Schmuckenschlager celebrates some sassy stats

The Austrian wine industry is booming. 

Taking advantage of a global trend towards elegant cool-climate wines, Austrian wine exports grew by over 15% despite the travails of 2021. 

Revenue rose by €29.5 million to €216.8 million (+15.7%) - the greatest growth in value ever.

Exports were mainly driven by Austria’s white qualitätswein (quality wine) and growth was strong in the USA, Canada and China.

In Australia, cool-climate wines from Tasmania have enjoyed similar success. 

“The export figures for 2021 are a huge success for the whole of the Austrian wine sector,” said Chris Yorke, CEO of Austrian Wine (Austrian Wine Marketing Board). 

“What is particularly significant is that we were able to achieve such a high increase in value. That is, after all, the ultimate aim of our efforts: to boost value for our winegrowers.”

Johannes Schmuckenschlager, president of Austria’s Winegrowers Association, said: “Thanks to the outstanding work done by our winegrowers, exports have been on a steadily rising trajectory for a number of years now. 

"Together, we are taking advantage of this growth potential to make Austrian wines more widely known outside of Austria. One thing is clear: choosing Austrian wine is a guarantee of top quality and sheer enjoyment. This is increasingly being recognised around the world.”

Austria exports to 100 countries but has recently focused efforts more on the top 10. The top three markets are currently Germany, Switzerland and the US.

Austrian Wine has supported winemakers with over 100 events around the world in 2021, either staged as virtual, hybrid events or events held on location. 

Mornington Peninsula wine landmark hits the market

One of the most popular Mornington Peninsula wine destinations hit the market this week with much-loved David Lloyd putting Eldridge Estate at Red Hill on the market. 

Lloyd lost his wife Wendy to cancer and has been fighting his own battles with the disease but has found happiness with new partner Carol and has continued to make wines of exemplary quality,

The couple will be moving to Dodges Ferry in Tasmania and Lloyd will continue his Tasmanian Odd Couple pinot noir project with Michael Twelftree of Two Hands in the Barossa, so will not be completely lost to the wine industry. 

"It is a very sad time for us to put Eldridge Estate on the market, but we feel that if we didn’t at least put a toe in the water we may not get another opportunity," Lloyd said. 

"The hope is that a buyer will continue with Eldridge as a great wine producer. In the first six months after I came home from hospital in 2020 I had three offers on the winery, one of which was by another local producer. 

"I figured that I hadn’t beaten the scourge to retire. After vintage last year, however, I felt really tired and have to recognise that I am 69 years old.

"If Eldridge does not sell I have a standby strategy to wind down by selling fruit and not doing any contract winemaking."

Lloyd started making wine in 1975 and has been working on the Mornington Peninsula since 1981. He has operated Eldridge Estate since April 1995. 

He will be missed on the Mornington Peninsula but welcomed to Tasmania, where his expertise might well be in demand. 

# Kay and Burton are the real estate agents. Contact them, not David.

Star chef signs for Yarra Valley gig

There is a new big-name chef working in the Yarra Valley. 

De Bortoli Locale has appointed former Otto, Stokehouse and Il Bacaro pan handler Maurizio Esposito as head chef.

Esposito has also worked at eateries including Cecconi’s in Melbourne and his own award-winning restaurant Esposito in Carlton. 

He has told the de Bortoli family that he wants to create food in an environment that cares about sustainability, fresh produce and nose-to-tail eating. 

He intends to strip away the formalities and pretensions of fine dining to create a "relevant" modern eatery. 

Leanne de Bortoli says: “My grandfather's dream was to make wine a part of everyday life, affordable and enjoyable. 

"When he migrated to Australia he grew his own produce, raised chickens, pigeons and pigs so that he could feed his family and friends at his home. He was living sustainably, growing and recycling at a time when that was just what you did. 

"My family are also living with similar values to leave a healthy and viable business for generations to come.”

Esposito says he is excited to work with local producers and with the potential to grow produce on the de Bortoli farm. 

"We know we have a responsibility to do what we can to mitigate the effects of climate change and to protect the planet we all call home. I’m eager to use locally grown produce and highlight dishes reflecting my Italian heritage and that of the de Bortoli family.”

Plans are already underway to enlarge the kitchen garden and orchard on the farm and the menu features dishes like deep-fried zucchini flower filled with silverbeet and cashew nut purée, served with homemade tomato relish; and salt-cured Yarra Valley Buxton rainbow trout served with fresh fennel, herb jelly and vodka caviar. 

Locally raised Dixons Creek beef also features heavily.  

"With Maurizio at the helm and leading a young and enthusiastic team, expect to see a vibrant, rustic menu; a reintroduction of the family’s salami-making celebration in winter; cooking classes throughout the year and regional Italian lunches; the next one highlighting the food of Puglia," says Leanne de Bortoli. 

Locale restaurant is open Thursday-Monday for lunch and Saturday evenings for dinner. Bookings can be made at www.debortoli.com.au or on (03) 5965 2271.

Meet a range of beers with a powerful message

Sobah, a non-alcoholic craft brewery on the Gold Coast, hopes it can teach Australians there are different ways of drinking.

Sobah is the extension of creator Clinton Schultz’s personal journey and he says he's aiming to prove it is possible for a non-alcoholic beer to offer a real alternative for beer drinkers when they’re out with mates.

As someone who who has never found a low- or no-alcohol beer that really satisfies, I am sceptical but willing to be convinced.

Schulz says that by infusing the beer with Australian bush tucker, it also offers a flavourful education in Australian indigenous foods and culture.

The native foods and flavours range from the zing of lemon aspen and finger limes to boab, and spicy pepperberry.

Schultz and his wife Lozen brought the product to market in 2017, just ahead of the rise of the global "better-for-you" drinking trend.

From its Gold Coast base, Sobah has grown to the point it is sold in bars, restaurants, cafes and around 900 retailers across Australia.

In an equity crowdfunding campaign last October, Sobah raised $1 million in nine days for 9% of the company. A total of 586 investors now have a share of the company with a valuation of over $11 million.

Schultz says Sobah is building Australia’s first non-alcoholic craft brewery on Gold Coast in Kombumerri country, a part of the Yugambeh language regions.

“We were the first non-alcoholic craft beer company in Australia; I think we were the first non-alcoholic adult beverage produced in Australia,” Schultz said.

“There was no acceptance for non-alcoholic beverages when we started, it was a lot of work.

“There were a couple of ‘non-alc’ spirit business that started up around the same time or just after we did, and collectively we had to do a lot of re-education with the Australian public about accepting non-alc and that non-alc was just as good, if not better, than their alcoholic cousins.

“We’re really stoked that we’ve literally played a significant part in shifting the Australian drink culture in four years.”

Schultz said Sobah emerged from his own experience, which included quitting drinking.

“I stopped drinking seven years ago,” he said.

“After I’d had a big night drinking I was lying on the bed hungover and my boy rattled his little finger in my face and he just went, ‘Dad, can you stop drinking silly drink.’ That was the last time I touched alcohol.”

It led, however, to frustration with alternative options available on the market.

“I quickly realised when I stopped drinking that when you’re an adult and you’re choosing not to drink, there’s not many choices out there," Schultz said.

“I got frustrated that there were no decent options for people who were choosing not to drink for whatever reason at the time, so I started making non-alcohol beer for myself.”

A Gamilaraay man who grew up on the Gold Coast, Schultz said the company tries to highlight where the native ingredients used in the beer were originally from, the language groups that they were associated with and tried to lead people to want to learn more about those areas and the First Nations people of those areas.

For details see https://sobah.com.au/

Wynns heads in an unexpected direction

Take another look. Your eyes are not deceiving you. 

Meet a colourful new wine range from Wynns Coonawarra Estate, reliably excellent producers of fine wines, but also traditional and quite conservative. 

The mainstay of Wynns is the classic gables labels - and a range of stellar cabernet-driven reds. But the winery has released a new tier of wines that represent a creative renaissance of Wynns’ pioneering years.

Dubbed "Reframed", the tier comprises four new wines that are described as "an artistic, contemporary take on classic Wynns’ varietals, styles, winemaking, and wine occasions". 

“Our new Reframed wines give us licence to approach varieties in different ways using unusual varietal combinations for Coonawarra and the Limestone Coast,” says Wynns winemaker Sarah Pidgeon.

“We’re taking the knowledge and experience of the Wynns team and putting a modern twist on our traditional winemaking practices by exploring new ways to express our beautiful grapes. We’re picking earlier for freshness with barbecues, beaches, picnics, and casual occasions in mind. 

"We’re blending in unexpected ways to build interest and texture, and we’re bringing a lighter touch to winemaking by using little or no oak to maintain the freshness and aromatics of each wine.

“As the Coonawarra region’s pre-eminent wine producer, we’re pushing boundaries to innovate and create new varietals that spark intrigue and are either unique or hard to find, attracting a new generation of wine explorers. But rest assured, the quality of these wines is classic Wynns.” 

The "Reframed" wines are: Wynns 2021 Reframed Coonawarra Cabernet Rosé: Wynns 2021 Reframed Limestone Coast Fiano, Pinot Grigio, Arneis 2021; Wynns 2021 Reframed Coonawarra ‘Rogue Vines’ Shiraz Riesling 2021 and Wynns Reframed 2021 Coonawarra Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon. 

My take: I was sent samples of the Fiano/Grigio/Arneis blend and the Shiraz/Riesling to try and must say they are unlike any Wynns wines I have tried before; thoroughly modern in style. 

Both are light-hearted without being lightweight; immediately accessible and ready to enjoy on release.

The slightly rebellious Italian white blend is both fresh and textural and would pair well albacore tuna and eggplant, while I matched the idiosyncratic floral and energetic shiraz/riesling with a veal stew and turmeric rice. Unusual, but excellent. 

These wines are perhaps not for traditional Wynns drinkers, but they open up the brand to a younger audience. 

Thai tourism body calls for restrictions to be lifted

The Tourism Council of Thailand has called for a further lifting of travel restrictions in a bid to lift visitor numbers. 

Thailand’s tourism industry is still in a "comatose" state, TCT President Chamnan Srisawat said.

The TCT is proposing that the Government scraps the Thailand Pass scheme and ditches the mandatory PCR test on arrival in favour of the more convenient ATK tests. 

It says that these measures Thailand can attract about16 million foreign visitors this year, Travel Mole reported.

Chamnan noted that many countries - including the US and several European and Asian nations - have been relaxing entry restrictions in order to rejuvenate their tourism sectors.

He urged the Thai Government to consider similar moves, insisting that once these restrictions are relaxed, several sectors will immediately benefit. 

These could include construction, real estate, agriculture and food, as well as the healthcare and wellness sectors. 

“Tourism operators are still struggling to maintain business as the number of tourists has yet to fully rebound due to the current travel rules," Chamnan told local media. "This obstacle needs to be removed before more operators collapse.”

The TCT president said the agency aims to attract at least 16 million foreign visitors to Thailand and 75 million local travellers. 

Image: Winsor Dobbin, Krabi