nothing as glamorous as a Hyatt Hotel. 

With dramatic atriums, and often see-through glass lifts, the name Hyatt epitomised luxury. 

Today, that space in the travel marketplace is a lot more crowded, but there is still excitement in Brisbane, where the city is about to get its first Hyatt - which will be the eighth in Australia. 

Located in the heart of the city's central business district within Queen Street Mall, the 292-room Hyatt Regency Brisbane will feature an outdoor infinity pool and bar. 

The hotel has been re-branded from the former NEXT Hotel and undergone a refurbishment to enhance the guestrooms, public areas, event spaces and dining venues. 

David Udell, group president, Asia-Pacific, Hyatt, said: “Hyatt has had a brand presence in Australia for more than 30 years. 

"With Brisbane being one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia, Hyatt Regency Brisbane is a strategic addition to our growing portfolio in the country, complementing our current and future hotels in key destinations such as Sydney and Melbourne."

The hotel is a 15-minute walk from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, and approximately a kilometre from the South Bank cultural district. 

Facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, an all-day restaurant and more than 100 square metres of flexible function space.

See www.hyattregencybrisbane.com. But be warned, the Hyatt website is bit clunky. 

Back to the future: Will cask wines soon be back in fashion?

Bag-in-the-box wines, known in Australia as cask wines, once enjoyed immense popularity. And now they are on their way back. 

Casks were cheap, convenient for drinking over a long period and had a lower carbon footprint than glass bottle alternatives. 

Unfortunately. many cask wines were also nasty, although honourable exceptions include De Bortoli, Yalumba and Morris.

Now Calabria Family Wines is producing a new range of bag-in-the-box wines that are 100% vegan-friendly, include some alternative varietals and have hip and happening packaging. 

So if you'd like a two-lite box of montepulciano or Nero D’Avola, you might want to check out the Banta Box range. 

Banta Box promises "a range of premium quality wines" in cask format, with varieties like sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and shiraz, as well as a rosé. 

Wines in the Banta Box range are all vegan-friendly and once opened stay fresh for up to 30 days. With a 100% recyclable outer carton, and lightweight format, the cask produces a smaller carbon footprint than glass bottles. 

“Consumers are more conscious than ever of the impact excess packaging is having on our planet, and it’s no different for the regular wine drinker, which is why we’re seeing such great excitement for alternative packaging formats in the industry,” says third-generation sales and marketing manager Andrew Calabria. 

“Banta Box gives wine drinkers who want the occasional glass of wine with a meal at home an optionthey can store in the fridge for an extended period of time without the guilt of opening an entire bottle.

“For a while now, the Australian cask category has carried a poor reputation for being of low quality, but this perception is changing as more premium offerings come to market. 

"Markets abroad have really embraced the wine-in-box format and we are totally confident Australia is on the same path. 

“With our alternative styles like Nero d’Avola and montepulciano in the range, and the compact, convenient pack size, we feel the Banta Box range will be a fantastic introduction to someone who is interested in exploring the cask category for the first time or a refreshing new favourite for those familiar with this classic Aussie innovation.”

The new Banta Box range (​RRP $13.99​) is now available in independent retailers, with branded point of sale displays and an integrated marketing campaign to follow.

I'm told my boxes are on their way, so I will report back on quality. 

See www.bantabox.com