Wine Makers for the International Wine & Spirits Fair November 4,5,6

With the HKTDC International Wine & Spirits Fair being held in November comes an opportunity to have some of the wine industry's talented wine makers and owners come to Hong Kong. We are pleased to introduce them to you.

Unfortunately Edouard has found out that he needs to have a minor operation at this time so he can not attend. However we will still have his wines available for tasting during the event.

We will be having many dinners and tastings outside of the fair that will give you a chance to get to know and experience the passion that these wine makers have for making great wines.

Stay tuned for more details.

If you would really like to attend a particular event send us an email to marketing@saveurs.com.hk and we will let you know as soon as the events are confirmed. 

Over 90 under $500

We are often asked to recommend a good wine that is not too expensive. So we pulled out a selection that we think are suitable for many different occasions. All of these wines are rated at 90 points or over and are under $500.

Burgundy

D. Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs Pimont, 2006         BH90      750ml    $455       

D. Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs Pimont, 2007         BH91      750ml    $470      

Alsace

D. Marcel Deiss, Gewürztraminer Bergheim, 2005                            WA90     750ml    $300      

Rhone Valley

D. Les Pallieres, Gigondas, 2003                                                     WA90      750ml    $260      

D. Courbis, (Les Eygats), Cornas, 1997                                           WS90      750ml    $380      

Spain

Valduero, Reserva, 2004                                                                  WA91      750ml    $300      

Australia

RockBare, Barossa Babe Shiraz, 2005                                             WS90      750ml    $260      

Portugal

Quinta de Roriz, Reserva Douro Tinto, 2004                                    WA92      750ml    $310

We have over 70 wines in stock that fall in to this category so if you don't see the one you are looking for we are happy to help you select.

Contact Dean on +852 9730 0781 or deanaslin@saveurs.com.hk    

2011 Australian Wine Companion - out now

I don't know why but I'm one of those people that enjoys having books sitting in my book case. Not that I read a lot but it is something that would give any visitor a reasonable glimpse into my personality.

Among my collection is 6 editions of James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion which will probably tell you straight away that I am an Aussie (No Prize for Guessing). So I was delighted to hear that the latest book of Aussie wine wisdom is out now being the 2011 edition.

The big change this year is the addition of an iphone application, which at $9.99 (AU I think) will be a big hit with New World wine buffs. Brilliant! Now anyone, and everyone, will be an annoying wine expert.

Next time you go out for dinner watch the guy who gets the wine list, excuses himself to go to the bathroom and then comes back an expert on the Australian wines on the list. Chances are he has the new Australian wine companion app!

Personally I will stick to the book because I enjoy sharing the joy of discovery with friends as we try the wine and then flip through the pages together to look up how close we were to the official ratings.

You can get your BOOK copy of the companion HERE and the iphone app HERE.

Dean

HAWIN Luncheon with AWBC

Ok, so for those of you not in the know there is a little known group of HK wine merchants that get together every now and then to discuss all the wonderful things about importing good old Aussie wine. We even have a cute name Hong Kong Australian Wine Importers Network or HAWIN.

Now most times we get together it is to chat about what's going on or to listen to a visiting Politician tell us how we are doing a great job. We have a couple of sandwiches, drink some good grape juice and head on home. Today was a little different.

Someone wanted to listen to US! Hooray!

But I am being a little cynical. The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation are the regulatory board that for the most part do a pretty good job of looking after our industry and they popped in to Hong kong to get some advice on what they should do about helping us out.

Now all of us living here know that China is quite a unique market in many ways and any one who has tried to take a western approach to solving their marketing woes has usually gone back home with their tail between their legs.

Here's what everyone had to say:

Paul Henry, Head Honcho AWBC

• Instead of focussing on oversupply in Australia we need to look at maximising our potential markets overseas
• He showed us lots of stats and pie charts
• The AWBC is appointing a new Asia Head and they will be based in Hong Kong (great news)
• There will be several road shows coming up before the end of the year

Lucy Anderson is the AWBC marketing guru

• Landmark program for educating wine personalities from the region through master classes
• All be it accidently, she gave us the first sneak peak at the new campaigns that will be launched in June that will make every one in China fall in love with Australian Wine.

Then they asked us what we would like, and we said:

• Better education programs for those in the industry
• Education programs for those Professionals in the industry
• More education programs for the public 
• More focus on expanding the wine market in HK

So now we have gone off to feel better about ourselves because we had our say and the nice folk at the AWBC get some market feed back.

So there it is! A thrilling insight into the Australian wine industry in Hong Kong.

So that's what we had to say, what do you think? What would make you drink more Aussie wine. Please let us know as I would be only too happy to pass it on.

Dean

From the Glass of Tim Burvill

Many articles have been written about the current oversupply issues the Australian Wine Industry is facing at the moment so I contacted RockBare wine maker Tim Burvill to see if he could give us a 'grass roots' perspective on this situation. Tim was kind enough to drag himself away from a poolside McLaren Vale Chardonnay and share his views.

The issues of the AWI have been well documented by the mainstream media over the past 12 months.  So, without going into too much detail, we have a situation where the annual grape harvest (in 2010 it is predicted to be 1.8 million tonnes or 140 million dozen) is about 30% above requirements.  The area of grapevines planted in Australia doubled between 1997 to 2007 to 164,000 hectares, and such a massive increase in plantings has lead to a predictable surplus.  Compounding the problem has been the over-dependence of the AWI on a few large players which got bigger and bigger every few years as mergers and acquisitions took place (and might I add, most at completely over-inflated prices).  Throw in a global financial crisis, an appreciating Australian dollar, huge write-downs on the recent acquisitions,  and coupled with the inability of these large Australian wine corporations to be able to effectively market a sell large and diverse wine brand portfolio's, and we find our self in our present position. 

It will be very interesting to see how all of this plays out.  Grape growers are the ones really bearing the brunt of the industry's problems.  Since the large wineries, which were taking the majority of the crop previously, have opted out of the grape market, most grape growers coming out of contract are struggling to find a home for their fruit.  This in turn is resulting in very low fruit prices being offered by these out-of-contract grower.  How long will these growers be able to sustain growing crops in which they lose money on?  We will undoubtedly see vineyard pulled out, particularly in the newer grape growing regions that lack strong brands competing for their fruit.

The other sector of the industry hurting is the small wineries which were reliant on selling a container or two of wine to the USA and UK every year.  These sales for the most part have ground to a halt, and causing cash-flow and over-stock issues.  This is further exacerbating the low grape prices, as these smaller wineries which for the most part played in the high-priced fruit sector, also opt out of the grape market whilst they concentrate on selling through the stock in their warehouse.

 All sounds pretty grim doesn't it?  Well, it's not all doom and gloom.  In fact, some Australian wine companies have never had it better.  Wineries with strong brands, and solid finances are finding their market share increasing.  Yes, you read correctly, increasing.   We are are seeing a period of strong brands cementing their position in the market, and improving their footprint as they ride above the price-discount melee occurring below them.  Indeed, quality fruit has never been cheaper, nor have growers ever been more inclined to grow and crop their fruit as the wineries wish them to.  A New World Order is being created in the AWI at present.  For the most part, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation family owned wine companies are the ones charging ahead.  They have seen all of this before (crashes in the industry) and for the most part are well prepared.  They still offer the consumer a product with integrity- from who owns it, to who makes it, and that their brand cannot be found being trashed in the big supermarkets.   Also on the rise are the wineries who have partnered with importers/distributors on their brand.  These type of relationships give both the winery and the sales partner the confidence to invest additional time, focus and marketing dollars to the brand.  I think it will be very rare moving forward for any new brands to be solely owned from vineyard to the brand.  The capital requirement and risk is simply too high to make it a viable in the ultra competitive world wine market.

 One thing can be certain as we charge into the 2010 harvest.  By the end of this year, we will be operating in a very different market to the one we started the year in.

 Cheers

Tim

If you have an opinion on the subject please feel free to post it here and if you have anything you would like wine makers to answer please feel free to ask.

Dean

Marketing Australian Wines

Oz Clarke is in Australia at the moment and he shared his views on where the wine industry might be going wrong with its marketing approach. (click Here for full story)


I wonder if this applies to other markets around the world?

Would the 'Larakin Aussie' work in China?

I would be interested in your comments.

Dean

Australian Shiraz and Meat Pies: a great pairing.

Most people know that a good steak will love the company of a good Shiraz but recently I have come across another perfect match.


I was sharing some pre-Christmas drinks with friends at home and opened a bottle of RockBare's 2006 McLaren Vale Shiraz. We let it breathe in the bottle for a few minutes but it didn't take long before we had to pour it in to the Riedels and indulge. We were met with a powerful nose showing an abundant amount of blueberries, subtle oak and spice to which all at the table expressed their approval.


But this is nothing new!


However, at the very same time my wife served up some mini Australian meat pies (or as we call them, party pies) that ended up being consumed with the said Shiraz. A friend alerted us to how the two seemed to go together rather nicely. This led to a flurry of arms reaching out for the pies followed by ooh's, aah's, wow's and requests for more pies...... and wine.


It seems that the Australian Shiraz was the perfect match for the rich gravy that we find in meat pies adding spice and fruit to what can be a somewhat bland sauce.


Next time you're considering a meat pie at a restaurant look for the Aussie Shiraz on the wine list. My friends and I recommend it. 


Well that's my experience anyway! 


Dean



Update: On Christmas day I had the slow cooked Ox Tail at a restaurant and they recommended an Australian Shiraz. Again a good choice. Looks like I'm on a winner with this Shiraz/Gravy combo.