Drinks Trade - SUMMER 2019/20 | Hottest 100 Brands 2020

your news, your views Summer 2019/20 issue 73

2020 HOTTEST 100 BRANDS Canadian Club’s winning edge

CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING Special report Accolade’s

PETER DIXON Talks China

DANTE NYC

The Aussie behind the world’s best bar

One Fifty Lashes wins

Pommery shines in tasting

Australian craft booms

Contents 18

10

Top Ten online news stories for the quarter by Alana House

12

Viewpoint – James Brindley, Managing Director, Lion Co.

28

WINE 32

The Power of Pinot of the People

by Dan Sims

68

SPARKLING WINE SPECIAL REPORT by Ken Gargett

74

Climate Change in Champagne

by Melissa Parker

76

The Sparkling Wine and Champagne Tasting Bench

82

New Products – Wine

68

THE ANNUAL HOTTEST 100 BRANDS REPORT 37

Introduction

38

New Category Focus – Seltzer

40

Number One Brand – Canadian Club

42

Dark Spirit

46

Light Spirit

48

RTD

50

Red and Pink Wine

BEER

52

White and Sparkling Wine

84

All things Light, Bright and Beautiful

by Jamie Cook

54

Cider

86

New Products – Beer

56

Premium Beer

OPINION

SPIRITS

59

Craft Beer

24

60

Liqueurs, Aperitifs, Digestifs

62

The Rise of the Australian Craft Spirit

66

The Top 100 Hottest Brands List

INTERNATIONAL 16

China’s Wine Evolution by Émilie Steckenborn

17

Asia On-Premise

by Samuel Ng

18

Aussies Overseas – Meet Peter Dixon, Regional Managing Director – Asia and Global Travel Retail, Accolade Wines

22

The Flying Winemaker, Eddie McDougall on the Asian Wine Market

Wine is Not just a Drink

by Felicity Carter

CHANNELS 28

On-Premise – An interview with Linden Pride, Caffé Dante, New York

31

Retail Drinks Australia Report

26

Nusa Caña Rum

88

An Interview with Global Tequila Expert, Julio Bermejo

95

Vodka Cocktails

96

New Products – Spirits

EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS 97

The Round Up

LAST CALL 98

04 drinks trade

The life and times of the Margarita

Section header

BE PART OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT LIQUOR NETWORK • 2,700 stores & growing • Strong marketing support and targeted promotional programs • Investment into your store • Ongoing core range reviews, dedicated planograms and rebates for retail execution • Dedicated State Business Development and Retail Operations Teams • Unrivalled group buying power with Australia’s leading broad range liquor wholesaler (ALM) • Second largest retail group in Australia

CHAMPIONING SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENTS

drinks trade 5

To find out more on becoming part of the IBA group, send us an email at: ibatrade@metcash.com

THE ONLY FILTER WE’RE A FAN OF

IS CHARCOAL.

WE’RE ALSO A FAN OF DRINKING RESPONSIBLY. JACK DANIEL’S OLD NO.7 40% ABV (80 PROOF) AND DOUBLE JACK DRY 6.9% ABV (13.8 PROOF). JACK DANIEL’S AND OLD NO.7 BRAND ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. ©2020 JACK DANIEL’S. DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY JACK DANIEL DISTILLERY, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE. JACKDANIELS.COM

JAC0059_Charcoal FPC 230x300mm.indd 1

7/11/18 5:49 pm

Contributors

DAN SIMS

SAMUEL NG

JAMIE COOK

ÉMILIE STECKENBORN

Dan Sims is a professional wino and has been consumed with all things vinous for over two decades. Starting out as a sommelier, Dan was named the inaugural Sommelier of the Year for The Age Good Food Guide in 2008. Known for being outspoken on the subject of making the world of wine accessible, he has worked to engage, excite and collaborate with those of a similar ilk, and is now focused on producing large-scale events for wine drinkers that are informative, interactive and not scary. His most notable is Pinot Palooza, a celebration of the world’s best Pinot Noirs from the New World. Starting as a small event in Melbourne, Pinot Palooza is now a global success, taking place in cities across the world including Tokyo, Hong Kong and LA. Dan’s Pinot Noir market knowledge is pretty enviable. He shares some of it with us on page 88 including the results of consumer data collected from the latest Pinot Palooza. You saw it first in Drinks Trade.

In 2006, after a long career in the beer industry working for Bass Charrington (UK), Castlemaine Perkins, Matilda Bay, and CUB/Fosters, Jamie became a director at Dig Marketing Group, a marketing agency focussed on the food and drink sector. In 2008 he co-founded Stone & Wood Brewing Co. with Brad Rogers and Ross Jurisich. Stone & Wood has grown over the last ten years to become the second largest independent brewery in Australia. In recent years the founders created a family of businesses under the Fermentum banner. Fermentum includes Stone & Wood, Fixation Brewing Co, Granite Belt, Forest for the Trees, and a distribution business Square Keg. In late 2018 whilst maintaining his role as Executive Chairman of Fermentum, he joined the board of the Independent Brewers Association as Chair. He writes about the state of play for independent brewers in Australia on page 94.

Based out of the famous wine region in the Yarra Valley, in Victoria, Australia, Sam is Gin Ambassador and Trade Relations for Asia at Four Pillars. His background is in cocktail bartending and management, most notably at the Black Pearl in Fitzroy, where he was part of the team that won Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar at the Spirited Awards 2015 and Drinks International Top 50 Best Bar Australasia 2013. His accolades include Australian Brand Ambassador of the Year 2017 - Australian Bar Awards; Runner-up Brand Ambassador of the Year 2019 – Singapore Bar Awards; Runner-up Australian Bartender of the Year 2014; Bombay Sapphire “Project Botanicals” Winner 2014; and National Olmeca Altos competition winner and global finalist 2015. Sam now he spends his time spreading the good word about Four Pillars Gin and Australian spirits in general.

He writes about trends in the on-premise sector in Asia on page 19.

Emilie Steckenborn has lived in Shanghai, China for over seven years and is currently the Head of Education for Asia & MEIA at Treasury Wine Estates. Her passion for wine, food, beer and cocktails are brought to life through Bottled in China podcast and blog. A foodie herself, Émilie has cultivated her palate through gaining Diploma and Certified Educator from WSET, Certified Sommelier from CMS and HEG Certificate from Cordon Bleu. She has worked with numerous top beverage brands and hotel groups to develop and train their front line staff across China. She currently serves as China Eastern Airlines Official Wine Consultant for First and Business Class. She gives us a slice of first hand insight into the Chinese market for wine on page 18.

drinks trade 07

Editor’s Note

CREDITS

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” ― Henry James

PUBLISHER The Drinks Association

From the first day of autumn to the last day of spring, we dream of summer: holidays, beaches, friends, family, Christmas, enjoying life. It’s also the busiest trading season for the drinks industry. www.drinkscentral.com.au All enquiries to: The Drinks Association Locked Bag 4100, Chatswood NSW 2067 ABN 26 001 376 423 The views expressed in Drinks Trade are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily those of the magazine or The Drinks Association. Copyright is held by The Drinks Association and reproduction in whole or in part, without prior consent, is not permitted.

Other Drinks Association publications include:

The summer of 2019/20 heralds in a new player; a brand new category has emerged, swept over the sea from the United States, called seltzer. Lion is the first to play in this space with Quincy. Based on its success in the US, it’s a refreshment category disruptor. You can read all about it on page 38.

Quincy may come in handy as ammunition for Lion to battle with the behemoth that is the pending merger between Asahi and CUB. As I write the ACCC are 24 hours away from its decision on whether it’s a fair market proposition. The $16 billion deal will shake up the beer category; however, there are concerns hotel ownerships within the business may adversely impact emerging players and craft producers accessing route to market. Jamie Cook discusses this on page 84.

Drinks Trade Online.......................................................drinkstrade.com.au Drinks Guide................................................................ drinksguide.com.au Drinks Yearbook

EDITORIAL PUBLISHING EDITOR Ashley Pini...................ashley@hipmedia.com.au EDITOR Melissa Parker...................................melissa@hipmedia.com.au DIGITAL EDITOR Alana House............................... alanah@drinks.asn.au PHOTOGRAPHER Tom Yao (front cover)

Lion may have their work cut out for them in 2020, but they have an intuitive, forward-thinker at the helm. MD, James Brindley is our Viewpoint contributor and has headed up Lion for the past decade, overseeing impressive initiatives involving sustainability and diversifying into categories beyond beer such as craft spirits and seltzer – page 12.

Of course, we couldn’t have a summer edition without our annual Champagne and Sparkling Report on page 68. Further on the wine category, European-based Felicity Carter, editor of Meininger’s Wine Business International has penned a thought-provoking opinion piece exclusively for Drinks Trade. I urge everyone in the wine industry to read it on page 24.

CONTRIBUTORS Felicity Carter, Jamie Cook, Ken Gargett, Sam Ng, Dan Sims, Emilie Steckenborn

DESIGN

For our international section we take a look at Asia, with a focus on China. We talk to a range of people based there familiar with the quirks of the region who give advice about how to get the most from this lucrative market. We also interviewed an Australian in New York, Linden Pride about his café/bar Dante, recently crowned Best Bar in the World on page 28.

SENIOR DESIGNER Racs Salcedo...................... ryan@hipmedia.com.au

ADVERTISING

Finally, did your brand make the 100 Hottest Brands list? Through the combination of data from IRI research and the opinions of industry colleagues at the coalface we report on the ones to watch. Go to 100 Hottest Brands lift-out on page 35 to find out.

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Tim Ludlow.........tim@hipmedia.com.au

Produced and contract published by:

ACCOUNTS: accounts@hipmedia.com.au Suite 3, ‘Altura’, 11 Railway Street Chatswood, NSW 2060 Ph: 02 9492 7999 www.hipmedia.com.au | facebook.com/drinksmedia ABN: 42 126 291 914

08 drinks trade

On the 25th of December I will be watching waves in beautiful Jervis Bay drinking my current favourite, Malfy Gin Rosa Pink Grapefruit with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic. I can’t get enough of it. I hope you enjoy more of your favourite tipple during a long-deserved break to round off another successful year, wherever you are - Happy Holidays!

Melissa melissa@hipmedia.com.au

Section header

drinks trade 9

News

Top 10 in under 10 minutes HERE’S A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST NEWS STORIES TRENDING ONLINE. VISIT WWW.DRINKSTRADE.COM.AU FOR DAILY DRINKS INDUSTRY UPDATES. 2

1. WHY EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT ALCOHOLIC SELTZER Alcoholic seltzer is the hottest thing in drinks right now – it’s recorded $1.1billion in sales in the US in the last 12 months and seen 200% growth.

It’s also regarded as a huge threat to beer – according to Nielsen its share of the beer market has hit 5.1% in the past 13 weeks.

While Australian drinks manufacturers have been keeping a close eye on the innovation, they’ve hesitated to put their toe in the water, potentially since “selzter” isn’t a household term for beverages here.

However, brewer Lion pounced on the trend by releasing Quincy on November 1.

3

Japan, introduces a premium, low bitterness and lower carb option to the easy drinking category and is made in Australia with 100% Australian malt and wheat, using precise Japanese brewing techniques.

Two Suns enters the market at a time when data shows that Australians are changing their beer preferences from classic beers to lighter, more refreshing options.

2. AUSTRALIA’S TOP 10 CHAMPAGNE LOVING SUBURBS Sunshine Coast residents bought more Champagne than any other suburb in Australia in the last 12 months.

According to new sales data from wine retailer Cellarmasters, the Queensland suburb of Buderim knocked Mosman off the top position on Australia’s Top 10 Champagne suburbs list.

4. IS THIS THE FUTURE OF WHISKY COCKTAILS? Pernod Ricard sent social media into meltdown with its latest whisky innovation – a ‘Capsule Collection’ of glassless The Glenlivet single malt whisky cocktails.

Launched during London Cocktail Week in partnership with cocktail legend Alex Kratena, the limited-edition The Glenlivet ‘Capsule Collection’ is a range of whisky cocktails served in a seaweed-extract casing, one of nature’s most renewable resources.

A first of its kind for a spirit brand, the edible capsules are 23ml in size and fully biodegradable. They are popped in the mouth for an “instant burst of flavour”, and the capsule is simply swallowed. There is no need for a glass, ice or cocktail stirrer.

3. ASAHI RELEASES FIRST EASY DRINKING BEER - TWO-SUNS Asahi Premium Beverages launched its first easy drinking beer in Australia in September, called Two Suns Premium Dry. Two Suns unique brewing collaboration, between two passionate brewers, Geoff Day from Australia and Yosuke Tajika from

5. ACCC HOLDS UP IN CARLTON AND UNITED TAKEOVER The ACCC halted its proceedings in its consideration of the $16 billion Asahi takeover of Carlton & United Breweries at the end of September.

The competition watchdog had been due to deliver its verdict on October 31, but

10 drinks trade

4

has since extended its decision date until December 5.

The case was put on hold on September 30 while the ACCC awaited further information from Asahi.

Asahi currently has a 3.5% share of the Australian market, with the deal giving it just over 50% of the market.

The next nearest competitor is Lion at 37%.

According to The Australian, the ACCC’s main concern with the deal is “its impact in creating barriers to entry of new boutique breweries”.

6. SYDNEY BAR TO ALLOW PATRONS TO DRINK NUDE Sydney’s Stitch Bar held a one-off event in October where its patrons were permitted to drink nude for the night.

“Bottoms Up Sydney” was hosted in conjunction with The Young Nudists of Australia (YNA).

YNA was inspired by similar concepts around the world, such London’s Coach & Horses becoming the first pub in the city to be granted a nudist licence in May. 7. DRINKS INDUSTRY SHAKE-UP: EXECUTIVE RESHUFFLES ACROSS THE BUSINESS It’s been a year for huge change in the Australian drinks industry as a dramatic changing of the guard takes place.

Treasury Wine Estates shocked the market with the announcement that Michael Clarke intends to retire from the role of

8

Managing Director and CEO in the first quarter of fiscal 2021.

Tim Ford, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, will be appointed to the role of CEO, effective from the retirement of Clarke.

Tim Ford replaced COO Robert Foye earlier this year after he was dismissed for breaching internal policies.

Angus McPherson was recently appointed as TWE Managing Director, ANZ & Europe, as President – Americas and Global Sales, replacing Victoria Snyder; while Angus Lilley replaced Michelle Terry as Global CMO. Asia Managing Director Peter Dixon also left the company for competitor Accolade Wines and was replaced by Tom King as North Asia MD. Speaking of Accolade Wines, Diageo Australia’s Commercial Director Andrew Clarke was appointed Regional Managing Director, ANZ – Accolade Wines, last month.

He will commence with the business early in 2020 and will also become a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

Elsewhere in the wine category of the drinks industry, Australian Vintage Limited announced in July that Craig Garvin will replace Neil McGuigan as its CEO. Garvin will take-up the position of CEO when McGuigan formerly steps down after the company’s AGM on November 20, 2019.

Over at Coca-Cola Amatil, it was announced that Alcohol & Coffee MD Shane Richardson was leaving the business as part of major changes to its organisational structure.

The Australian-based Alcohol and Coffee portfolios joined the Australian Beverages

9

team under the leadership of Peter West.

The drinks industry overhaul isn’t restricted to suppliers. Coles has appointed British supermarket veteran Darren Blackhurst as Coles Liquor Chief Executive. Blackhurst’s most recent role was as Group Commercial Director of Morrisons in the UK. Dan Murphy’s has hired one of Coles’ top executives as its new managing director, Alex Freudmann. Freudmann has 20 years experience in the retail industry, having led customer-focused change in both the Australian and the UK markets. He had worked for Coles for the last 10 years, and for Tesco in the UK for six years before that.

Over at BWS, Woolworths Group has appointed Scott Davidson as General Manager.

And Metcash Liquor’s new CEO Chris Baddock finally moved into his new role this year, after leaving his position as Director of Pinnacle and Direct, part of Endeavour Drinks.

8. RED BLEND WINS JIMMY WATSON TROPHY FOR FIRST TIME IN 11 YEARS South Australia’s Bleasdale Vineyards’ 2018 The Wild Fig S.G.M was awarded the Jimmy Watson Trophy for Best Young Red at the 2019 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards.

The Wild Fig S.G.M is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre sourced from Langhorne Creek and produced

by Bleasdale Vineyards Winemaker Paul Hotker. It’s the first time a blend has taken home the Jimmy Watson Trophy since 2008.

9. AUSTRALIA’S FIVE BEST PUB MEALS REVEALED After a month-long search, Australia’s five best pub meals were revealed as

10

part of Yak Brewing’s The Hungry Yak campaign.

The five winners and the nation’s newly appointed best pub meals are: • Best Pub Fish & Chips – Richard Slarp, Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel (Watsons Bay, NSW) • Best Pub Chicken Parmigiana – Sabin Maharjan, The Birmingham Hotel (Fitzroy, VIC) • Best Pub Steak – Beat Ettlin, The Royal Hotel Queanbeyan (Queanbeyan, ACT) • Best Pub Burger – Megan McCulloch, The Henson (Marrickville, NSW) – above is the beef burger, but it was the halloumi burger that took out top honours!

• Best Pub Pork Ribs – Brenton Philp, The Pier Bar (Cairns, QLD) 10. HEADING: MUMM UNVEILS JAW-DROPPING MELBOURNE CUP MARQUEE Pernod Ricard dazzled again with its Mumm marquee for the Melbourne Cup Carnival, launching the Maison Mumm Hotel experience.

The marquee was transformed into the first ‘boutique hotel’ in The Birdcage and the brand opened up the RSRV collection via a secret tasting room inside the marquee. Pernod Ricard took inspiration from the home of Mumm Champagne in Reims and channelled some of the world’s leading hotels and retail boutiques with the signature Mumm avant garde personality.

This year’s marquee took 320 hours to build with more than 25 event designers, stylists, builders, engineers and industrial designers working behind the scenes to bring it together.

It welcomed 1200 visitors over four days and more than 10,000 glasses of champagne were consumed with 14,000 canapes.

drinks trade 11

Interview

Viewpoint JAMES BRINDLEY HAS HELD THE POSITION OF MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LION FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS AND HAS BEEN WITH THE COMPANY FOR 25. HE HAS WITNESSED SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE BREWING SECTOR OVER THIS PERIOD AND HAS PLAYED AN INTEGRAL PART IN MANIFESTING SOME OF IT. HE SHARES HIS VIEW ON THE BUSINESS OF AUSTRALIAN BREWING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMERS AND CRAFT. This year you celebrated 25 years with Lion and ten years as MD. What do you see as the key transformations the company has experienced in this time under your stewardship?

A lot has changed in ten years. For over ten years we had a fruitful partnership with Bacardi, which we exited but we have now re-entered this category with craft spirits.

We once had a beautiful wine portfolio in the Fine Wine Partners business that we exited. We continue to partner with Heineken and Guinness, and of course we had a long partnership with ABI until their acquisition of SAB Miller. With the constant growth of craft breweries and further recent acquisitions, the beer market in Australia is always exciting and about to enter a new era. The beer industry has evolved over the last two decades, which has seen a boom in craft breweries, and we are proud to have been at the forefront of this movement, led by our good friend and colleague Chuck Hahn who is still going strong! One ongoing change is the societal shift towards more responsible drinking. Almost every government statistic indicates Australians, on the whole, are consuming alcohol more responsibly. I think industry participants, including Lion, have played a significant role in achieving this change through our support for DrinkWise. Right now, while we remain focused on growing beer, we are really excited about growth outside of beer too. We have extended our focus on craft beyond beer to spirits, and we are energised by our new partnerships with Four Pillars Gin and Vanguard Luxury Brands. We have launched Australia’s first seltzer in Quincy, and we are a partner of Remedy, Australia’s leading kombucha. The combinations and

12 drinks trade

possibilities to fulfil the consumer needs of our time and to achieve growth are endless. Lion is certainly a more diverse and inclusive company than ever before. In 2016 we closed the gender pay gap and we continue to work towards a 50:50 gender balance as quickly as we can. We are also more mindful of our environmental impact now. Brewing can be a very energy-intensive industry so we are looking at different ways we can minimise this.

How is the face of the Aussie beer scene changing? How are Australians consuming beer differently today, than say ten, twenty or thirty years ago?

I remember when I had my first beer at the Commercial Hotel in Bathurst many years ago and there was only Tooheys New or Tooheys Old to choose from – both excellent choices I might add! And back

then most people only drank one beer brand on every occasion. These days our repertoires have grown to six beer brands consumed regularly. This is reflected in the incredibly diverse tap banks, the huge range of choice in retail and the now six hundred plus breweries in Australia. We are spoilt for choice. Drinkers engage with beer differently now too. There is a far more vibrant culture around the amber liquid – and it is more about the whole experience, as opposed to just a schooner on a coaster, which is a wonderful experience in itself.

From food matching, to the brewing process, and experimenting with different styles and ingredients, beer appeals to a much wider audience now and this is something we should celebrate. We have also seen a rise in moderation, which is how XXXX GOLD became Australia’s biggest beer. Iron Jack has been very successful in this space too. But more recently we are starting to see a real demand for alcohol-free options.

Heineken 0.0 is a fantastic premium product, which suits all occasions and does not compromise on taste at all.

Tell us about the long-term strategy behind the decision to diversify into the gin category.

We have a long history in craft. Chuck Hahn is the godfather of craft beer in Australia and created Hahn, James Squire and Kosciuszko. We were founding investors in Little Creatures and more recently have developed Bevy in Western Australia, Tiny Mountain and Eumundi in Queensland and Malt Shovel Brewers in Sydney. We had a thought that we could transfer this experience in craft brewing, with our history of investing in great businesses allowing

Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the AHA and Engie. This deal will significantly lower electricity bills for participating pubs and will reduce Lion’s carbon emissions in NSW by forty per cent. Our customers are truly at the heart of this initiative, and we are focused on helping hotels right across the state thrive. Like all businesses, pubs are feeling the pinch of rising energy costs.

In addition to the PPA, earlier this year we completed a new solar array project at the XXXX Brewery in Queensland, which saw the installation of more than 2,200 solar panels on the iconic site’s roof. Little Creatures in Geelong has also benefited from a Victorian Government grant to install a new solar array. As the site grows in Geelong, it is important we ensure it does so sustainably. This project will be completed early next year and will provide about twenty-five per cent of the site’s electricity requirements. We’ve also announced recently that from 2020, our breweries will be carbon neutral.

Aerial view of solar panels on the XXXX Brewery

the founders to continue to run them, to craft spirits. Four Pillars, recently awarded World’s Best Gin, was established by Stu Gregor, Matt Jones and Cam Mackenzie in 2013, and what they’ve achieved in that time is remarkable. It is a fantastic business with great people and a real passion for exceptional product, which is evident to anybody who has visited the distillery door in Healesville, or met anyone who works for Four Pillars! Craft spirits, and particularly craft gin, continue to show strong growth in Australia, and entering this category fulfils our commitment to give drinkers a range of beverage options to suit all occasions. It is a really exciting category to be in, and it will see Lion’s craft journey continue beyond beer. Another important part of this is our partnership with Four Pillars’

domestic distributor, Vanguard Luxury Brands, founded by James France, which boasts an impressive portfolio of brands including Michter’s, Flor de Cana, and Tequila Fortaleza. The Vanguard team are wonderful craft and premium spirits advocates and play an important role in educating people on different ways to consume spirits.

Lion is very strong on sustainability with some recent high-profile investments (Lidcombe Brewery PPA with Engie and AHA NSW) in renewable energy. Could you elaborate on these and explain why is this a priority for Lion?

We are extremely proud of our involvement in the world’s first industry-scale aggregated

You must be thrilled to be the first to market with Quincy, Australia’s first seltzer. How big do you think the market here could be for seltzer?

Lion is proud to be able to introduce Australians to this category with Quincy.

Though we are known for our leading beer portfolio at Lion, Quincy is an innovative response to the growing demand for a lighter style of drink that tastes great too. We actually use our brewing credentials to make Quincy, and through a rice fermentation process, the alcohol is naturally occurring.

The end result is a delicate taste profile with very low bitterness. The popularity of this category overseas can be attributed to the trend towards mindful consumption – a trend we are definitely seeing in Australia too. Consumers wants choice, without compromising on quality or taste. When you don’t feel like a wine, spirit or cider, Quincy is a fantastic option. Like the boom in RTDs in the early 2000s, and the cider boom in the late 2000s, perhaps seltzers will be the next boom category.

drinks trade 13

A Drinks Trade Promotion

Gin Sales are Hot and Al Fresco TEN OF THE TOP TWELVE WHITE SPIRIT BRANDS IN THIS YEARS’ ‘HOTTEST 100 BRANDS REPORT’* ARE GINS, GROWING BY A CUMULATIVE 2,816,000 LITRES OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS. THAT’S A LOT OF GIN, AND WHEN WE TRANSLATE THAT INTO YOUR VENUES, AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS ARE EXPECTED TO DRINK AN INCREMENTAL 30-40 MILLION G&T SERVES OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS**.

The consumer’s thirst for the Gin and Tonic shows no sign of abating, and as sales of the classic drink peak over the summer period, it will be the venues set up for success that end up cashing in.

Fever-Tree are launching their summer Gin & Tonic Garden just in time for you to grab a share of the summer trade with an overhaul of some of the best outdoor drinking spots across Australia. As the demand for desirable drinking gardens continues to grow alongside the nation’s love affair with the timeless G&T, the campaign will assist venues nationwide dress and revamp their outdoor spaces to create the ultimate G&T Garden.

Building on the success of their 2018 summer activity, Fever-Tree is aiming to pioneer the movement with access to custom-made Fever-Tree furniture, venuespecific menu designs, and pairing guides.

Fever-Tree Australia Brand Manager, Nikki Daven, explains, “Fever-Tree will help facilitate the creation of beautiful spaces in which G&T lovers can push the boundaries and explore the world of premium mixers.

The campaign aligns perfectly with the

14 drinks trade

release of our new Fever-Tree Cucumber Tonic and Fever-Tree Clementine and Cinnamon Tonic, which will be entering Australian markets in time for summer.

“Participating venues will also have access to styling tips and tricks, custom Fever-Tree Gin and Tonic menus, and FeverTree training sessions for all staff with FeverTree Brand Ambassador, Trish Brew.”

ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS Footfall will be driven to all Fever-Tree Garden venues with an interactive map on their website, a platform where G&T lovers can find their local sunspot simply by entering their postcode. The site will also include overviews of each Garden, providing addresses, information, and images of each space.

A full digital campaign will further be running through Facebook and Instagram to maximise awareness and encourage consumer engagement.

Fever-Tree Brand Ambassador, Trish Brew, says, “With Gin and Tonic as one of the nation’s favourites tipples, and our Australian love for outdoor drinking, we

are excited to see some creativity and help do up some great outdoor spaces into beautiful Gin and Tonic gardens for the summer months.”

THE SEARCH FOR AUSTRALIA’S BEST G&T GARDEN Each venue will have the opportunity to enter into the search for Australia’s Best G&T Garden. The venue that stands out from the crowd will win the ultimate G&T experience, visiting London in June 2020 as well as passes to the Fever-Tree Championships, the pre-Wimbledon men’s ATP tournament at the prestigious Queen’s Club London.

During the activation period, applicants can enter their venue online. Entries close in March 2020.

The Fever-Tree G&T Garden campaign kicks off this summer, with iconic pubs across Australia taking part. *IRI Research, see page 48 for results **snooper research 2019

A FRESH CUCUMBER TWIST ON YOUR G&T

For more information please contact your local SouthTrade Sales Representative or Head Office on (02) 8080 9150

International Trends - Asia

China’s Wine Evolution As told by a Shanghai-based Sommelier

JUST TEN OR SO YEARS AGO, WINE CONSUMPTION IN CHINA WAS A NICHE TREND DOMINATED BY FRENCH WINES, WITH BOTTLES PRIMARILY BOUGHT AS GIFTS. NOW, WE SEE GROWING NUMBERS OF YOUNG CHINESE CONSUMERS ACROSS BIG CITIES PURCHASING BOTH LOCALLY-GROWN AND IMPORTED WINES FOR CONSUMPTION - NOT JUST TO GIVE AWAY. Words Émilie Steckenborn Despite recent reports that indicate Chinese wine sales are slowing, consumer behaviour continues to evolve as a growing demographic of wine-enthusiasts become increasingly educated and astute in their buying decisions. Let’s take a look at how the wine industry has morphed over the eight years I have lived in China, and look ahead to the ways we can expect it to develop further.

THEN: A LIMITED SELECTION When I first arrived in Shanghai in November 2011, Bordeaux wines were the focus, with Australian wines lacking in demand. People were buying wine as a gift, with top Bordeaux crus being the most coveted brands, and Burgundy and Champagne remaining relatively unknown.

In terms of wine educators, the standards were relatively low. It felt like anyone could be a wine expert, even with WSET L1 alone. When I finished my own WSET Diploma in 2013, there was only a handful of us with this qualification in mainland China. Now, interest growth is skyrocketing, and there were over 15,177 candidates in mainland China in the 2018 academic year.

Back then, Chinese consumers didn’t have much of a reference point for wine.

They prioritized alcohol content, bottle size, fancy labels, and a cork. Natural wine was practically non-existent: I remember buying a bottle from Hong Kong in 2014 from specialized natural wine retailer, La Cabane. When I shared it with a group of wine enthusiasts in Shanghai, they thought it ruined. That same group of individuals now has its own Chinese natural wine brand and a bar that sells exclusively natural wines.

A lot can change in a few years!

16 drinks trade

NOW: A MORE MATURE MARKET While China remains a brand-driven market, wine industry trends have changed substantially over the past few years.

Notably, natural wines are growing in popularity with cool, Millennial crowds across big cities. They see natural wine as trendier and more authentic - something that matches their values.

However, probably the most remarkable shift has been the rise of Australian wines as they now represent 9% volume market share, up from 4% in 2016. However, French wine is still in the lead, with 14% market share.

And while red wine still dominates, there is a growing interest in whites.

But, where are the Chinese actually buying their wine? Unsurprisingly, given the dominance e-commerce has over retail in China, people are predominantly purchasing their wine online. In fact, 46% of consumers in China have bought wine from online stores. And while in-store purchases used to be heavily limited to Beijing and Shanghai, today, markets in cities such

as Chengdu and Chongqing are just as important.

It’s also important to note that today’s Chinese wine customers are more price sensitive. While the same can’t be said for U.S. wines given the ongoing trade war, consumers are enjoying lower-priced foreign wines thanks to free trade agreements with New Zealand, Chile, and Australia.

A LONG WAY TO GO There is still a long way to go for the wine industry in China. For new brands looking to enter the market, patience is key. That being said, what takes years to happen in the West happens at a faster rate in China.

Wine trends will shift and change as the Chinese wine consumer becomes more educated in their choices. Chinese wineenthusiasts will continue to explore wines from countries other than France, nonred wine consumption will grow, as will a penchant for natural wines from a hip, health-conscious demographic.

Asia On-Premise

The Cocktail and Spirit Edit THE FOCUS ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE IN ASIA IS FUELLED BY INCREDIBLE TALENT HAILING BOTH LOCALLY AND FROM ABROAD, AND THE HYPE IS MATCHED BY SERIOUSLY GOOD VENUES, CONCEPTS AND DRINKS. Words Sam Ng, Gin Ambassador and Trade Relations Manager, Asia for Four Pillars.

Asia and its many regions have unique styles and flavours. Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong are leading the charge with world-class venues such as Atlas in Singapore (pictured), The Old Man (Hong Kong), Bar High Five (Tokyo) and Jigger and Pony (Singapore) amongst others. All feature in The Worlds 50 Best Bars. The style is recognisable; a familiar reference to the established cocktail cities of London and New York.

This year alone, winners of major global cocktail competitions hailed from various corners of Asia. We’ve seen Bannie Kang (originally from Korea), currently head bartender of Anti:dote Bar in Singapore win the gruelling and prestigious World Class Cocktail Competiton, and Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn, co-owner of Thai bars #findthelockerroom and #findthephotobooth, win the much-lauded Bacardi Legacy Competition.

Bars and bartenders like Vijay Mudaliar at Native (Singapore) and Aki Wang from Indulge Experimental Bistro give us some of the most contemplative and creative drinks not typically seen in other parts of the world. Native goes so far as using ingredients and spirits only found in the region ingredients like candlenut, native arracks, pink jasmine and an assortment of wild foraged botanicals. Vijay does the foraging himself. While at Indulge, an incredible selection of teas feature at the heart of each of their core concepts.

The appetite for native influences and regionality stretches through the broader Asia bartending community with

a myriad of local ingredients featuring in progressive and dedicated concept bars, making their way into unique drinks that celebrate provenance.

Jamie Rhind, formerly of the Artesian (UK), currently at the Bamboo Bar in the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, has created a menu referencing the five different regions in Thailand, primarily taking reference from local spirits and flavours. The wife and husband team of Sumire and Takuo Miyanohara at Bar Orchard (Tokyo) in Ginza, are choosing to baulk the traditional Ginza cocktail bar style to create a menu based around the customer’s choice of fruit with exciting and playful presentations.

Bars in lesser-known parts of Asia such as areas of Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are doing exciting things with variations, bar choreography and often unusual pairings. Unique regional palates and ingredient choices result in approaches to flavour that may not be recognisable in more established cocktail regions, often with surprising and fascinating results.

The rise of the craft spirit is very much a focus across the region. Whisk(e)y is still king in the majority of these markets, with Scottish and Japanese styles preferred. But the trend towards craft gin and rum is evident. Established brands still feature heavily but more bartenders are looking for new and locally-produced spirits for inspiration.

As in the rest of the world, craft gin is the fastest-growing category adopted by creatives behind the stick.

Local palates within each of these cities continue to expand because of ingredients such as bitters selections, artisanal liqueurs and fortified wines becoming more commonplace. Perhaps they were hand-carried by bartenders and enthusiasts to their local favourite cocktail bars. Brands like Italicus, Mancino Vermouths, Ferro-china finding their way onto back bars in places not so accustomed to these particular flavours.

Time will tell how the broader Asia region will grow. Still, one thing is sure; it’s onwards and upwards as more consumers and professionals look towards the rapid growth and appreciation of fine drinking across all its proponents.

drinks trade 17

International Trends - Asia

Aussies Overseas AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER DIXON

PETER DIXON IS THE REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR - ASIA & GLOBAL TRAVEL RETAIL FOR ACCOLADE WINES BASED IN SHANGHAI. HE SHARES HIS CHALLENGES AND GOALS WHILE WORKING IN CHINA, AND HOW TO GRACIOUSLY EAT THE BRAINS OF A MONKEY WHILE RECOMMENDING A QUALITY AUSTRALIAN WINE TO GO WITH THAT. What do you love about working in China and what are the challenges?

I like the pace. I like how things evolve and change, and you can’t sit still, ever, otherwise you get left behind. I love that side of it.

I love the passion that our partners bring to the wine category. The challenges are my grasp of the Chinese language. It is terrible. Communication is difficult, but I have a great team that supports me, and we find ways of getting around it. After a few glasses of wine, it is amazing what you can understand from your partners without having to speak directly! I had a few lessons when I got here, but one of my Chinese partners said to me - foreigners who speak fluent Chinese in China we don’t trust because they always have a different take on our culture and generally they are looking at things through a different lens. I use that as an excuse. I am not sure how true it is.

In terms of wine, what is hot, what is not, and what is on the rise?

Red wine. It sounds simple, but red wine is still 85 per cent of wine consumed in China.

We are finding regional wine from Australia is starting to gain traction.

What is not hot is white wine. The taste profile of white wine is still taking longer than expected to find traction in the Chinese market.

The next big thing is sparkling wine.

It is starting to get traction in celebration moments such as weddings and with the younger consumers.

18 drinks trade

the 25 to 35 year old or the Millenials, young females and the middle class that is emerging in third and fourth-tier cities. It’s hard to get good data in China, but I would say about 70 per cent would still be the 40 plus. But where our focus is and where the future of consumption is coming from is the young Millenials.

If you want to get specific about white, Moscato is doing well, and sweeter white wines are doing well.

Riesling is the number one white wine varietal in China. The sweeter style definitely is more palatable for the younger consumer, but I think red wine is easier for the Chinese palate to understand. Particularly with a lot of new drinkers coming into the category, they are finding red wine easier.

What are the key demographics consuming wine in China, and when are they drinking it or how are they drinking it?

The major base for wine drinkers is still the 40 to 50-year-old drinker; however, the growth is coming from

Can you describe the retail landscape in China? Where are they buying wine?

It is super fragmented. The largest retailer, China Resources Vanguard, still only has five per cent market share. That’s if you are talking bricks and mortar, but there is a huge shift towards e-commerce and online.

E-commerce is growing 30 per cent year on year and has for the past five years. Alibaba now represents 20 per cent of all purchases in the retail segment. JD.com is number one. They are the largest in liquor followed by a close second by Alibaba.com.

The good thing about online is it is not only a great place to sell wine, but it is a great platform to tell stories as well. You can really interact with the consumer.

What about on-premise?

For wine it is growing, but the total onpremise market for alcohol is in decline due to changes in government regulations.

People are more cost-conscious now than in the past. What you find is people are buying wine and then taking it with them onpremise, they are drinking wine in the onpremise environment, but whether they are

actually purchasing the wine there is hard to judge. I would say it is a small fraction.

So it is predominantly a BYO environment in China?

The government changed the regulations a few years ago so that legally restaurants all across China have to let people BYO if that is their preference.

And do consumers pay for that privilege?

It depends. If you are talking first-tier cities and high-end restaurants, absolutely they pay; if you are talking more casual dining about 50 /50.

How is Australian wine tracking in the region compared to other imported wines such as the French?

Compared to the French, Australia is doing really well. It is the number one market for wine sales. We have overtaken the French in terms of value for the last eight months, and I believe the French category is declining by around about 30 per cent. Australia is relatively flat but has a two to three per cent increase to date for the calendar year which is positive because the market is going through a bit of change at the moment so for Australia to hold its ground is remarkable.

I think it is due to the positioning of Australian wine as being premium yet at the same time affordable plus the labels of the Australian wines are easier to understand for new consumers. All these factors help the overall Australian wine category.

Is the consumption of China’s domestic wine growing?

If you look at the trends, domestic wine once represented 70 per cent of consumption, and today it represents 40 per cent. The Chinese are very nationalistic. They are very proud of things that they do, and there are more and more boutique wineries popping up; in Ningxia for example. I think there is a propensity for people to try more domestic wines at the premium end than ever before, but if you look at the bulk wine it is dominated by two huge players Great Wall and Changyu and both of those businesses have found sales challenging.

There is an opportunity in the premium

The largest retailer, China Resources Vanguard, still only has five per cent market share. That’s if you are talking bricks and mortar, but there is a huge shift towards e-commerce and online. E-commerce is growing 30 per cent year on year and has for the past five years. end for domestic wine. Lafitte Rothschild for example has started a winery that has helped bolster the image of domestic wine, but the wines are quite commercial. It took Lafite ten years before they released their first vintage and they have done an incredible job. The quality of domestic wine is increasing. In terms of growing grapes they have only been doing it for 30 to 35 years, so they are still getting the right vines planted in the right varietals using the right clones. There is a lot of experimenting, but the thing about the Chinese is they are so determined to be successful when they put their mind and heart to it. The domestic wine scene is evolving quickly, and the quality is improving dramatically, which is positive for the entire industry.

Let’s discuss your new role at Accolade.

How is the business performing over there, and where do you see the opportunity to gain ground?

I have been at Accolade now for just over six months, and we have restructured and made lots of changes. We have brought in a completely new team and set up a whole new route to market. For us, it’s about getting the right focus on the right brands, Hardys, Grant Burge, St Hallett and Banrock Station. All of them have different stories to tell, and all of them can relate to Chinese consumers in different ways at different price points. We need to make sure we have the right partners who can help us focus and drive the distribution and the availability, and we are investing quite heavily to build the brand awareness both online and in retail. It makes for exciting times, and I am loving the new role.

How successful is the wine category in China overall at the moment? What is

the biggest beverage category in China?

If you talk value then it is biajiu; beer is number two followed by wine. They are all fairly close. Baijiu is by far the category leader and growing. Some of the premium brands in baijiu are doing extremely well, and big estate-owned companies are doing a tremendous job getting consumers to drink their spirits everyday. If we can get more baijiu drinkers drinking wine and playing to the health-conscious, then the opportunities are endless. Also leveraging, and in some cases partnering, with some of the baijiu players is an opportunity to tap into their network as well, so there are a few different things that we are looking at.

Is doing business in China challenging from a cultural perspective?

I think you always have to be humble.

Don’t pretend you know everything.

Be genuine. People here respect that. I haven’t had too many challenges since living here, but I think if you come across as being arrogant and talking up how things are done because that’s the way it works in Europe you would find it difficult. If you try to use your knowledge and adapt it to what works in China and listen to your partners always, then I think you can set yourself up pretty well.

What are your main goals for Accolade in China for the next five years?

We are focused on the big four brands, and if we can make one of them a household name then I would be really proud of our efforts. China is an expensive place to play and it takes time and effort to build a brand here so if we can do that we will be in a strong position for the future. If people can walk into bars, restaurants, clubs and retail outlets across China and understand what

drinks trade 19

International Trends - Asia

our brand stands for, that is what success looks like for me.

What are your thoughts on the Wine Australia investment in China?

It was a great start, and they spent the money well, but you just can’t make a two or three-year investment, walk away and expect the job is done. Chile particularly and the Italian industry have been investing in China for a long period of time, and you have to play that longer game. If Wine Australia and the government continue to do that then I think Australian wine will reach new heights. Three years is not long enough; it is only just gaining momentum.

You say Chile and Italy have been investing for years yet we are number one in value? What do you attribute that to?

Location has a huge benefit. The access so many people’s families study in Australia and are in Australia at some point in time, so that has a huge factor plus the food.

Australia is seen as having the best produce, and obviously, the wine follows.

What is your favourite restaurant and bar in China?

Good question. I am going to be generic.

I love going to hot pot restaurants in Shichuan or Chóngqìng, and you are sitting around with 12 people and sharing spicy food and drinking wine and talking, that to me is what this industry is all about, and that is what I love the most.

Compared to the French, Australia is doing really well. It is the number one market for wine sales. We have overtaken the French in terms of value for the last eight months.

Specific restaurants? It is too hard to say; there are too many.

What is the most interesting cuisine you have eaten in China?

I have had donkey, scorpion, monkey brain, horse. For me, I try everything once, and I have tried some really odd things; things that should not be eaten! The monkey brain was in Guangxi. They lifted the hair from the head off, and that was the presentation, it was just sitting there on top, and it was glutenous. I didn’t want to know too much about it because I was about to eat it. You would be surprised about some of the foods you eat. In Liaoning Province, donkey is one of their go-to foods and over the course of one meal I had donkey served in about 18 different ways from dumplings to roast to soup. It was definitely a unique experience, and it didn’t taste so bad.

What is your favourite Chinese dish?

I am quite an Australian, so I love my sweet and sour pork, and I love my Cantonese beef noodles.

What wine would you drink with your sweet and sour?

I would drink Riesling. I love Riesling, and I would try to educate the Chinese about the benefits of white wine with spicy food. It is the perfect match, and there is continuous education around it, but you can’t force people to like what you like.

What would you say to someone wanting to do business in China?

China is going through a very turbulent time, and if people want to set up business here, they really should make the effort and have someone based in the market and build for the longer term. If you are looking at China as a short term trading opportunity to make some quick cash, it’s the wrong way of going about it. The more winemakers from around the world visit and educate and talk about the stories, the histories and the nuances for each of their wines and brands, the better. There are only 70 odd million drinking wine in China on a regular basis which is small. If we can get that to the 100s of millions, which is possible, it’s an incredible market for everyone.

International Trends – Asia

Eddie McDougall THE FLYING WINEMAKER

HONG KONG BORN AND AUSTRALIAN RAISED, EDDIE MACDOUGALL IS AN AWARD-WINNING WINEMAKER, CHAIRMAN OF THE ASIAN WINE REVIEW, WINE CRITIC, COLUMNIST AND TV PERSONALITY BEHIND THE FLYING WINEMAKER, ONE OF ASIA-PACIFIC’S MOST DYNAMIC WINE BRANDS. HERE HE TALKS ABOUT MOVING BACK TO CHINA AND THE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WINE INDUSTRY. You moved back to Hong Kong just after Hong Kong abolished the wine tax, and Hong Kong became this global wine centre. Is that still the case?

It is still very much the trusted hub. I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest. Certainly, China is emerging to be much bigger, and a lot of the clientele buying the wines have been from China so as far as buyers, China is still the bigger beast, but in terms of trading or business networking, the centre is still Hong Kong. The huge boom for Hong Kong initially was really in the fine wine sector, so auction houses were going ballistic with record deals and record trading transactions. As it evolved and as the money started drying up with Chinese austerity measures, anti-corruption laws and a few other things people didn’t have as much disposable income or were not necessarily buying based on the highest price being the best. People started to become more educated about wine. People are taking more risks and making better decisions for themselves from a commercial trading level but also on a consumer level.

Where do you perceive the rest of the wine market to be outside of Hong Kong?

China is interesting because it always starts with the first two cities (Shanghai and Beijing) and then funnels through to the second, third and fourth cities and provincial areas. So there is no doubt in China there is sign of decline in imports into China, and the shift is about – we can make great wines ourselves, we don’t need to drink other people’s wines. The eat local,

22 drinks trade

drink local mentality is starting to hit home in China, and you can see that with some of the craft beers and indeed the astronomical growth in wine production that is happening in China right now. Since we filmed The Flying Winemaker series that was 2013, 14 and 15 plantings have doubled, tripled and wineries have doubled, tripled. Foreign talent moving into China to make wine or Chinese talent who have been trained overseas in France or Australia are turning back to China to make wine and plant vineyards. There has been a considerable uplift in that local domestic consumption and production.

So there is a shift from the obsession with prestige wines such as Burgundy and Bordeaux to drinking their own?

Absolutely. That is exactly how it is, and you see it on wine lists. First wine by the glass is a Chinese Chardonnay. It’s not a Chilean Chardonnay or a Cabernet on first pour. People are now saying we as a Chinese business want to support a Chinese winery.

How is the quality of Chinese wine and what varietals are they growing?

Winemakers and grapegrowers are starting to understand much more about what they can produce locally. When they first started, they thought, OK we are the same latitude as Bordeaux, everything we do is going to replicate Bordeaux, from the grape varieties to the replica chateaux. That trend or fad has moved on, and these guys have realised that sure, they can make some nice Bordeaux blends but the terroir doesn’t lend itself to producing the best. So it evolved,

and they experimented with other varietals such as Marselan which has seen a lot of success. Maybe this is the red grape for China in terms of how it is performing?

Other varietals such as Shiraz in Ningxia are winning awards; they are delicious.

The appetite for strictly drinking cabernet is shifting. That said, the flavour profile for bigger, richer wine is still popular because it is easier to understand. The intricacies of say, Pinot Noir, requires more maturity in the drinker. That will come.

How much does Asian cuisine dictate wine trends in Asia?

Asian cuisine is broad. I think when we draw the comparison into the wine world it is full of weird and wonderful adjectives that describe wine and metaphors that describe sensations and so forth. What we use in the west to describe all these things may not necessarily translate. The Chinese palate memory is more responsive to describing things in different ways.

It’s not how the food has shaped the tastes it is more about association.

When we talk about things being salty they say it’s more soy sauce-like.

When they say fresh or ‘sin’ in Chinese, it means the most original or natural taste.

This is where the disconnect is. Trying to find how to describe flavours and connecting them with wines is something that will develop over time. Also, most Asian meals are not one-trick ponies, such as a bowl of pasta with a tomato-based sauce.

In Asian cuisine it is three or four plates for lunch and dinner.

varietals such as Pinot Noir or Chardonnay can’t cope with the humidity. Varietal selection has been the best part of 30 years of experimentation in these countries and looking at indigenous varietals and even table grapes to produce wines. Places like Indonesia or Bali are having some success with Javanese varietals for the production of sparkling wine. Thailand is looking at Chenin Blanc picked earlier to make a Cremant-style wine. They have had to think on their feet and cop the criticism, and they have gone against the odds and stuck their necks out and have made progress.

They are rewriting the books. When I was studying viticulture, there was nothing about tropical viticulture. I have a high level of respect for these winemakers because it is an expensive industry.

How is Australian wine perceived in Asia now?

It has experienced a big lift over the number of years I have been exposed to it here; a shift from straight-up commercial to a focus on regions other than just South Australia. We have seen great recognition in wines from Margaret River and Tasmania. Certainly, there are some key brands leading the charge, but they are definitely opening doors. There has been a regional attention shift. People realise there is more to Australia than Shiraz and Chardonnay.

You are the Chairman of the Asian Wine Review. Can you tell us a bit about that role? Is that to promote Asian wine globally, and what is the export market like for Asian wine?

It is fairly limited. A lot of it is domestically consumed. Each state in India, for example, has different tax laws and to be honest, their populations are high enough. They don’t need to export. But in saying that India’s second-largest export market is France. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that; people in France drinking Indian wine.

Japan is doing well. Everyone has got a soft spot for Japanese cuisine, and the refined way they cook. People are more embracing of Japanese wine because it is

likely to be of good quality. They have had incredible success particularly with the grape varietal Koshu, and I believe it is selling in Australian restaurants with good international wine lists.

China is more insular with its distribution. They have enough of a population to support their entire production. Direct to the consumer gives more margin and less hassle.

Thailand and Indonesia are growing grapes and making wines and having success. The wines are commercially very good. They will not be the world’s greatest wines, but there is a market for it and there is the experiential opportunity where people don’t need to leave their country to experience a winery. We take it or granted that we can drive out our door and be not far from a winery in places like Australia and France.

Can you explain the style of these so-called tropical or equatorial wines?

What happens in these areas is the ripening period is incredibly short, and the shutdown cycle of the vines from dormancy to budburst is also really short.

They are restricted to varietals that have a short ripening window, such as Chenin Blanc, Verdelho and Tempranillo. Cabernet would never get ripe and disease-prone

What is next for Eddie?

We have just bought a vineyard and winery in New Zealand called Gladstone in the Wairarapa, North Island. It is an estate planted in 1986, and we are very excited to be the new custodians of what we hope will be one of NZ’s top wine producers at a more boutique level. We will focus on Pinot Noir.

We also produce wines in the King Valley and Margaret River. I am growing the team and bringing more talent into the fold. I can’t be everywhere, and I need to spend time in the trade.

The second thing is we have just launched a product called Little Pig Rosé from the Margaret River. It is a fun-loving wine. We are trying to own the commercial space when it comes to rosé in Australia and make it more recognised outside Australia rather than it being all about Provence.

We want to get that little piggy out. We relaunched it this year because I made the first vintage in 2010 and after a couple of years I put a hold on it because ‘little pig’ in Chinese is what my Chinese grandmother called me because I was born in the Year of the Pig. I stopped producing it the year that she died, seven years ago now. So the wine is emotional for me. We decided to resurrect it this year because it is the Year of the Pig and we launched it on the day of the anniversary of my grandmother’s passing.

The pig is back.

drinks trade 23

Opinion

Wine is Not Just a Drink IT WAS A COMMENT AT AN INDUSTRY CONFERENCE THAT GOT EUROPE-BASED FELICITY CARTER THINKING. AUSTRALIA MAY HAVE ONCE CONQUERED GLOBAL MARKETS WITH ITS ‘SUNSHINE IN A GLASS’ RHETORIC, BUT OUR WINE INDUSTRY IS MORE THAN THAT. FROM AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, SHE SAYS OUR APPRECIATION OF OUR WORLD-CLASS TERROIRS AND UNIQUE HERITAGE IS OVERDUE. Words Felicity Carter, Editor-in-chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, an English language wine trade magazine published in Europe.

In September, I was in Australia for the recent IMPACT Wine Conference, held in Orange. After two days of presentations and discussions, what I took away is how dynamic Australia’s wine sector is.

I’ve lived in Europe for 12 years now, since taking a position with a German publishing house. My job is to report on international companies, global wine trends and markets. This can be challenging, because Europeans in general - and the French in particular – resist talking about finance and profitability, seeing a focus on money as inauthentic and mercantile.

Which is why it was so energising to be in a room full of people who understand

24 drinks trade

that wineries must be economically viable to survive. This didn’t stop them sharing gripping stories of hardship and reversals, of romance and triumph. One taciturn winemaker opened up and said he always felt a piece of him was missing, until he found his vineyard and knew he’d come home.

And then, from one of the presenters, I heard a phrase I hoped I’d never hear again: “wine is just a drink”.

WHY IT’S SO DAMAGING I got into wine in the late 90s, when I joined Cellarmasters as a copywriter. I knew nothing about wine and had to learn

from the ground up. It was a wonderful experience, because it was such an optimistic time when everybody in the country seemed to be planting a vineyard. I was told (and I believed) that Australian wine was the best in the world. Our wines were consumerfriendly, reliable and taking the world by storm. European wines were boring, snobby and often faulty. Australia’s export success was almost entirely built on simple, faultless wines that could be enjoyed without fuss.

“It’s just a drink,” we said, a message that brought new consumers to wine.

But they soon got bored of drinking the same-old, same-old, because that’s pretty much all we’d offered them. Besides, if wine

I told people that Australia had a lot more to offer than mass-market wines, but they just didn’t believe me. Their image of Australia as a place that produced bland, branded alcohol beverages was impossible to shake. were just a drink, then maybe beer or gin would do just as well. A crash was inevitable.

I was living in Europe when things hit rock bottom, and I had to listen to Europeans who were exultant at Australia’s comedown – they’d been explicitly told by the EU to be more like Australia. They had to create more branded wines and introduce some fun. The Italians, in particular, were deeply offended at the idea that their traditions should give way to products thought up in the marketing department. I told people that Australia had a lot more to offer than mass-market wines, but they just didn’t believe me. Their image of Australia as a place that produced bland, branded alcohol beverages was impossible to shake.

TERROIR IS IN The world has completely changed since I did my first wine class. Consumers

the world over seek classic wine styles, that come with history and heritage.

There will always be an audience for big brands, but it’s such a tough segment for anyone without big marketing budgets, that even the big wine companies are getting out of it. Smaller winemakers who want to connect with today’s consumer are better off concentrating on sustainably made wines that come with a connection to people and place.

We’ve already got this. The only thing Australia needs to do is be louder about our incredible heritage. Europe is full of brand-new regions – Franciacorta, Priorat – that don’t have anything like the history and heritage of the Barossa or Hunter Valleys. None of these places pay a penalty for their lack of history. But Australia, which has lots of heritage, is always seen as the upstart newcomer.

Partly this is because Australians aren’t very good at history, preferring to keep our eyes on the future, not the past. Most Australians themselves don’t know how deep the vine roots go in this country – school children learn about John Macarthur and his merino sheep, but not about James Busby and his vine cuttings. The Rum Rebellion? Sure, but nothing about the way that Phylloxera devastated regions like Rutherglen.

It’s time to start telling Australia’s stories – and to stop underselling Australian wine.

That means communicating that our wine comes from a singular tradition. It is a manifestation of our unique terroir, people and history, and we should tell people that.

Australia has been very good at making wine accessible, and we don’t want to lose that. But there’s a difference between being friendly, hospitable and open, and undervaluing one of our best products.

Wine is the transmission of who we are, and something we should be proud to share. It is most definitely not “just a drink”. Those words did horrible damage to Australia that took years to repair. No wine producer, salesperson, sommelier or marketer should ever say them again.

We’ve got too many other things to talk about.

drinks trade 25

Interview

BALI, SURF, BEATS, AND SUNDOWNERS CREATED BY FOUR FRIENDS WHO SHARE A PASSION FOR INDONESIA AND BALI’S ISLAND LIFE, FOR GREAT BARS AND OUTSTANDING DRINKS, SURF AND TRAVEL. THE HEART OF NUSA CAÑA IS A RICH SUGAR CANE SPIRIT THAT AIMS TO TAKE ON THE WORLD, ONE BEACH AT A TIME. DRINKS TRADE SAT DOWN WITH MARC RODRIGUES, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TO HEAR ALL ABOUT THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF INDONESIAN RUM AND HOW THE NEW NARRATIVE IS BEING RECEIVED BY MARKETS ACROSS THE GLOBE, INCLUDING A RECENT RANGING HERE IN AUSTRALIA. Who is involved with the business, and what roles do they play? Who is the face of Nusa Caña in Australia?

The founders of the business are all industry veterans: Joe Milner, Andy Gaunt, and myself, all who worked in the Australian market and globally for many years across several companies and eventually meeting through Diageo. The fourth founder is Sam Jeveons, our liquid specialist who, for 11 years, has been a renowned bar specialist and spirit advocate for major international brands across the Asia Pacific. As MD, I lead the team in Australia that, in addition to the founders,

26 drinks trade

includes the high energy and brand-aligned unit at Artisan Handcrafted. We talk about our extended team and customers as the Nusa Caña Tribe, all who share our vision for bringing back Indonesian Rum to the world. We will be shortly launching a bartender and lifestyle lead community based on this that will bring together both the bar and beach community.

Can you give us a quick rundown on the story behind Nusa Caña and how you dreamt up an Indonesian rum?

Once we heard of the forgotten story of Indonesian Rum, we felt compelled to bring

it back. The story is quite simple; for centuries, travelers, traders, and explorers have been drawn to the Indonesian islands. For millennia, sugar cane has been cultivated there. And, forgotten by history, some of the very first cane spirits served in the punch houses and bordellos, the salons and coffee houses, of 17th-century Europe, were Indonesian.

Inspired by Indonesia’s ancient days and modern nights, Nusa Caña is a new rum that’s bringing back the forgotten spirit of those very first adventurers and the rum they discovered.

Nusa Caña, it’s fair to say the branding is ‘uber-cool’, and fits beautifully with the Indonesia culture and Balinese story. How does that branding bring recognition back to the Australian (or international) consumer, and how are you activating that here?

We identified where the consumer and category opportunity existed and felt there was an opportunity to identify with 18 to 35-year-olds. We also determined those consumers don’t want to buy just a product, but also wanted to buy into a lifestyle aligned with their values. Our iconic mask signifies the spirit of adventure and the lifestyle that exists in Bali, attracting over one million Australians per year.

Nusa Caña takes a focused and straightforward approach to acquire new customers by aligning with venues that share the brand’s spirit. Highlighting the brand’s strong connection with the Bali lifestyle and surf culture and participating in events that share Nusa Caña’s main passions: beats, boards and Bali, such as The Big Pineapple Music Festival, Queensland Surf Masters Series, Deus 9ft & Single, and the upcoming Picnik Electronik series of events across summer in Melbourne. Besides, we will be partnering with brands that share the same target to reach new consumers and consolidate a community.

What has the strategy been behind the growth of Nusa Caña? What markets are you in now?

We launched in 2016 in Bali across all the major image leading venues focussing on beach clubs, surf spots, and Influencer bars of Canggu. Since then, our strategy has been to grow in our home region and have expanded across Southeast Asia and up to Japan. Australia and Southern California are our key growth markets.

We have also had some fun-thus far in the UK and some of Europe’s surfs spots ahead of a push in 2020 focussing on France, Spain and Portugal.

Clearly you love the beaches. How are consumers drinking Nusa Caña, and what are the occasions and opportunities for the brand?

We are finding from the Australian onpremise, from Cairns to Margaret River, that Nusa Caña is bringing energy and flavour back to classic white rum cocktails.

The additional flavour that comes from Nusa Caña’s Indonesian heart adds flavour and body. Nusa mojitos and Nusa daiquiris are being added to menus and in many cases replacing standard mojitos and daiquiris. In Queensland, we have just started a cocktail tap program supporting our pineapple mojito program, most recently taking over taps in Byron Bay, our brand’s home away from home in Australia.

Where can consumers find Nusa Caña?

In Australia, we are very much a discovery brand, whether that being from a trip to Bali or Thailand or a trip to a beach bar up and down the Queensland coast. Our initial focus since launch has been in those areas that directly fit our brand passion: beats, boards, Bali. Hence our focus has been the Queensland coast down to Byron, Sydney beach suburbs of Bondi and Manly, and the Margaret River in the West. Most recently, though, we have taken the brand with great success in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne CBD via rooftop bars and latenight music venues.

We also have an active festival program as we see rum, and our brand disrupting the

mundane drinks vibe that currently exists at music events.

Growth opportunities in Australia where to from here?

We have recently received full national ranging across all GHPL banners, thus giving us national off-premise availability.

We hope to build on this into 2020 as we develop our sunset drinks at home program, bringing a Bali sunset drinking tradition to Australian homes.

Can you tell us about the RTD and how that is working for you?

Late last summer, we trialed a ready to drink offering to a select few events. Based off this we have developed a range of ready to drink that will launch early in 2020. Our focussed drinks will be a Nusa Spritz flavoured by pink grapefruit and lychee and a Nusa Kola with a spiced cola.

What other innovation is in the pipeline?

The Spice Islands are the source of nutmeg, mace, and clove. The islands of Indonesia gave spice to the world. Our second chapter in the Indonesian rum story will be Nusa Caña Spice Island Rum. Spiced will be launched in January and will give bartenders and consumers alike something authentic and tasty to make classic rum cocktails or make the classic rum and coke a Nusa Kola.

drinks trade 27

On-Premise Channel Insights

LINDEN PRIDE

OWNER, OPERATOR OF CAFFÉ DANTE, NEW YORK CITY LINDEN PRIDE SPOKE TO US FROM VANCOUVER WHERE HE WAS SPREADING THE BRAND LOVE AND WORKING A POP-UP TO PROMOTE HIS NEW YORK CAFÉ BAR, THE 104-YEAR-OLD CAFFÉ DANTE. HE SPOKE WITH US ABOUT HIS RECENT COUP OF BEING AWARDED NUMBER ONE BY WORLDS 50 BEST BARS AND HOW AUSTRALIANS ARE CHANGING NEW YORK’S HOSPO SCENE. When did you adopt New York as your home city?

I moved to New York in 2011. I’d been working with Rockpool in Brisbane and opening Rockpool Bar and Grill in Perth and Sydney and Spice Temple in Sydney.

A company in New York approached me to help them open up restaurants. I moved to New York with them to open a restaurant called Saxon and Parole. We ended up opening eight restaurants together over four years. That was nine years ago.

Can you tell us how you came about Caffé Dante?

In 2015 my wife and I were looking to do something on our own and we were looking at a space in the West Village. It was owned by an Australian. At the last minute, he pulled a dodgy the day before we were to exchange and we lost the deal. A couple of days later, we came across Dante, and it was an off the market kind of opportunity. As soon as we saw it we thought we could have a lot of fun restoring this brand, so we took it on. We thought we could do something like a Café e Cucina or a Fratelli Paradiso and that is what excited us about it.

Caffé Dante is quite the NYC institution. Were you aware of that at the time?

We knew it had been there forever and we had visited on different occasions, but it was never great. We knew it was an old New York staple, but it had seen better years.

The family we bought it off had owned it for forty years, and they had bought it from a family who had it for 20 years before that. It

28 drinks trade

Caffé Dante owners, Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson

was always a part of Greenwich Village or the South Village, an Italian area of what was at the time, the real industrial worker’s area of New York. Little Italy was on the East Side, and Greenwich Village was on the West Side. It was always an important little Italian community, and this coffee shop or meeting house was central. The more we got to know it, the more we understood the cultural significance of it; the way it grew.

The golden age was in the 1960s and 1970s when it really hit its stride, it was all about the cappuccino, and the Italian coffee shop experienced a golden era.

Tell me about some of the famous regulars and some of the stories.

Bob Dylan lived across the road for 30 years so he literally could fall over the street and land on our front doorstep. Two doors down from him Baz Lurhmann and Catherine Martin lived up until a year ago. They were our first customers. Baz and Catherine supported us so much in the early days.

They bought us a bottle of champagne the day we opened. Patti Smith wrote about Caffé Dante in her book M Train when she was trying to make it in New York in the

early days. Al Pacino filmed the Vittoria coffee commercial at Dante. More recently Danny de Vito, Adam Sandler, Whoopie Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld; it’s like anywhere in New York. If you have been there a long time, these people in your neighbourhood come and spend time in your coffee shop.

You call yourself a coffee shop, but you have become a cocktail bar or are you everything?

We are an all-day café I guess. We are here from 10 in the morning to 2 am so we do coffee, lunch, cocktails. We do everything.

Our focus was to fill seats. We wanted to do anything we could and do it well to get people through the door.

Tell me about the Australian influence on the New York hospitality scene?

The entry visa has allowed a lot of Australians to come and work here. It has fuelled a lot of hospitality workers coming over here. I think Australians do fine dining casual very well. We have an incredible culture of hospitality in Australia, whereas the café culture in America is far more transactional. You go to a counter, pay for

your drink and collect it the other side. In Australia, you sit down and have avocado on toast. It is a morph between an American’s idea of a café and a restaurant. Australians have taken on that smart casual opportunity that didn’t exist before. People are able to come in and have a casual experience that is elevated by good service. We really own that here, which is really cool.

How important is the coffee culture?

We are quite obsessed with that. Have Australians raised the bar in New York?

Without question. I used to walk across the city, and there were four coffee shops I used to go to when I first arrived in 2011; now they are everywhere. And a lot of them are Australian coffee driven. Many are Toby’s Estate Coffee, it’s a different ownership to the Australian Toby Estate, but they are also Australian. A lot of the coffee wholesalers, the roasters are driven by Australians.

Tell us about the cocktails and your recent Best Bar in the World accolade.

I have been in the bar industry for over 20 years and have always been passionate about creating great drinks and cocktails

drinks trade 29

On-Premise Channel Insights

that people want to come back for. Our hero drink is the Garibaldi which was inspired by a drink we used to love at North Bondi Italian. You would walk off the beach with sand on your feet, and they would greet you with fresh grapefuit juice poured over Campari. So we engage fresh drinks and combine that with family-style hospitality that is not New York pretentious. People gravitated towards that, and we’ve been able to build that momentum. People enjoy sitting in Dante and coming back. We have created an environment that people love and ultimately voted for.

Tell us abour your Aussie partners in the business.

Chris Cheung (The Coogee Bay Hotel) and James Symonds (Aussie Home Loans), my wife and I, are the partners. For two guys who live on the other side of the world they have been incredibly supportive and have given us the platform to run our business with a lot of autonomy. James was originally a customer of mine at Rockpool, and he knew my wife Natalie.

He said if we are going to do this he wanted to bring in someone with hospitality experience and so Chris was brought in.

It’s a great partnership. I am so grateful to have partners like that. I consider myself very Iucky.

What do you love about living in New York?

It’s home now. I love going to the park with my daughters. The thing I love is I walk from home to work at the restaurant, to the construction site where we are about to open our second restaurant, to my daughter’s school. It’s a small community for me. It’s a

30 drinks trade

beautiful little neighbourhood, yet it is also one of the most dynamic and exciting cities in the world. There is so much inspiration. I feel we have the best of both worlds.

Tell me about your second restaurant?

The goal is to try and be open by the end of the year. We are doing a woodfire pizza grill.

Where Dante focuses on the Negroni we are going to try and elevate the Martini.

Do you have a name yet?

Dante West Village.

Can you talk a bit more about the Negroni focus at Caffé Dante?

We have what is called the Negroni Sessions

- fourteen different types of Negroni we offer for ten dollars for Happy Hour between 3 pm and 6 pm every day. We donate money from those sales to a charity called We Deliver, a local neighbourhood charity that provides food to people in their homes who need it.

We did a deep dive into Negroni where we do all sorts of variations and interpretations, twisters and experimental versions. For example we do the Negroni Bianco which uses a white vermouth with lemon bitters or a Joaquin Negroni that has cinnamon and is a bit spicy.

What do you miss about Australia?

The ocean… and my mum!

Retail

Busting the Myth of Density Restrictions THE ALLEGED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL OUTLET DENSITY AND ALCOHOL-RELATED HARM HAS BEEN A KEY FOCUS AMONGST RESEARCHERS AND POLICYMAKERS IN RECENT YEARS. LIQUOR LICENCE DENSITY IN SYDNEY’S KING CROSS PRECINCT WAS RECENTLY THRUST INTO THE SPOTLIGHT AS PART OF A NSW PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY INTO SYDNEY’S NIGHT TIME ECONOMY. WHILST RECOMMENDING A RELAXATION OF THE 2014 ‘LOCKOUT LAWS’ IN THE SYDNEY CBD, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED LOOKING AT ANOTHER REVIEW IN 12 MONTHS TO SEE IF ANY CHANGES TO THE DIVERSITY AND DENSITY IN KINGS CROSS ARE ENOUGH TO WARRANT REGULATORY RELAXATIONS IN THE AREA. Words Julie Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Retail Drinks Australia In examining liquor licence density, it is commonly argued in academic articles that there is a correlation between the number of liquor licences and incidences of alcohol-related harm. It is often inferred from this that the more liquor licences which are concentrated in a certain area results in a subsequent increase in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm.

Broad conclusions such as these, however, promote an overly simplified view of alcohol consumption and do not consider the inherent complexities associated with alcohol-related harm and violence. They also fail to establish first that increased liquor licences actually lead to an increase in consumption, let alone than make a further connection between total consumption and harmful consumption.

As is the case in all alcohol-related policy, it is important to consider the surrounding contextual factors in which this debate on density restrictions is occurring. ABS data released in September this year again showed that alcohol consumption in Australia is at historical lows, with per capita statistics revealing that 9.51 litres of pure alcohol were consumed for each person aged 15 years and over in 2017-18 (compared to 11.12 litres in 1969).

The significantly decreasing consumption of alcohol has occurred against a backdrop of an increasing number of liquor licences and licensed premises which have consistently increased over the past 10 to 15 years in Australia (Flinders University, 2011). The number of physical licensed premises has also been complemented by increasing alcohol availability through online delivery services, which have only emerged in scale in

Australia over the last two to three years (aside from traditional delivery services such as wine clubs).

A proper evaluation of context is also needed at a micro-level when considering the debate on liquor licence density. One study published in 2015 (Gmel et al) noted that that the specific relationships between particular outlet types and particular types of harm vary substantially between studies, meaning the implications of changes to alcohol availability may be highly contextspecific. The authors found that “outlet density commonly had little effect on individual-alcohol use, and the few ‘natural experiments’ on restricting density showed little or no effects”.

A substantial amount of academic research on density restrictions in Australia has only occurred in recent years. In most cases, it is yet to translate into any significant policies at a regulatory level; however, the implementation of whole-of-population alcohol policies without proper rationale and evidenced-based research can often lead to perverse outcomes. The idea that density restrictions will automatically result in a significant decrease in both alcohol consumption and by extension, alcoholrelated harm is at best premature and at worst, entirely inaccurate.

drinks trade 31

Wine

The Power of Pinot of the People DAN SIMS IS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL PINOT NOIR LOVE-IN KNOWN AS PINOT PALOOZA. IF THERE WAS EVER A VARIETAL THAT WOULD DRAW CROWDS, IT IS THE ALLURING PULL OF THIS ELUSIVE GRAPE. IT’S THE ENDLESS QUEST TO FIND THE ONE THAT DELIVERS THE OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE FROM THE FIRST SIP. ONLY PINOT DOES THAT. Words Dan Sims, CEO and Founder REVEL Global

32 drinks trade

It may come as no surprise to people, but I like Pinot Noir, a lot.

It is the grape variety that excites me the most and, frankly, disappoints me the most.

When it is good, it is mind-blowing, but when it’s bad, it’s well … expensive.

But one bad experience doesn’t make you throw your hands up in frustration and move on to another grape or style. You always head back again, and again to chase that Pinot rush.

It also tends to be a variety that you discover a little further down the road on your wine journey, and rarely ever will it be the first wine you ever taste. For me, it was very much like that. Trying to get your head around styles, nuances, and the impact site and maker have on the wine are significant.

But you know that already, don’t you?

I’ve worked as a sommelier for most of my career and helping people understand what kind of wine they are after, not what I want them to like, is a philosophy at the core of hospitality. One I still adhere to today.

I learned about wine from going to as many tastings as I could and listen to panel

after panel of (generally) older men telling me what I didn’t or should know. It was how I was taught at the time; Masterclass by Masterclass.

In 2012, somewhat frustrated by this, I ran the first Pinot Palooza with little more than a rough idea of wanting a festival full of incredible wines and producers to celebrate the diversity of the variety with examples, primarily, from the New World.

Yeah, a wine party.

There was not, nor has ever has been, mention of ‘5 star’ ratings or ‘95 points’ in any of our wine lists or communications. It is deliberate attempt to democratise people’s opinion on what they were tasting. In short, get out of the way and let them decide.

So the only thing we asked is for them to pick their favourite producer on the day.

I whole- heartedly believe if someone can figure out what they like, understand why, and then tell somebody; they are threequarters of the way there. The rest, you can read in a book or learn in a Masterclass.

Pinot Palooza has always been about getting some of the best producers of

the New World to come together in collaboration, not competition, to celebrate everything about this great grape. It has also allowed guests to taste, discover, and better understand the multitude of wines styles, producers and regions they like so next time they’re in a wine store or restaurant, there is at least a baseline for them to start a conversation.

As a result, we’ve been able to see trends unfold, and preferences shift from year to year, and 2019 was no exception.

PINOT PALOOZA

BY THE NUMBERS In 2019, Pinot Palooza visited twelve cities and five countries and attracted over 15,000 attendees on event days.

Overall, there were 515 different examples of Pinot Noir on tasting throughout the tour by 209 producers in 34 regions and eight countries. Epic.

Out of the total number of producers, 75% received votes. This is awesome as it shows diversity of style within a single variety is a good thing. Everyone has a

drinks trade 33

Wine

different opinion on what makes excellent Pinot Noir, and that is the point.

60% of our audience are women and 60% under the age of 35, with the percentage of women increasing to 65% in the age group mentioned above. The future isn’t female; it’s now.

Further to this, the average RRP price of a bottle of Pinot Noir was $45 with each person who joined on the day spending at least $57 on wine. What was that about Millennials not spending money on wine?

What this data does give us is a snapshot in time of trends, personal preferences and more. Sure, this may be only from event days, but these results are based on more votes from a Morgan Gallup poll.

So who took the big prize this year?

Drumroll.

Craggy Range!

They had a tremendous year taking out the city prize in Wellington and Brisbane as well as podium finishes in a few more. Bravo to them!

Previous winners have included Akitu

34 drinks trade

in 2018 (Central Otago), Moondarra in 2017 (Gippsland) and Vinteloper in 2016 (Adelaide Hills) that shows an impressive variety of winemaking approaches as well as regions.

The Top 10, listed below is a bloody solid list of Pinot Noir producers represented.

Bravo to all: 1. Craggy Range (Martinborough, NZ) 2. Akarua (Central Otago, NZ) 3. Moondarra (Gippsland, Vic) 4. Charteris (Central Otago, NZ) 5. Dog Point (Marlborough, NZ) 6. Ashton Hills (Adelaide Hills, SA) 7. Henschke (Adelaide Hills, SA) 8. Burn Cottage (Central Otago, NZ) 9. Pegasus Bay (North Canterbury, NZ) 10. Ghost Rock (Tasmania) And what region came out on top from the 34 represented on the day?

Double drumroll.

The Adelaide Hills.

For those more traditional Pinot Noir drinkers, this may come as a surprise but not to us; we’ve seen this coming. Last year

alone, four out of the top ten wineries were all from the Adelaide Hills, and the overall quality and diversity of wines from there have been on a rapid rise. Not only that, they ‘turn up’ and put on a good show.

The Hills were closely followed by (in order) Central Otago, Yarra Valley, Tasmania and then, encouragingly, Gippsland. Again, showing a broad range of styles, climate and wine personalities.

One question does come to mind. Are the more familiar Pinot Noir regions resting on their traditional market share laurels?

What is true is there is an incredibly motivated, younger, wine audience who have never before been more interested in what they imbibe. Not just seeking new styles, producers and personalities, they want to know more about how it’s made, what goes into it and, arguably the most important, the environmental impact.

I say that, again, the environmental impact.

But that’s a conversation for another time.

drinks trade 34

*Plastic straws suck, these are paper.

Hottest100 Report 2020

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

DRINKS TRADE AND IRI BRING YOU THE HOTTEST 100 BRANDS FOR 2020 CLASSIC BRANDS CONTINUE TO EXCEL WHILE NEWCOMERS RIDE THE WAVE OF CONSUMER TRENDS When putting the Hottest 100 Brands Report together one thing was abundantly clear; when established brands innovate, and market well, they lead significant growth and create value for both the brand and the retailer. In some categories brand names will come as no surprise, but the size of growth they are contributing just might. Then there are the newcomers and those that challenge the order of things – these are exciting and offer the opportunity to put more dollars in your till.

How did we compile the list?

The good people at IRI got the ball rolling with the best performing brands in ten categories, searching by growth (in litres), percentage against the previous years’ volume and, when required, overlaid this with value growth. Wonderful. This resulted in over 200 brands ranked by category on performance over the previous 12 months.

The data was then passed to the ‘human element’, the experts that buy (and sell) products for thousands of stores in Australia, monitor the promotions, innovations and brand launches that work, and maybe, the ones that fail. Their expertise was called upon to form the Panel and, ultimately, the Hottest 100 Brands Report.

These 100 brands have been broken into ten categories to give you a list of the top performing, and predicted to be, top performing brands in Australia. Where we felt data could add value to the conversation we included it, plus a short comment from the panel that gives you an insight into the reasons behind the success.

Finally, a note on the layout and format of the report. Some brands clearly stand out more than others. Drinks Trade is a free service to the industry, underwritten by the Drinks Association and supported by the businesses that advertise. Within this report, only products that were nominated were offered the opportunity to either advertise or highlight their brand, thus making sure the data and voting behind the results has not been influenced.

We are proud of this initiative and hope it will be valuable for you in your business.

Feedback is always welcome as we seek to improve each year and look for ways to delve deeper into the exciting brands that drive significant dollars into your businesses. This report represents the highest performing brands, selling significant volume, not the bespoke and small collectables or hard to find products that are also very cool to stock on your shelves or behind your bar. It will clearly not be for everyone, but if you are looking for the products that are selling the most, then this is the report that helps pay the mortgage.

PANEL

Duncan Baldwin General Manager, 100 Proof

John Carmody General Manager, Liquor Legends

Simon Cleave

Category Manager Beer, IBA / ALM

Delphine Lambert Liquor Senior Associate Consultant

Jarna McLean Lead Consultant

Chris O’Brien General Manager, Liquor Barons

Harri Greville

Category Manager Spirits, IBA / ALM

James Somerset

Category Manager Wine, IBA / ALM

Hamish Moffatt

Liquor Senior Associate Consultant

Ashley Pini

Publishing Editor, Drinks Trade

CONTENTS 37 Introduction

48 RTD

59 Craft Beer

38 New Category Focus – Seltzer

50 Red and Pink Wine

60 Liqueurs, Aperitifs, Digestifs

40 Number One Brand – Canadian Club

52 White and Sparkling Wine

62 The Rise of the Australian Craft Spirit

42 Dark Spirit

54 Cider

66 The Top 100 Hottest Brands List

46 Light Spirit

56 Premium Beer

This feature states volume growth and the associated percentage growth for the past twelve months according to IRI Market Edge off-premise data, Australia Liquor Weighted MAT 30/09/2019. In same cases dollar growth figures have been stated.

drinks trade 37

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

Spiked seltzer hits Australia SPIKED SELTZER HAS BEEN HUGE IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS SET TO BE THE DRINK OF THE SUMMER, THANKS TO LION CO. LAUNCHING AUSTRALIA’S FIRST, QUINCY. Words Alana House

38 drinks trade

It’s been heralded as the drink of summer, overtaking 2018’s frosé, which overtook 2017’s Aperol Spritz, which stole the crown from 2016’s rosé.

And it’s perhaps the biggest threat of them all to summer’s traditional king – beer – due to its unisex appeal, low-ABV and low-calorie count, in addition to its extensive range of flavour variants.

As Paul Mabray, CEO of consumer insight service emetry.io notes to Forbes: “Hard seltzers have capitalized on both the healthy trend, and new flavour profiles, but especially social media and digital marketing. This helped them cross the gender barrier [to male consumers] that many of the other adult beverages as of yet failed to do.”

But what is it?

Essentially a “hard seltzer” is alcoholic water, but it’s not to be confused with mineral water, tonic water or soda water.

Seltzer is made by carbonating plain water with carbon dioxide, while other water mixers contain sodium and minerals.

In the US it is going gang busters.

“Hard seltzer has exploded this past year,” Liz Paquette, head of consumer insights at Drizly, told Forbes. “At this time

last year, the top three spiked seltzer brands accounted for 6% of share in the beer/cider/ seltzer category. This year, they’re sitting at a whopping 19% of share. This kind of growth has been unprecedented in recent years on Drizly and has certainly penetrated would-be beer and cider consumers.

Its sales soared by 210% over summer, with industry analysts predicting it will reach $1 billion this year and could be worth $2.5billion by 2021.

A brand called White Claw, owned

by Mark Anthony Brands, is leading the category in the US with a 50% market share, followed by Boston Beer Company’s Truly.

Lion is the first major drinks company to launch an alcoholic seltzer into the Australian market.

Called Quincy, the Australian-made, gluten-free, lower carb and lower sugar alcoholic seltzer launched in November and Lion is hoping it will become the drink of the Australian summer.

Lion is banking on the Aussie move towards healthier drinks options as being key to Quincy’s success.

According to IRI MarketEdge, 45% of Australians are concerned with their sugar intake and another 42% monitor how much

sugar is in their diet. Quicy contains 50% less sugar than leading vodka premixes.

Lion’s Innovation Director Jo Simpson said: “With the worldwide trend towards moderation – in addition to mindfulness around ingredients such as sugar and carbohydrates – we have created a beverage choice that ticks all the right boxes.

Alcoholic seltzers are perfect for the largest growing occasion - afternoons.

Consumers are liking the idea of catching up with friends earlier in the day, more than ever before. If the sun’s out, we want to see bottles of ice-cold Quincy in-hand. And if you’re looking for something slightly more insta-worthy, pour over ice with a wheel of lime or a wedge of passionfruit. It’s the refreshing and slightly odd change we’ve all been looking for.

James Brindley, Lion’s Managing Director said: “Though known for our leading beer portfolio at Lion, Quincy is an innovative response to the growing demand for a lighter drink that tastes great too. At Lion we look forward to continuing to grow our business beyond the core and producing new beverages to suit the changing demands of our drinkers.”

drinks trade 39

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

CANADIAN CLUB Our Number 1 Hottest Brand

THE PREMIUM WHISKEY FROM CANADA TAPPED INTO THE REFRESHMENT CATEGORY WITH REMARKABLE RESULTS. TRENT CHAPMAN, MARKETING DIRECTOR, OCEANIA AT BEAM SUNTORY DISCLOSES THE SECRET BEHIND CANADIAN CLUB’S BURGEONING SUCCESS INCLUDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CELEBRATING THE WHISKEY AND DRY. Canadian Club has shown consistent year on year growth that is leading the category. What are the secrets behind the scenes at Beam Suntory that has seen Australian’s fall in love with Canadian Club FBS and the RTD? Canadian Club has successfully tapped into beer boredom insights, positioning itself as ‘The Refreshing Alternative’ to

40 drinks trade

beer- targeting beer drinkers. It’s enabled the brand to grow the Dark RTD category by pulling its volume from a larger volume opportunity being beer.

When did the ‘Over Beer?’ campaign first launch? How has it evolved since then, and what will it look like this summer?

The ‘Over Beer?’ campaign has been in market close to ten years, and was launched two years after government materially changed the alcohol tax/ excise landscape via a severe increase in the excise on RTD…the ‘Over Beer?’ campaign was the result of immense pressure for marketing to work harder than it had ever had previously for a distilled spirits company. Since

then Canadian Club results have been unprecedented - double digit growth year on year, going from a 500k case brand in 2010 with 2019 on track to delivering just short of 4M cases, while expanding margins each year.

The creative execution has evolved over 10 years with the overarching key message portraying Canadian Club as the Refreshing Alternative to beer staying consistent.

This summer will look to be CC’s biggest summer yet with a strong media plan in place - activation in key retailers across the on and off-trade, branded execution at The Australian Open, out of home and digital presence. CC will be one of, if not the most present brand this summer as we pose the ‘big question’ to consumers across Australia again…are they ‘Over Beer?’!

Whiskey and dry works as a refreshing drink in summer and equally a drink for the colder months – the advertising has been a stroke of genius, attracting the summer ‘refreshing’ beer drinker but also appealing to the winter drinker as the brand sits comfortably in the backdrop of snow. Do sales reflect a consistent trend across the year?

Year on year the brand continues to increase baseline growth, however, CC over indexes

in the summer period, outperforming all other Dark RTDs. Have you noticed a new demographic of drinker purchasing Canadian Club since you launched the campaign? What do they look like?

As the brand becomes of scale, the brand’s consumer base profile matures - showing the broadening appeal. Opportunity for further growth lies in continuing to recruit Young Partyers (Younger demo 18-24) and Discerning Drinkers (Older demo 35+), switching their drink of choice to CC. FAST FACTS: • CC RTD Trademark remains the most significant contributor to Dark RTD category MAT (Delivering over $23.8m incremental value verse last year) • CC RTD has the highest penetration in Dark RTD – with one in every three drinkers consuming CC, just over 500K last four weeks drinkers while beer has 7.5M last four weeks drinkers-showcasing the opportunity to grow even further.

• Continuing to recruit from out of category drinkers (ie beer)

To reach our aspiration of being the biggest alcohol brand in Australia we are nurturing CC in a way that it will cater to all Australian’s…like VB, XXXX Gold and now Great Northern, CC is fast becoming sewn into the fabric of the Australian lifestyle. Whether it is consumers enjoying a refreshing glass of CC from the tap in on-premise, to an iconic sporting event such as The Australian Open Tennis, or the Everest Horse race, enjoying a bottle of CC with a wedge of lime will take pride of place with consumers.

• Ambitions on becoming Australia’s #1 RTD by 2020 by continuing to recruit out of category drinkers • New CC Dry Zero Sugar offeringdelivering incremental volume to the CC Trademark by appealing to a broader audience, currently hold 15% share of the sugar-free category and growing. Driving refreshment has always been key to Canadian Club, with the health and well-being trend this becomes even more important to the brand.

drinks trade 41

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

DARK SPIRITS As we’ve seen in other categories, pack format has helped to deliver volume growth, mainly through the 1 litre format, particularly in whiskies. Scotch whiskies have been popular promotions for Father’s Day with brands innovating well. Limited editions (especially Game of Thrones related) were strong deliverers of growth.

CANADIAN CLUB BEAM SUNTORY

1litre and 700ml SKUs both growing strongly and driving volume growth for the category. Growth likely driven by below-the-line activities like in-store activations and campaigns. Canadian Club continues to grow due to strong marketing campaigns behind the brand and great consumer satisfaction around the drinkability of the product.

171,000 litres growth at 11.5%

MARTELL PRA

MAKER’S MARK BEAM SUNTORY

Growth distributed across whole range. (Cognac is a slow-selling spirit due to its high price point and niche popularity).

1L SKU delivering growth through value-forvolume offering and enticing pricing.

39,000 litres growth at 123.5%

63,000 litres growth at 12.7%

JOHNNIE WALKER WHITE & GOT DIAGEO Game of Thrones co-branding worked very well for Johnnie Walker in 2018-19.

164,000 litres growth

42 drinks trade

1311

131119#0924.V2 National Liquor News.indd 1

12/12/19 9:05 AM

EXTRA AGED. DOUBLE THE CHARACTER.

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

“On shelf we are $20 more expensive than the two brands in higher growth, with average sell price around $55 vs. $35 in most stores. We are committed to doing the most talked about activations and innovations in the game, and it’s working.

Now is the time to turn small fires into big fires, by getting the brand out to the masses and delivering serious value to our customers.” - Jon Prew, Fireball Brand Manager

FIREBALL SOUTHTRADE

Growing at an incredible 41% with an additional 86,000 litres being sold in the last 12 months, Fireball’s growth in the 700ml SKU is tapping the right occasion with brand personality driven by BTL marketing activities.

86,000 litres growth at 41.1%

OTHER BRANDS

THE KRAKEN PROXIMO AUSTRALIA

GLENFIDDICH WG&S

Standard 700ml SKU was the most popular premium spiced rum in Australia 2018-19, despite being quite mainstream in its native USA.

Glenfiddich continues to enjoy its position as a popular single-malt scotch at an affordable price point, also helped by participation in Father’s Day activations.

34,000 litres growth at 12.7%

52,000 litres growth at 17.5%

CHIVAS 12 YEAR OLD PRA 166,000 litres growth at 16.9% JAMESON PRA 107,000 litres growth at 9.1% WILD TURKEY LONGBRANCH CAMPARI 68,000 litres growth

drinks trade 45

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

LIGHT SPIRITS Such an exciting category at the moment, dominated by gins, but keep your eyes open for emerging categories, they may not rival these large volume players, but finding value in different segments can make all the difference. Gin, a stand out was the eye-catching colours and unique flavours while 1 litre bottles delivered growth for established brands through attractive value-for-volume offerings. Vodka: Limited editions and eye-catching bottle/label colours and designs.

GORDON’S LONDON DRY GIN DIAGEO

Pink Gin continues to drive growth for the Gordon’s brand.

257,000 litres growth at 20.6%

ROKU BEAM SUNTORY / CCA Aggressive and creative activations strategy delivering strong volume growth, even with the higher price point of the product. Unique selling proposition of Japanese botanicals such as sakura and yuzu.

97,000 litres growth at 61.1%

46 drinks trade

INK Ink Gin is growing at 184% and capitalising on the instagramable nature of its unique colour, which changes when tonic water is added (from blue to a blush pink). Totally unique - we think. $2,815,000 value growth at 184%

Gin brands dominate this years’ Hottest Brands List as consumers continue to explore new flavours. The fastest growing brands are Australian, now adding real value and a genuine choice. Much of the growth is in the on-premise, research company Snooper estimates that Australians will consume between 30-40 million more serves of G&T this year.

ADELAIDE HILLS DISTILLERY The rise in Australian craft spirits is driving interest in local gins. Great packaging and brand positioning. $1,647,000 value growth at 134.5%

FOUR PILLARS VANGUARD Maintaining performance from previous year.

12,000 litres growth at 4.3%

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE BACARDÍ 1 litre delivering growth through value-for-volume offering and enticing pricing.

126,000 litres growth at 16.4%

OTHER BRANDS VODKA O ASAHI 221,000 litres growth at 41.7%

HENDRICKS WG&S

Strong reception from Father’s Day promotions driving performance of standard 700ml bottle. Interesting and new limited releases continued to drive interest in the brand. Remarkable advertising.

7,000 litres growth at 4.2%

TANQUERAY DIAGEO 159,000 litres growth at 24.1% SKYY CAMPARI 129,000 litres growth at 30.2% VICKERS VOK 69,000 litres growth at 12.3%

drinks trade 47

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

RTD A common theme in the RTD category was significant volume for

established brands through increase of bulk pack and carton sales.

There was also premiumisation of the category being driven by Gin RTD’s and flavour mix packs bringing interest into the Vodka RTD segment.

GORDON’S LONDON DRY GIN & TONIC DIAGEO

Pink Gin & Soda transferring pink craze to the RTD category. Bringing value and volume to the category, the gin trend and serving option is attracting more drinkers to RTD’s. Instagramable when poured into a glass and garnish added, predict that this will sell solidly for summer (and beyond).

770,000 litres growth at 57.4%

48 drinks trade

JACK DANIEL’S DOUBLE JACK BROWN FORMAN Double Jack and Cola 10x and 20x packs.

445,000 litres growth at 8.6%

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE & TONIC BACARDÍ The gin market continues to grow, and the Bombay Sapphire RTD will be a great addition to the market, with a great product and look, if this gets the correct marketing we predict it will fly.

CANADIAN CLUB BEAM SUNTORY

Canadian Club continues to carve its own path - bringing new drinkers to dark spirits with a refreshing taste and unique marketing campaign. The new CC & Dry Zero Sugar is delivering significant volume growth for the RTD spirits category and the brand. The brand enjoys strong growth across multiple seasons as it takes a chunk out of beer sales in summer and remains strong through the cooler months.

2,060,000 litres growth at 10.2%

JIM BEAM BLACK DOUBLE SERVE BEAM SUNTORY 4 pack and carton driving growth.

623,000 litres growth at 204.4%

OTHER BRANDS JAMESON PRA 490,000 litres growth at 33.5% CANADIAN CLUB PREMIUM BEAM SUNTORY 278,000 litres growth at 18.7% TANQUERAY DIAGEO 251,000 litres growth at 128.8% VICKERS VOK 150,000 litres growth at 323.8% JIM BEAM KENTUCKY SERVE BEAM SUNTORY 223,000 litres growth at 800.8%

drinks trade 49

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

RED-PINK WINE Volume growth in this category is primarily being driven by single bottles rather than larger pack formats. More than half of top growing brands are red bottled with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon being the top 2 varietals driving volume growth. Rosé is continuing to grow with stand out performers such as Squealing Pig adding 220,000 litres to the category. 19 Crimes has been a standout. The question is, who will shine in 2020?

LITTLE GIANT FOURTH WAVE $3,749,000 dollar growth at 1531.5% (chosen from value growth rather than volume)

LEASINGHAM JAM SHED ACCOLADE Star of the show is the Leasingham Jam Shed Shiraz 750ml.

183,000 litres growth

OTHER BRANDS 19 CRIMES TWE 1,025,000 litres growth at 124.2% PENFOLDS KOONUNGA HILL TWE 277,000 litres growth at 32.9% BARTON & GUESTIER BAW $2,166,000 dollar growth (chosen from value growth rather than volume) METALA TWE 231,000 litres growth at 171.6% ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM FOURTH WAVE 209,000 litres growth at 58.5%

SQUEALING PIG TWE

The Rosé 750ml bottle has generated 100% of Squealing Pig Pink Bottled growth 220,000 litres growth at 76.8%

50 drinks trade

MILDARA TWE 197,000 litres growth at 61.3% FARM HAND FOURTH WAVE $2,917,000 dollar growth at 195.5% (chosen from value growth rather than volume)

Section header

N I G IS P P I S

V E I I L N E G B

Enjoy Responsibly

drinks trade 51

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

WHITE WINE AND SPARKLING Common themes: • Sauvignon Blanc clear winner varietal in White Wine • Most top growing White Wine brands are Bottled, not Cask • Single products driving more volume growth than their larger pack formats (multiples)

MAGIC BOX CHARDONNAY CASELLA

“The Magic Box launch in independents has been extremely successful with Independents, and with more above the line marketing hitting the market, I believe the Magic Box range will continue to grow strongly.” - Panel quote

“The Magic Box Wine Collection sits in the $10 - $15 price segment, which accounts for 26% of all volume sold and 25% of value.

Over 3,000 outlets have trialled Magic Box since it was launched 12 months ago. In the last 6 weeks we have extended the range to include Sublime Savvy Blanc and Splendid Sparkling which has gained new stockists and listings. We’re very excited about the momentum behind The Magic Box Wine Collection and look forward to working with our retail partners to continue building the brand to drive incremental growth,” Mark Churi, Casella Family Wines

The 750ml formats were the primary choice and driver in volume gains with the exception

Ativo Spritzed Rosé NV 250ml. Rosé and Moscato (Pink) of the

primarily contributing towards brands and category gains

TOTAL SPARKLING WOLF BLASS RED LABEL TWE 197,000 litres growth at 11.8%

OTHER BRANDS TOTAL SPARKLING YELLOW TAIL CASELLA 127,000 litres growth at 6.5% TOTAL SPARKLING BROWN BROTHERS BROWN FAMILY WINES 470,000 litres growth at 25.6% TOTAL SPARKLING DE BORTOLI DE BORTOLI 171,000 litres growth at 125.5%

OTHER BRANDS SQUEALING PIG TWE 156,000,000 litres growth at 11,7%

BOATSHED BAY FOLEY FAMILY WINES 263,000,000 growth at 46.50%

PETER YEALANDS YEALANDS 1,648,000 litres growth at 202.5%

TUSSOCK JUMPER COLES LIQUOR 1,484,000 litres growth at 784.9%

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM FOURTH WAVE 1,414,000 litres growth at 205.8%

ATIRU ENDEAVOUR GROUP 338,000,000 litres growth at 570.4%

RAPAURA SPRINGS RAPAURA SPRINGS WINES 192,000,000 growth at 18.1%

MATUA TASTE MATUA 1,692,000 growth at 52.8%

52 drinks trade

SPARKLING

JIM BARRY JIM BARRY 1,766,000 growth at 22.7%

TOTAL SPARKLING SQUEALING PIG TWE 161,000 litres growth TOTAL SPARKLING T’GALLANT TWE 161,000 litres growth at 93.5% TOTAL SPARKLING SEPPELT THE GREAT ENTERTAINER TWE 93,000 litres growth at 321.3%

Section header

PROSECCO OF THE YEAR 2018 & 2019

For price details, or to place your order, contact your dedicated representative on 1300 KOLLARAS. Alternatively, products are available on the ALM portal. Complimentary POS available. drinks trade www.kollaras.com

53

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

CIDER Possibly the toughest category to define, cider-based drinks have diversified and the cider drinker is happy to follow the lead.

As in most categories the cider drinker is attracted to the lower carb and sugar

- following the health and wellbeing movement. Non-conventional flavours such as strawberry and lime, are driving growth both in-store and onpremise, but apple (largest cider flavour) products

remains the first choice of cider drinkers.

REKORDERLIG COCKTAIL CCA 186,000 litres growth at 345.8%

REKORDERLIG LOW SUGAR CCA

80,000 litres growth at 40.3% The new product development of the Rekorderlig Cocktail Cider Strawberry Lime & Vodka Bottle (330ml) has driven 64% of the brand’s growth and brought new consumers into the brand repertoire. The mix with vodka, elderflower and mint has proved popular and the brand strength of Rekorderlig works for consumer trial. The combination of positive trial rates and high level of acceptance has resulted in exception brand growth.

Then the Rekorderlig Low Sugar offer taps into the ‘health and wellbeing” trend while keeping the drinker with the brand.

YOUNG HENRYS

COLDSTREAM

MISS SEED

Young Henrys Cider Cloudy Can 375ml x6 and 24 pack contributes 93% of total brand growth.

An additional 34,000 litres has been contributed by the growth of the Coldstream Cider Apple Can 375ml x6.

Miss Seed Cider Apple Bottle 330ml x 6 is driving 93% of brand’s additional volume sales.

The packaging is top notch and the liquid backs the promise.

37,000 litres growth at 63.2%

34,000 litres growth at 23.4%

47,000 litres growth

OTHER BRANDS SOMERSBY LOWER CARB ASAHI 665,000 litres growth

54 drinks trade

STRONGBOW ROSE CUB 658,000 litres growth

MERCURY HARD CUB 624,000 litres growth at 13.8%

PURE BLONDE ORGANIC CIDER CUB New to market - panel vote

/RekorderligCider_ Aus

/Rekorderlig

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

PREMIUM AND CONTEMPORARY BEER The premium and contemporary beer category continues to be dominated by the big brewers, in particular the Great Northern and Iron Jack offers. This year Furphy has jumped into the mix and Iron Jack’s NPD is doing particularly well in the Full Strength can format. In this category it’s hard to look past the major volume players, but the panel voted in two brands, launched recently - Byron Bay Premium Lager and Two Suns.

BYRON BAY PREMIUM LAGER LION

PANEL QUOTE: New product. The Byron Bay launch has been huge, and I believe this will be a huge player across summer into Easter and will have legs in the younger demographic for the best part of next year!

COOPERS DRY + DB COOPERS

TWO SUNS ASAHI

Almost 80% of NPD brand driven by Coopers Dry Stubbie (355mlx6)X4

Two Suns is an easy drinking lager that brings together both international and premium Australian drinkers, giving it the potential to capture a significant share of the market.

2,496,000 litres growth

OTHER BRANDS

FURPHY LION PANEL QUOTE: Furphy 375ml stubbie is generating 46% of the brand’s volume growth.

Furphy has huge growth potential which I do not believe has been met yet. Furphy transcends drinking occasions and ages and I believe will be an important trade up from the contemporary drinker to a more premium price point.

9,193,000 litres growth at 88.2%

GREAT NORTHERN BREWING CO SUPER CRISP LAGER CUB 21,979,000 litres growth at 29.3% IRON JACK FULL STRENGTH LION 7,419,000 litres growth HAHN ULTRA CRISP LION 1,838,000 litres growth COOPERS SESSION ALE COOPERS 1,547,000 litres growth at 130.6% CARLTON ZERO CUB 1,544,000 litres growth FROTHY 1,502,000 litres growth

56 drinks trade

Section header

drinks trade 57

LNAJS8025 - Lashes 210x275mm.indd 1

29/11/19 1:42 pm

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

CRAFT BEER James Squire 150 Lashes leads the pack by a considerable margin, but watch out for the rise in the west of Gage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale that has added nearly a million litres at 73%. An impending Sydney operation and brand home further anchor Gage Road operations on the East Coast.

Common themes: • Case pack format generating most of the brands’ volume growth • 5 out of the top 10 largest volume Craft Beer brands are also in the top 20 growing brands

JAMES SQUIRE 150 LASHES PALE ALE LION

James Squire is the number 1 largest (volume) craft beer. The brand’s performance has been driven by its stubbie (345mlx6) X4 pack format. This is the king of the craft beer category offering nearly double the growth (volume) of the nearest competitor. Australia has fallen in love with James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale. 2,141,000 litres growth at 16.4%

STONE & WOOD GREEN COAST LAGER STONE & WOOD I see there will be a rupture in lager styles for drinkers that are ready to engage craft brands but don’t enjoy stronger flavours of Pale Ales.

KAIJU KRUSH TROPICAL PALE ALE Kaiju Krush Tropical Pale Ale Can 375mlx6 generating 79% of brand’s growth 173,000 litres growth at 690.1%

OTHER BRANDS JAMES SQUIRE THE SWINDLER TROPICAL PALE LION The stubbie 345mlx6 pack format is driving 55% of brand’s growth, this is the 10th largest (volume) craft beer brand, growing at 4.8% 496,000 litres growth at 40.8%

MOUNTAIN GOAT ‘GOAT’ ASAHI 1,332,000 litres growth

BALTER BREWING XPA BALTER 414,000 litres growth at 102.9%

GAGE ROADS SINGLE FIN SUMMER ALE GAGE ROADS 902,000 litres growth at 73%

YOUNG HENRYS NEWTOWNER ALE YOUNG HENRYS 329,000 litres growth at 70.2%

CRICKETERS ARMS SPEARHEAD PALE ALE 4.6% ASAHI 790,000 litres growth

LITTLE CREATURES EXTRA PALE ALE LION 244,000 litres growth

drinks trade 59

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

CATEGORIES TO WATCH The common themes in this ‘broad’ category showed that pink “Insta-worthy” trends extend beyond Gin and Cider

DIVAS VKAT DIVAS VKAT

and that loopholes in excise

regulations, allowing lower

This a great result, and a real vindication of the way we have harnessed technology to make wine based products taste competitive, as well as cost competitive, in this market. It has been a huge journey of innovation bringing this Aussie Brand onto a competitive footing with the global leaders!” Jae Jang, Director.

ABV, grape-based or brewed products to be sold in the

same area as spirits at a much lower price point can deliver strong volume gains.

562,000 litres growth at 10.2%

MR BLACK SOUTHTRADE Australian, local and high quality. The ingredients for continued growth and success.

Watch out for Mr Black in 2020 as it bids to move to the next level. $580,000 value growth at 101.3%

DISARONNO SPIRITS PLATFORM

In Australia Disaronno has experienced healthy growth with sales of an additional 702,000 litres in the past 12 months and the brand has enjoyed 23 % growth year on year making it the fastest growing brand in the liqueur category. Leading the way in developing segments in liqueurs.

702,000 litres growth at 23.0%

KWEICHOW MOUTAI DMG FINE WINE High level premium growth delivered in a growing category that has much further to run. $692,000 value growth at 195.8%

OTHER BRANDS BAILEYS DIAGEO 218,200 litres growth at 9.5%

LICOR 43 SPIRITS PLATFORM 784,000 litres growth at 18.0%

JINRO 8,900 litres more sold in 2019 at a growth of 69.4%

DUBLINER SOUTHTRADE 1,269,000 litres growth at 37.8%

60 drinks trade

VILLA MASSA SOUTHTRADE $503,000 dollar growth at 80.6%

Section header

drinks trade 61

A SouthTrade Drinks Trade Promotion

Shaking it up with

Australian Craft Spirit THE CRAFT SPIRITS CATEGORY IS FAST EVOLVING JUST AS THE CRAFT BEER CATEGORY DID BEFORE IT. THE AUSTRALIAN CRAFT SPIRITS CATEGORY HAS ALMOST TREBLED IN THE LAST 2 YEARS, FROM $6M IN 2016 TO $17M IN 2018. THIS YEAR THE CATEGORY IS SET TO BREAK NEW GROUND AS IT NOW HAS A FIRM FOOTHOLD IN THE MARKET. RETAILERS WHO ARE NOT ALREADY, SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION. WHY ARE THEY SO HOT? ONE REASON IS THEY TAP INTO THE ‘SUPPORT LOCAL’ ETHOS. STILL, IT’S MORE THAN THAT - CRAFT SPIRITS ARE REDEFINING TRADITIONAL CATEGORIES WITH CREATIVITY AND UNIQUE APPROACHES TO MARKETING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. IT IS INTERESTING AND EXCITING, AND CONSUMERS ARE ON BOARD. FOUR AUSTRALIAN CRAFT SPIRITS FROM THE SOUTHTRADE INTERNATIONAL PORTFOLIO ARE LEADING THE CHARGE.

STARWARD AND THE ART OF MODERN DISTILLING

Instead of ageing whisky in ex-bourbon barrels like everyone else, Melbourne’s Starward taps into the readily available resources from nearby wine-producing region, the Yarra Valley and ages its whisky in recently used and still wet red wine barrels creating a truly unique taste.

David Vitale from Starward Whisky said: “For a long time producers would openly promote they produce their product using other peoples’ traditions. I think it is important we continue to make our own style and by doing that we want to captivate people’s imaginations.

“It is not by doing something that other people are doing well but rather doing something that only we can do well. I think what has really ignited the category is this modern approach to distilling.”

Starward also promotes its new serves as necessary for the brand’s marketing to a broad consumer base and to even bust open the myth of whisky being only suitable for mixing with traditional bases of cola and dry. While they still acknowledge that purists will always drink whisky neat, they are mixing things up and making Starward accessible to all with new tastes and concepts. Mix up their Two Fold double grain whisky with Fever Tree tonic and a grapefruit for garnish. Use it in a cocktail like Starward’s New World Sour for an exciting palate teaser.

62 drinks trade

Whatever they are doing, it is working.

While Australian craft whisky is growing 3.5 times faster than Single Malt Scotch (2016 – 2018) Starward continues to strengthen its leadership position in the category and is now holding a 46% value share, double that of the #2 brand with a 23% share. It has doubled in value since 2016 (+99%), growing twice as fast as the total Australian craft whisky category and while Starward continues to grow, the leading premium and super-premium whisky brands are both in decline: Johnnie Walker Black -1% & Glenfiddich -3% Now that is something worth drinking a local Starward and Tonic to.

Starward continues to strengthen its leadership position in the category and is now holding a 46% value share.

IN THE BE-GIN-ING THERE WAS GREEN ANT

Sacha La Forgia of Adelaide Hills starting making spirits when he was 18-years-old in his laundry at a time when the independent local spirits category didn’t exist.

“When I started there was just one or two distilleries and now there are 15 in Adelaide alone.

“It’s an exciting time. I think there are brands out there that people want to be a part of. Brands with stories that are unique and have a point of difference.”

The most sustainable distillery in Australia only sources botanicals locally and gives back to the community. The distillery’s Green Ant Gin is of such a high standard it is losing count of the global awards and accolades.

Just a year after it was launched Green Ant Gin won gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, setting the standard for its peers. Green ants have traditionally been used by Indigenous Australians as medicine, but in this case are harvested by Indigenous-owned supplier, Something Wild, who also supply other native ingredients for the gin, such as: strawberry gum, finger-lime, lemon myrtle, pepper berry and boobialla.

David Vitale - Starward

“We’ve got so much incredible produce here in Australia, beautiful and unique flavours so it just makes sense for us to use them,” tells the distillery’s founder, Sacha La Forgia.

Australian craft gin is stealing share from premium and super-premium gin with local provenance and flavour out-trumping luxury packaging. Australian craft gin is now 4.8% value share of total gin. Gin is hot but Australian craft gin is on fire. Australian craft gin is growing 3.7 times faster than total gin (+85% vs. +23%) and has more than tripled in value in the last two years, from $3.3M in 2016 to $12.2M in 2018.

Adelaide Hills is the fastest growing Australian craft gin, now commanding 14% share of the category, up from 6% in 2017 and 2% in 2016 and is the 3rd largest Australian craft gin in value. It is growing at 134.5% volume and 315 % value versus last year and has experienced 1,647,000 litres growth MAT Sept 2019.

Adelaide Hills is the fastest growing Australian craft gin, now commanding 14% share of the category

drinks trade 63

A SouthTrade Drinks Trade Promotion

THE BEST COFFEE IN TOWN IS MR BLACK

The team at Mr Black looked at the Australian obsession with real coffee, not instant, and created a liqueur brand that spoke to this new coffee culture. It combined the bartender and barista and introduced craft coffee to the night occasion with their cold drip coffee liqueur. It has single-handedly redefined the coffee liqueur category and has become Australia’s No. 1 selling spirit in the US. Tom Baker, the founder of Mr Black Spirits predicts that the local revolution is about to take off beyond our shores with this local spirit’s most

64 drinks trade

significant opportunity being overseas.

Of course one of the accelerators of the success of Mr Black has been the unprecedented rise of the espresso martini. It is one of the most googlesearched cocktails in Australia and has become a top-three cocktail in the last six years since Mr Black launched in 2013.

Mr Black takes the everyday espresso martini and elevates it to new heights, particularly now with the launch of Mr Black limited-edition origins, the espresso martini will never be the same again.

“But it’s not just about the espresso martini, Australia has a reputation for

quality coffee, and more and more people are looking for a boozy coffee in the evening,” explains Tom Baker.

Mr Black has grown seven-fold in the last two years and is growing at +173.9% year on year vs the #1 coffee liqueur brand in Australia growing at +3.3% (Kahlua). In value growth, it is increasing at 101.3 % or $580,000.

Of course one of the accelerators of the success of Mr Black has been the unprecedented rise of the espresso martini.

PURE VODKA FROM PRISTINE TASMANIA CAPE GRIM 666

Spirit brands with a strong reputation often start with a pristine water source. With vodka this is essential and what better place to find that than our very own emerald isle renowned the world-over for its pristine and pure environment. Tasmania’s Cape Grim 666 Vodka is produced by Dean Lucas who while working behind a bar started to wonder why Australian spirits were not better represented in the on-premise.

“We launched in 2008, and the Australian craft spirits makers didn’t really exist. It was tough to find an Australian spirit besides Bundaberg Rum, so when we launched people didn’t really understand what an Australian craft vodka was.”

Cape Grim 666’s first run was exactly

666 bottles hence the name. Today the brand sells over 40,000 bottles.

“Australians do very well in the wine and beer category so there is no reason we can’t do the same with spirits,” said Lucas.

‘Over the years we have evolved, and we have now gone back to calling ourselves a craft spirit as everyone understands it now, so we have ridden the wave.”

The Australian craft vodka category is dominated by Cape Grim 666 Vodka which continues to grow at +16.4% in value vs total vodka at +2.7% well ahead of more established international brands such as Belvedere -3.7% Cape Grim 666’s first run was exactly 666 bottles hence the name. Today the brand sells over 40,000 bottles.

IRI AZTEC Off and On Premise Scan – MAT 30/09/19 | IRI AZTEC Off and On Premise Scan – MAT 30/09/18

The team at SouthTrade are incredibly proud of the strong representation of Australian craft spirits in their portfolio.

They are committed to the local producers and their mission to shake up the category for future generations.

“This isn’t about simply supporting local producers – this is about getting behind people that are trying to redefine and improve well-established categories,” said said Fraser Lockwood, marketing director at SouthTrade International.

“At SouthTrade we get to work with these pioneers every day, which not only means we get to drive future category leaders from the very beginning, but we also get to learn and work with real entrepreneurs who challenge our everyday thinking.”

AUSTRALIAN CRAFT SPIRIT CATEGORY SUPER STATS

• AUSTRALIAN CRAFT Value has almost trebled in the last two years, from $6M in 2016 to $17M in 2018 • AUSTRALIAN CRAFT Volume increased +71% vs LY – from 11,182 9L to 19,154 9L • October, November, December accounts for 40% of yearly sales for CRAFT SPIRIT BRANDS. • ALL SOUTHTRADE AUSTRALIAN CRAFT brands are in double-digit growth • SOUTHTRADE’S AUSTRALIAN CRAFT portfolio makes up 30% of Total AUSTRALIAN CRAFT in Value

drinks trade 65

Hottest 100 Brands Australia 2020

THE HOTTEST 100 LIST PREMIUM AND CONTEMPORARY BEER • • • • • • • • • •

Byron Bay Premium Lager | LION Furphy | LION Coopers Dry | COOPERS Two Suns | ASAHI Great Northern Brewing Co Super Crisp Lager | CUB Iron Jack Full Strength | LION Hahn Ultra Crisp | LION Coopers Session Ale | COOPERS Carlton Zero | CUB Frothy

CRAFT BEER

• James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale | LION • Stone & Wood Green Coast Lager | STONE & WOOD • James Squire The Swindler Tropical Pale | LION • Kaiju Krush Tropical Pale Ale | KAIJU BEER • Mountain Goat ‘Goat’ | ASAHI • Gage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale | GAGE ROADS • Cricketers Arms Spearhead Pale Ale 4.6% | ASAHI • Balter Brewing Xpa | BALTER • Young Henrys Newtowner Ale | YOUNG HENRYS • Little Creatures Extra Pale Ale | LION

CIDER

• Rekorderlig Cocktail | CCA • Rekorderlig Low Sugar | CCA • Young Henrys Cloudy Cider | YOUNG HENRYS • Coldstream Apple Cider | COLDSTREAM • Miss Seed | MISS SEED • Somersby Lower Carb | ASAHI • Strongbow Rose | CUB • Mercury Hard | CUB • Pure Blonde Organic Cider | CUB

RTD

• Gordon’s London Dry Gin & Tonic | DIAGEO • Bombay Sapphire & Tonic | BACARDÍ • Tanqueray | DIAGEO • Vickers | VOK • Jameson | PRA • Canadian Club Premium | BEAM SUNTORY • Jim Beam Kentucky Serve | BEAM SUNTORY • Canadian Club | BEAM SUNTORY • Jim Beam Black Double Serve | BEAM SUNTORY • Jack Daniel’s Double Jack | BROWN FORMAN

66 drinks trade

RED|PINK WINE

• • • • • • • • • •

Squealing Pig | TWE Leasingham Jam Shed | ACCOLADE Little Giant | FOURTH WAVE 19 Crimes | TWE Penfolds Koonunga Hill | TWE Barton & Guestier | BAW Metala | TWE Elephant In The Room | FOURTH WAVE Mildara | TWE Farm Hand | FOURTH WAVE

WHITE WINE • • • • • • • • • • •

Magic Box Chardonnay | CASELLA Squealing Pig | TWE Hardys R&R | ACCOLADE Peter Yealands | YEALANDS Atiru | ENDEAVOUR GROUP Boatshed Bay | FOLEY FAMILY WINES Rapaura Springs | RAPAURA SPRINGS WINES Tussock Jumper | COLES LIQUOR Jim Barry | JIM BARRY Elephant In The Room | FOURTH WAVE Matua Taste | MATUA

SPARKLING

• Total Sparkling Brown Brothers | BROWN FAMILY WINES • Total Sparkling Wolf Blass Red Label | TWE • Total Sparkling De Bortoli | DE BORTOLI • Total Sparkling Squealing Pig | TWE • Total Sparkling T’Gallant | TWE • Total Sparkling Yellow Tail | CASELLA • Total Sparkling Seppelt The Great Entertainer | TWE

LIGHT SPIRITS • • • • • • • • • • •

Gordon’s London Dry Gin | DIAGEO Hendricks | WG&S Bombay Sapphire | BACARDÍ Roku | BEAM SUNTORY / CCA Four Pillars | VANGUARD Ink Gin | HUSK DISTILLERS Adelaide Hills Distillery | SOUTHTRADE Vodka O | ASAHI Tanqueray | DIAGEO Skyy | CAMPARI Vickers | VOK

DARK SPIRITS • • • • • • • • • •

Canadian Club | BEAM SUNTORY Johnnie Walker White & GoT | DIAGEO Maker’s Mark | BEAM SUNTORY Martell | PRA Fireball | SOUTHTRADE The Kraken | PROXIMO AUSTRALIA Glenfiddich | WG&S Chivas 12 Year Old | PRA Jameson | PRA Wild Turkey Longbranch | CAMPARI

CATEGORIES TO WATCH • • • • • • • • •

Disaronno | SPIRITS PLATFORM Kweichow Moutai | DMG WINE Mr Black | SOUTHTRADE Divas Vkat | DIVS VKAT Baileys | DIAGEO Jinro | TBA Licor 43 | SPIRITS PLATFORM Dubliner | SOUTHTRADE Villa Massa | SPIRITS PLATFORM

Champagne and Sparkling Report

Pommery Shines in Tasting Page 68 Champagne and Sparkling Report Ken Gargett Page 74 Climate - Melissa Parker Page 76 Tasting Bench - Ashley Pini

Sparkling Special Report

CUVÉE

Has sparkle lost its fizz?

CHAMPAGNE IN AUSTRALIA IS STRUGGLING, UNDER THREAT, LOSING GROUND, SALES UP OR DOWN, VOLUMES UP OR DOWN. LOCAL SPARKLERS ARE JUST AS GOOD AND A FRACTION OF THE PRICE (HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE PRICE OF THE TOP AUSSIE FIZZ LATELY?). THE FIZZ HAS LOST ITS SPARKLE. SO THE DOOMSAYERS WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE. Words Ken Gargett

Yet, just last week in Brisbane, scores of champagne lovers, all black tie and evening gowns, were more than happy to part with amounts equivalent to the GDP of a small nation to attend a function at the Queensland Art Gallery. Jeroboams of 1990 and 1995 Pommery and the amazing 1995 Louise were served. Afterwards, fizzophiles were begging to buy anything that was left.

It seems every state capital has champagne events, education, classes, tastings, to which wine lovers flock.

Many in the industry might doubt the power of Champagne. Consumers most obviously do not. If Champagne is on the wane, it seems they forgot to tell the legions of fans who love the stuff.

That does not mean that this region is not facing some issues, but for the most part, they are responding well.

So what is the situation facing Champagne, both here and internationally?

Australia is the 7th largest market in the world for Champagne by volume, with the largest consumption per head outside Europe. France is the clear leader – no surprise there – with 147 million bottles, followed by the UK (26.8), USA (23.7), Japan (13.6), Germany (12.1), Belgium (9.1), ourselves (8.4), Italy (7.4), Switzerland (5.8),

68 drinks trade

We have seen domestic sparkling production decreasing by around 2% per year, over the past five years. Consumption of imports, on the other hand, has increased by 5% annually over this time, Champagne at a slightly higher rate than this.

with Spain (4.2) making up the top ten.

The trend here is swinging, ever-soslightly, away from the high percentage of non-vintage Champagnes which dominated the Australian market for so long, to vintage and prestige cuvées. Go back forty years, and we had one of the highest, if not the leading percentage of vintage Champagne consumption per head, in the world. Rosé imports have also reached the highest levels in a decade.

Figures, above, for 2018 show that 8.4 million bottles were imported, our second-highest ever total. Annual figures fluctuate considerably but looked at over a period, this century if you like, there is sustained growth. At times, it seems that the only thing that might impact adversely

on this glorious period are the possible actions of the Houses and the region itself.

Stranger things…

Indeed, it is not all sparkle.

It will come as no surprise if climate change is identified as a major issue for the region (an issue too large to cover here, however, those who have not yet cottoned on to the fact that climate change is real and a massive concern can skip the next few paragraphs and join us again below).

The Champagne Bureau has estimated that climate change cost the 2019 Champagne harvest around ten per cent, thanks to heatwaves in June and July. 42.9ºC is not what one expects from a region which basically “invented” non-vintages to combat the fact that it was regularly too cool for

Australia is the 7th largest market in the world for Champagne by volume, with the largest consumption per head outside Europe.

a single vintage harvest. The heatwaves followed spring frosts – another issue which has become much more of a problem in recent years – devastating a considerable proportion of buds.

Over the last thirty years, the average temperature has risen 1.1º and, the harvest typically begins 18 days earlier than it did. That said, the changes, in years more moderate, have meant more vintages declared, but the concern is what it will lead to in the near future.

The region is working hard to do what it can and has been developing sustainable practice policies over the last decade. The aim is zero use of herbicides by 2025.

By 2030, all production will need to be environmentally certified.

Growers are one of the more exciting categories in the Champagne world, with some truly scintillating wines made (though plenty of dross, as well). Speak to some of our sommeliers, and you’d swear that nothing but grower Champagnes make these shores and nothing else is worth drinking. In truth, it is the most discussed, written about but least drunk category of the market.

We lag behind the world when it comes to growers Champagnes. Only the UK imports a smaller volume from growers and none of the major markets import fewer of them (for the record, only Spain imports fewer co-operatives).

Part of the reason for this is that many growers do make average Champagne and

we have seen enormous improvements from the big houses in recent years – a decade or two ago, many seemed far more interested in marketing fluff than true quality. Many consumers are simply more comfortable in the tried and tested Champagnes, which they know and love.

Market share of growers dropped to an almost negligible 1.43% in 2018 – compared with over 18% globally, in the other large markets. Tyson Stelzer, in his excellent and informative ‘State of Play of Champagne in Australia 2018’ (referred to below), has referred to this as a ‘crisis’. It might well be if you are a grower looking to sell your products here – although some are highly desired and sell out quickly (Selosse,

Ulysse Collin, Agrapart and others), but I would suggest that it merely reflects local preferences. The markets are never wrong – when local demand increases, the market will reflect that. Growers and some of the co-operatives have a hard row to hoe to turn this to their advantage, but the quality producers will emerge. In time, it is likely that the percentage of grower Champagnes sold here will settle at a level which is more akin to the world averages.

There are issues elsewhere as well, of course. France and the UK, the two largest markets in the world, have contracted again. Perhaps most staggeringly and notwithstanding the shrinking UK market, exports now exceed French consumption.

drinks trade 69

Sparkling Special Report

I believe Tasmania has established itself as the region on the planet capable of producing the greatest sparkling wine outside Champagne.

Less than two decades ago, exports represented only a third of production.

Rosé continues to soar around the globe, far less so in Australia.

The CIVC, which generally do an excellent job of protecting and promoting Champagne, is not perfect. At the time of writing, it seems they have made the incredibly shortsighted and self-destructive decision to either abandon the Vin de Champagne Awards or revamp them in ways which seem certain to devalue one of the most important competitions open to wine lovers in Australia.

The Vin de Champagne Award has been open to both trade and consumer.

Many laureates have gone on to promote Champagne across the nation in a manner that all the PR money in the world could not buy. A number of the amateurs have subsequently enjoyed a lifelong involvement in the industry, working to the good of the region. They are the most powerful advocates for the wines of Champagne that the district will ever have.

Why any region would want to lose this is beyond me. It is to be hoped that the CIVC see the error of their ways.

For those who look past the issues, we see a glorious age of Champagne. There are brilliant wines from all manner of styles – NV, vintage, prestige (especially), rosé, Blanc

70 drinks trade

de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, growers (some of them), co-ops (again some), non-dosage (although…). Some stellar examples are 2007 Taittinger Comtes, Roederer Cristal 2002 and 2008 as well as the ‘standard’ LR 2012, Dom Perignon 2008 (perhaps the finest Dom ever released), the new Pommery Blanc de Blancs, the latest Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque’s, the new array of 2012 Champagnes for the Penfold’s Thienot JV, some from a little further left-field such as Jacquart Blanc de Blancs 2012 and a delicious Jeeper Grand Rosé. But this list could be expanded many times over.

Take advantage.

Australians really do have the best of both worlds. Our long and always evolving relationship with Champagne continues, while we make some of the finest sparkling wines on the planet ourselves. A subject for late-night debate it might be, over a glass of your favourite fizz, but personally, I believe Tasmania has established itself as the region on the planet capable of producing the greatest sparkling wine outside Champagne.

It is very early days for Tasmania, with wineries and makers still ascertaining the best vineyards. Vines are young. Production is but a drop in the bucket compared with a region like Champagne and distribution is very limited – many of the island’s top

wines, fizz or otherwise, simply do not get to the mainland, let alone offshore. Prices can be an issue, understandably, as small production means that many producers do not enjoy the advantages of economies of scale in the way the big Champagne Houses have benefited.

Other regions, both domestically and internationally, will emerge and the pecking order may change in time, but lovers of fine sparkling wine should not ignore the glories on our southern doorstep. Arras, made by the brilliant Ed Carr, has long ruled the show circuit and the hearts and minds of fizzophiles. The Arras Brut Elite might not be their most expensive or rarest, but it is a very fine choice to see what Arras is doing and what Tasmania can offer.

There are numerous others, both small and not quite so small – Clover Hill, Jansz (check their Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2014), Josef Chromy, Kreglinger, Bream Creek, Delamere and others.

A personal favourite is the wonderfully complex ‘R3 Radenti’ from Freycinet.

What makes this wine such a stunning achievement is the difficulty small producers face in making sparkling, a wine from which they may see no return for up to a decade. The name, ‘R3’ reflects the three vintages used in the blend, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The wine is a 70/30 Chardonnay/ Pinot Noir blend.

In Australia, there is already plenty to look at from the mainland. The bad old days of third rate grapes like Trebbiano and Ondenc in huge tanks, made into fizz by pumping in gas, are long gone, and the traditional methods in play in Champagne

Sparkling Special Report

We are regular drinkers of sparkling wine with nearly a third of the population claiming to drink fizz at least once a month. . If we focus solely on those Australians, who do drink sparkling wines, which is almost half of us, almost a quarter of these drink it weekly. are regularly followed here. Focus on the best-situated vineyards and work in those vineyards, together with greater use of reserve wines and longer time on lees has all helped quality to soar.

Domaine Chandon, based in the Yarra, has long been critical in the extraordinary advances made by Australian sparkling makers – look for their Late Disgorged Rosé 2009. Macedon is an ideal region, given the temperatures and few do it better than Hanging Rock. Their ‘Cuvée Ten’, a late disgorged style from the region, can be confronting but the extra levels of complexity that the wine exhibits has always endeared it to many, including myself. Their ‘Cuvée XVII’ is pretty exciting, as well.

We do not see a lot of Blanc de Noir here, but one of the finest is from the Adelaide Hills, Henschke’s ‘Johanne Ida Selma NV’.

They have gone with a crown seal, rather than the more traditional cork.

And yet, despite the joys available here, the split between local and offshore fizz is trending to the latter. We have seen domestic sparkling production decreasing by around 2% per year, over the last five years.

Consumption of imports, on the other

72 drinks trade

hand, has increased by 5% annually over this time; Champagne at a slightly higher rate than this.

Overall, imported sparkling wine totals around 22 million bottles per year (in comparison to the 40 million bottles of local fizz). As we have seen, Champagne contributes just over 8 million of these.

Italy is just under 8 million, other French around two million, New Zealand slightly less and Germany and Spain just under a million each.

We are, however, regular drinkers of sparkling wine with nearly a third of the population claiming to drink fizz at least once a month. If we focus solely on those Australians, who do drink sparkling wines, which is almost half of us, almost a quarter of these drink it weekly. Champagne also does well – almost one-fifth of sparkling drinkers consuming it weekly, though less than half of those sparkling drinkers actually consume it monthly. Anyone interested in these figures should look to Tyson Stelzer’s annual State of Play of the Champagne Market, a fascinating read. Anyone halfserious about Champagne will also be looking at Tyson’s annual ‘Champagne

Guide’, the latest being bigger and better than ever.

The point is also made that under 34s make up just 35% of fizz drinkers, though they are well represented in the Champagne, Prosecco and even New Zealand sparkling sectors. But the percentage of young drinkers is increasing and they are very much focused on premium styles, notably Champagne, which makes the CIVC’s equivocation in respect of the Vin de Champagne Awards, which have been in existence for nearly half a century, more puzzling.

Finally, is sparkling wine a male or female preference? Overall, the women rule, comprising 55% of the category.

Champagne, however, is shared equally.

Champagne and sparkling wine may well, on many levels, be enjoying levels of quality and interest unprecedented, but there are many issues facing them. Some may be outside their control. Others may even be of their own making. They need to be addressed, attended to or mitigated to the extent they can, but there is every reason to believe that there are even greater heights which can be achieved.

Section header

Prosecond to none‌ VICTORIA WINERY OF THE YEAR

Melbourne International Wine Competition 2019

For price details, or to place your order, contact your dedicated representative on 1300 KOLLARAS. Alternatively, products are available on the ALM portal. Complimentary POS available. drinks trade www.kollaras.com

73

Wine | Climate Change

Champagne heeds the warming CLIMATE CHANGE IS OF GREAT CONCERN IN CHAMPAGNE. THIS YEAR CHAMPAGNE RECORDED ITS HIGHEST EVER TEMPERATURE ON RECORD, 42.9°C AND LOST 10% OF ITS HARVEST TO SUNBURNT GRAPES. TEMPERATURES IN THE REGION HAVE INCREASED BY CLOSE TO 1.2°C IN THE PAST 30 YEARS. THE IMPACT OF HIGHER TEMPERATURES IS IRREVERSIBLY CHANGING THE CHARACTER PROFILE OF CHAMPAGNE AS WE KNOW IT. THE COMITÉ CHAMPAGNE (CIVC) IS WORKING HARD TO PRESERVE THE WINE’S DEFINABLE TASTE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF ACCELERATED INITIATIVES AND INNOVATION. Words Melissa Parker Harvest in Champagne traditionally took place in late September, early October. For as long as the Champenois can remember, grapes were picked 100 days after budburst.

Today those age-old indicators are no longer reliable. The blossoming and grape harvest dates have moved forward by an average of a fortnight.

Chef du Cave, Champagne Lanson, Hervé Dantan remembers the harvest of 1976 like it was yesterday because of it took place in August.

“The harvest of 1976 was a big event because the last time harvest was in August was in 1893, the previous century.”

Welcome to the 21st century when harvests in August are commonplace. The first was 2003 followed by 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018. Warmer temperatures are also producing riper grapes. The downside is the loss of acidity, and the wine’s ability to age is compromised; however, the declaration of vintage years are increasing, and some producers would argue the quality of the wine is improving because the grapes are developing to maturer levels.

For example, Champagne Lanson declared the following vintages in the 1990s - 1995, 1996 and 1998 comparatively in the 2000s it was almost every year - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Harvest is earlier but also fast because

74 drinks trade

warmth also invites disease. Growers in Champagne are now reactive in the vineyard. Rain often comes earlier and combined with hotter temperatures places the vines at risk of unwanted conditions such as botrytis. The process has become complicated, and it has been necessary for the Champenois to adopt hyper-awareness and presence in the vineyards and play a fast game with our changing climate.

“We all need to be more professional in the vineyard. In the past people lost the sense of nature and the instinct with nature, now we have to rediscover that,” says Dantan.

SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE The Champagne Region began implementing environmental solutions as early as the 1980s. It started on its path of sustainable practice in 2001. In 2003 it was the first wine region in the world to calculate its carbon footprint and start a carbon reduction plan that included some radical changes such as reducing champagne bottle weight by 7%. To date, it has achieved 50% reduction in pesticides, 100% recycling of all winery wastewater, the recovery of 90% of all winery waste and by-product and a 15% reduced carbon footprint from the production of each bottle of Champagne.

The CIVC has set a target for 100% of Champagne to be practising sustainable viticulture by 2030 and for the region to stop the use of all pesticides by 2025. This equates to all producers recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture as VDC (Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne) certified. Many vineyards are also HVE ‘Haute Valeur Environnementale’ (High Environmental Value) certified because VDC certification encompasses all the commitments required for HVE. The bottom line is Champagne now has more than 600 certified farms, representing 20% of its surface area including more than 180 farms on nearly 2.5% of surfaces certified organic.

The CIVC is also aiming to hit targets in the reduction of Champagne’s carbon footprint in production and supply chain logistics. With this in mind, the CIVC has recently launched a new technical reference manual in sustainable winegrowing practices and certification for Champagne vineyard management. It will act as a guiding tool for growers and houses to meet the targets set by the region.

“The harvest of 1976 was a big event because the last time harvest was in August was in 1893, the previous century.”

But there are also other things to consider when preserving Champagne’s reputation amidst changing climatic conditions. Head of Communications, CIVIC, Philippe Wibrotte, suggested some champagne producers are looking beyond the three traditional grapes to experiment with Champagne’s other little known approved varieties. There are four other grapes grown in the Champagne appellation that may produce favourable results in warming temperatures that are presently under-resourced, namely Pinot Blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris. They account for less than 0.3 % of plantings, but growers in the Côte des Bar region in the Aube are experimenting with these. Some producers are going so far as producing single varietal Pinot Blanc

Champagnes. Côte des Bar growers are renowned for being experimental risktakers which has seen a renewed interest in the area. Vineyard plantings in this region have increased by 20% since 2000.

Today it makes up a quarter of the whole Champagne region. We also may see higher percentages of Pinot Meuniere in blends given its early ripening credentials compared to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Champagne should be applauded for setting a benchmark and moving quickly to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming. The Champenois are working hard to preserve Champagne’s extraordinary heritage, and are committed to maintaining the provenance of their world-class sparkling wine for the enjoyment of generations to come.

drinks trade 75

Tasting Bench

Champagne and Sparkling THE FESTIVE SEASON IS HERE. IT IS OFFICIALLY TIME TO CRACK OPEN THE BUBBLY. IN A TIME WHERE THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS, FINDING THE PERFECT BOTTLE TO CELEBRATE A LONG YEAR IS HARDER THAN EVER. WHILE PROSECCO, FROM AUSTRALIA AND ITALY, IS RISING FAST, THE CLASSIC BOTTLEFERMENTED SPARKLING WINES MADE FROM CHARDONNAY, PINOT NOIR AND PINOT MEUNIER, ARE STILL THE DOMINANT LOCAL STYLE AND ARE THE WINES THAT REPRESENT THE PEAK OF SPARKLING, PARTICULARLY CHAMPAGNE.

This year the news has not been positive for the Champenois. Globally Champagne sales were down 1.8% in 2018 including Australia, however, in the same period the USA, Japan, China, Canada and Mexico grew well showing Champagne has not lost its lustre. We analysed how the current Champagne releases shape up, both from a quality and value perspective, compared to other wines from around the globe.

The world is slowly catching up to Champagne in quality. Tasmania is one of the global hotspots where the stocks of

76 drinks trade

sparkling wine are on the rise. Our tasting showed Tasmania as producing some stunning wines. Other regions that stood out were Northern Italy and England. There is little doubt that the changing weather patterns around the world are having long-standing effects on sparkling wines.

It is important to acknowledge here that our sparkling wine tasting included both super-premium wines and cheaper styles for low key celebrations. Sparkling wine cocktails are another regular feature of the

festive season such as blending cassis or peach juice with a crisp sparkling wine to make a Kir Royale or Bellini.

The Drinks Trade panel of experts spent a morning tasting 90 sparkling wines.

Our tasting looked at bottle-fermented wines made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and others similar in style, such as Spanish Cava. Procecco will be tasted in 2020. We judged wines on quality with an eye on drinkability for everyday consumers.

THE PANEL

Drinks Trade is fortunate enough to attract some of the very best tasting talent in the country; the Champagne and Sparkling tasting panel was no exception. Arras chief winemaker and Australian sparkling royalty Ed Carr once more joined the panel before jetting across to London to accept the award for Best Australian Sparkling Wine’ trophy along with ‘Best In Category Australian Classic Blend NV’ at the 2019 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships.

All wines are tasted blind.

• Travis Fuller | Pernod Ricard • Ed Carr | Arras • Angus Hughson | Winepilot • Laurent Valy | Lanson • MJ Van Vuuren | Moët Hennessy • Nick Barlow | 100 Proof • Thibault Caumont | Vintec • Sarah Linhart | The Wine Collective • Michael Hatcher | Consultant • Michael McIntosh | Accolade Wines • Scott McWilliam | McWilliams Wines • Courtney Tate | Negotiants

THE TASTING

Wines were broken up into categories based on vintage or non-vintage styles and origins with two separate classes for rosé. We used an adaptation of The Wine Advocate 100-point scale as follows: • 96 - 100 | Extraordinary • 90 - 95 | Outstanding • 80 - 89 | Above average to very good • 70 - 79 | Average Drinks Trade only published wines that scored over 85 Points.

THE VERDICT

There were three clear findings from the tasting. While Louis Roederer and Pol Roger performed well as expected, so did Nicolas Feuillatte, Perrier Jouet and Vranken-Pommery. Overall the quality of Vranken-Pommery Australia was particularly outstanding across all imported categories winning awards for non-vintage Champagne, rosê Champagne, the international brut sparkling from England, and two awards for Vintage Champagne.

Despite the reputation of the premium sparkling wines there is also exceptional value to be found around $20 and below.

The winning Australian non-vintage, the Highgate Brut, retails for $20 per bottle, while another strong performer was Calabria’s Richland Sparkling, with a retail price of $10 per bottle. De Bortoli’s La Boheme Brut and Rosé both scored well again showing the exceptional value of these wines.

Another pleasing result was seeing some stalwart Australian wine producers continuing to push the quality boundaries with some outstanding vintage wines. Older vintages of Jansz, Arras and Bream Creek all retained their freshness with, in some cases, extraordinary fruit complexity.

drinks trade 77

Tasting Bench AUSTRALIA NV STORM BAY BRUT 90 Points A bright and fresh style with great balance of youthful citrus fruits plus nutty autolytic complexity. It is crisp with a fine bead and has good concentration of fruit.

CALABRIA RICHLAND 89 Points A surprise packet for the price that showed real elegance and fruit concentration. Generous apple and floral fruits were well balanced with fresh acidity plus a long fine finish.

DE BORTOLI LA BOHEME BRUT 88 Points A reserved sparkling wine that is a real crowd pleaser with its juicy subtle lemon rind fruits well matched by toasty complexity and zesty acidity.

SIDEWOOD PINOT CHARDONNAY 88 Points Lots to love in this wine with its creamy mousse, and multiple layers of doughy autolytic complexity well-matched by fresh youthful fruits. It finishes long and finely balanced.

JANSZ BRUT 92 Points A classic Tasmanian Brut with its super elegant just-ripe citrus fruits superbly integrated with fine French pastry complexity. Light in body yet also surprisingly powerful. It is a finer, aperitif style.

FREYCINET RADENTI BRUT 90 Points A rich, powerful and impressive sparkling wine that shows layer after layer of finely detailed praline complexity underpinned by bright, fresh Tasmanian fruit. Very classy.

HIGHGATE BRUT 93 Points Universally praised by all judges and the undisputed winner. This wine is a picture of elegance showing subtle detailed floral fruits wellmatched by brioche complexity, finishing fine and long.

ROTARI 2013 91 Points A delicate and understated sparkling wine that stood out for its savoury aromatics and delicacy of fruits. Crisp, lightbodied and juicy, it is a very food-friendly style.

ARRAS 2009 93 Points The standout wine in the class showing power, complexity and finesse with many layers of pretty and savoury fruits beautifully balanced on a long and elegant palate.

ROSÉ (NON-CHAMPAGNE) DE BORTOLI LA BOHEME 91 Points Quite a serious rosÊ style for a bargain price this is elegant with detailed, complex fruits, including a touch of French pastry complexity. The wine finishes dry, crisp and well balanced.

78 drinks trade

lanson

Tasting Bench 2018

8

8

MAKING THE VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA SINCE 1855 The House of Lanson has been crafting fine champagnes using traditional methods avoiding malolactic fermentation for 258 years. Our most recent addition to the family is cuvée Père et Fils Brut NV which is available exclusively through the On-Premise and selected independent wine stores. An enriched evolution of the classic Lanson Black Label it pays homage to the uniquely mouth-watering House style.

On searching our archives, we discovered that Lanson Champagne has been available in Australia since 1855. Let’s raise a glass to celebrate the arrival of the new kid on the block 163 years later… www.lanson.com

#THEPERFECTSTART

Please drink responsibly.

Distributed by Wine DNA, a network of Australia’s top independent wine distributors NSW-ACT:Young & Rashleigh Wine Merchants, 02 9967 5900 VIC-TAS: Santé Wines, 03 9429 1990 QLD: Cuttings Wines, 07 3262 1455 SA-NT: Options Wines, 08 8346 9111 drinks trade 79

lanson-pf-drinks-trade-230x300mm-04-2018-en.indd 1

10/04/2018 13:51:17

Tasting Bench CHAMPAGNE NV POL ROGER 94 Points A powerful Champagnestyle showing layers of Pinot Noir red fruits. The wine is crisp, but also round and rich for Champagne with good structure and balanced dosage.

NICOLAS FEUILATTE 91 Points A very impressive wine with intense fruit and brioche yeast ageing complexity. It follows with precision on the palate and good acid structure that is well balanced.

POMMERY BRUT ROYAL 94 Points A fresh and lifted Champagnestyle showing generous raspberry and lychee fruits. It shows good palate power and richness driven by sherbety acidity making for a crowdpleasing style.

LOUIS ROEDERER 93 Points A very attractive and complex Champagnestyle showing layered fruits with toast and oyster shell complexity. The fruit is youthful, lifted and bright which is exceptionally balanced with mouthwatering acidity.

PERRIER JOUET 90 Points An aperitif style showing youthful freshness and bracing acidity. On the medium-bodied palate, there are subtle fruits of fennel and citrus with a bright and long finish.

POMMERY NV 95 Points Hard to fault this wine, which is pale salmon in colour.

It is made in a fuller-bodied style with layers of Pinot Noir red fruits well matched by pastry and toast. Creamy in texture, it finishes with power and poise.

VEUVE CLICQUOT NV 93 Points A shy and understated rosé with floral, wild raspberry and toasted brioche complexity.

Dry and juicy, it is surprisingly concentrated and finishes with supreme length.

CHAMPAGNE ROSÉ MOËT & CHANDON NV 94 Points Mid salmon colour and aromatically complex with savoury mushroom and toast plus bright red fruits complexity. Beautifully pitched with a crisp and concentrated palate. It finishes with finesse and length. `

80 drinks trade

INTERNATIONAL SPARKLING PETIT CORDON NZ NV 88 Points An elegant, tight and aciddriven sparkling wine with wellintegrated delicate fruits and French pastry complexity.

The palate is taut and concentrated with significant fruit length.

POMMERY ENGLAND NV 92 Points Very Champagne-like with complex oyster shell, mushroom and toast complexity. The high acid line drives an intense palate that is also fine and detailed making for an impressive English bubbly.

AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE BREAM CREEK BRUT 2012 87 Points A highly complex vintage sparkling with many layers of praline complexity plus lychee fruits. Dry, rich and aciddriven, it shows a good blend of power and finesse.

JANSZ BRUT 2011 89 Points Immediately attractive and balanced without showing its age, this wine has great drive of red fruits with both exceptional elegance and complexity all driven by laser-like acidity.

JANSZ BRUT 2014 87 Points This wine is drinking beautifully thanks to its combination of youthful fruit and layers of aged nutty complexity. The wine is bright and quite rich on the palate all kept in check by zesty acidity.

ARRAS BDB 2009 93 Points A hugely complex wine showing mushroom, gunflint and toasty complexity still beautifully balanced with fresh acidity. It also shows exceptional persistence and elegance to finish.

CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE POL ROGER VINTAGE 2012 93 Points A classic vintage Champagne with outstanding complexity combined with brooding power.

Despite its age the wine is still brimming with youthful vitality promising ageing potential.

POMMERY GRAND CRU ROYAL 2006 94 Points A very reserved and crisp style showing both power and refinement. Toasty aged influences and a touch of tropical fruit provide impressive complexity on a crisp palate.

VRANKEN DIAMANT BLEU BDB 2007 95 Points Superb from start to finish with exceptionally complex pastry and citrus fruits leading to a bright, fresh and silky palate finishing with extraordinary length.

drinks trade 81

New Product | Wine

1

1. Spinning Top Wines Marlborough New Zealand RRP: $15.95/Sauvignon Blanc, $15.95/Pinot Gris, $19.95/Pinot Noir | Distributor: Antmoore Wines, Bacchant Wine Merchants (NSW + VIC) Brothers Ant and Patrick Moore have launched a label called Spinning Top after the short film Tops by Ray and Charles Eames. The film about the ancient art of top-making and spinning explores how a spinning top set in motion is guided by nature, a philosophy they have adopted when making quality wine.

2. Pommery Apenage Blanc de Blanc NV RRP: $99.95 | Distributor: Vranken-Pommery Australia This 100 per cent Chardonnay made from grapes from the northern terrain of the Montagne de Reims and the hills of Nogent l’Abbesse, is an aperitif style champagne exhibiting a remarkable elegance and freshness. The Apanage is another example of the cutting-edge innovative champagne styles Pommery is gaining ground for.

3. Piper Heidsieck Limited Edition for the Australian Open RRP: $55 | Distributor: Oatley Wines Piper Heidsieck is entering its second year as official champagne partner at the Australian Open in 2020. The classic Piper Heidsieck NV will be packaged up in a tennis gift tin and a bespoke Australian Open label available in retail outlets, at the Australian Open and through pouring partner, Crown Melbourne.

4. McGuigan Zero Range Rosé, Shiraz, Sparkling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc RRP: $12 | Distributor: Australian Vintage Limited McGuigan Wines has launched a range of alcohol-free wines after two years in development. It employs a method unique to the brand’s Buronga Hill winery in New South Wales to de-alcoholize the wines with a gentle spinning cone technology so the wines retain their delicate fruit flavour and varietal character.

82 drinks trade

2

3

4

Section header

REDISCOVER THE FAMOUS WINES OF THE LOIRE VALLEY From the centre of France to the shores of Australia

Find out more loirevalleywine.com

@LoirevalleywinesAUS

@AusLoire

@LoirevalleywinesAUS

#loirevalleywinesaus drinks trade 83

Beer

All things light, bright and beautiful WITH THE SUMMER IN FULL SWING IN AUSTRALIA, BEER DRINKERS WILL BE REACHING FOR THEIR BEER OF CHOICE IN SEARCH OF REFRESHMENT. Words Jamie Cook We have seen across all alcohol categories a shift towards drinks that are lighter and brighter in style; a trend amplified during the long hot summer.

While lagers have traditionally been a goto for refreshment in the category, the rise of Australian pale ales and summer ales in recent years is driven by consumers attracted by highly aromatic, low bitter beers.

Pale ale represents just under half of the craft segment. Summer ales are now 17% and growing rapidly at 21% Vs LY, and there is the emerging XPA (extra pale ale).

The refreshing ale category is where the volume in craft beer now is.

Even after centuries of brewing, modernday brewers are using new techniques or applying contemporary skills and knowledge to traditional methods to produce a new era of beers that are helping beer drinkers look at beer through a fresh lens.

Brewers are discovering new possibilities of deriving flavour through dry-hopping,

84 drinks trade

We seem to be at a critical point in the evolution of beer that is reminiscent of the impact of essential advancements in brewing history.

and the interaction between yeast and hops during and post fermentation. Through a combination of experimentation, creativity, art and science, independent brewers have been at the leading edge of this ‘pushing of the boundaries’.

We seem to be at a critical point in the evolution of beer that is reminiscent of the impact of essential advancements in brewing history.

The ability to understand the amount of fermentable sugars through the use of a hydrometer saw brewers use more pale malts than darker malts and drove brewers to brew pale ales instead of porters in England.

The discovery of bottom-fermenting yeasts led to the rise of lagers and the popularity of lager around the world.

In these modern times, the increased rate of learning and development is massive, and the degree of science and analysis at our disposal allows brewers to look far deeper into the brewing process and explore further possibilities.

Hop growers are also contributing to the evolution by reacting to brewers’ needs through the development of new varieties of hops that provide a greater emphasis on flavour as opposed to the single dimension of bitterness.

In today’s hyper-connected global village that we live in these advancements are driving the evolution of beer as we know it at a rapid rate.

Modern pale ales and summer ales with their hop derived aromatics, hazy appearance, relatively low bitterness, and clean, refreshing finish are developing momentum in the marketplace.

Our local brewers have led the charge on developing these beer styles as being distinctly Australian and have tapped into that global trend for lighter and brighter beverages.

Another emerging trend in today’s market is the rise of sour and fruited sour beers. With these brewers have reached back into brewing history to rekindle the art of brewing beers with a dry, acidic character.

Typically beer is not associated with ‘acid’ and ‘sour’ characters; therefore these beer styles have been living in the far corner of the market firmly in the weird beer box for many years now.

Yet as beer drinkers grow the confidence to try new things and expand their perception of what beer is, we see these beers rise in popularity.

Using techniques and yeast strains throughout fermentation or through “kettle souring” brewers are producing beers with flavours that also tap into the light and bright trend.

While still relatively early in their development sour beers represent less than 1% of the craft beer segment but are growing at a massive 600% Vs LY.

Brewers are also developing their skills in balancing those dry, acidic elements with the sweetness from the fruit. There is also a cross-fertilisation of knowledge and skills between brewers, winemakers and distillers emerging. Brewers, for example, are using techniques traditionally the domain of the winemaker or the cidermaker.

Berliner Weisse, a cloudy, sour beer style with three per cent ABV that originated in Northern Germany in the 16th century is being taken to a new level by local brewers. They are creating beers with a delicate balance of acidity, fruit and malt derived sweetness, lower alcohol and dry, refreshing finish.

While still relatively early in their development sour beers represent less than 1% of the craft beer segment but are growing at a massive 600% Vs LY. These two beer trends are both ideally suited to Australian long hot summers. More beer drinkers are discovering them, and importantly non-beer drinkers are attracted to the category.

The large portion of beer drinkers in Australia has a view that beer is very one dimensional in flavour and “they all taste the same”. However, times are changing, and the local independent brewers who are driving this change are working together to help evolve that perception of beer and tap into the broader trend to lighter and brighter styles of drinks.

The fact that independent brews account for 6% of the market by volume, but 10% by value is a testament to the creativity and value creation they bring to the beer category.

With around 90% of the beer market in the hands of what looks like being two global brewers, it is more important than ever before to get behind our small, local and Independent brewers and work with them rebuild value and excitement in the beer category.

So this summer when it looks like all things lighter and brighter are what drinkers are looking for make sure beer is playing its part.

drinks trade 85

New Product | Beer

1

2

1. Moo Brew Belgian Pale Ale RRP: $95/24 case | Distributor: Samuel Smith & Son A limited edition release from the Moo Brew team, this Belgian Pale Ale is light bodied and finishes dry, perfect for summer drinking. The palate exhibits a delicate textured malt background balanced with Belgian yeast tartness and hop bitterness.

2. Zytho Zesty Pale Ale and India Pale Ale RRP: Pale Ale $24 6-pack/$68 x 24, IPA $26 6-pack/$72 x 24 | Distributor: Pinnacle Drinks Made by the team at Tribe Brewery in NSW the Pale Ale is full-flavoured yet crisp and highly sessionable featuring fresh citrus and passionfruit notes with a balanced light bitterness that makes for easy drinking. The IPA is full-flavoured with delicious piney, tropical and citrus aromatics to give a fresh, modern flavour that is becoming increasingly sought-after amongst Australian IPA drinkers. Available at BWS and Dan Murphy.

86 drinks trade

3

4

3. Little Creatures Seasonal Long Days RRP: 355mL cans $19/6-pack and $58/24 case | Distributor: Lion Co. In time for summer sessional drinking, Little Creatures has launched the aptly named seasonal release Long Days Indian Pale Ale. The mid-strength IPA is dry-hopped and so delivers on passionfruit nuances and citrus hop characters with a subtle sweet caramel finish; the big bold flavours Little Creatures is renowned for.

4. Pure Blonde Organic Lager RRP: $20.29/6-pack, $$53.99/24 case | Distributor: CUB Low carb beer, Pure Blonde has gone that one step further to launch the first ACOcertified organic range of beer. To promote the new beer, Pure Blonde has published the recipe along with the full brewing-process on billboards across the country and in a digital campaign.

5

5. Sparkke Pale Ale and Pilsner RRP: $95/24 case | Distributor: The Sparkke Change Beverage Company The all female- founded social enterprise, The Sparkke Change Beverage Company is updating and re-launching all-new social change messaging on the cans of their 100% natural brewed range.

Sparkke’s newest beverage, the Pale Ale, is juicy, balanced and hop-forward.

Underscoring a social movement that has seen hundreds of thousands of people fill the streets to strike for climate change, its labeling reads “The Last Straw - Just Say No” while the refreshing, vegan Pilsner rounds out the selection, with one simple message – “R-E-S-P-E-C-T. All We’re Asking…” after Aretha Franklin’s song that sparked a global civil rights movement.

INTRODUCING SINGLE PRESSED LEMON AND LIME JUICE COLLECTION

ADD A SPLASH OF CITRUS TO YOUR COCKTAIL WHY FINEST CALL? WHY FINEST CALL? CASE STUDY ONE:

DECREASE WASTAGE DECREASE WASTAGE 1 - 7 DAYS

Peak1freshness of - 7 DAYS VS of Peak freshness

CASE STUDY REGATTA HOTEL,ONE: QLD REGATTA HOTEL, “By using Finest Call,QLD we increased our rate of sale, “By using Finest Call, on weprep increased our lowered rate of sale, minimized staff costs time and our fresh minimized staff costs on prep time and lowered fresh produce cost. In total, we saved over $60,000 inour a year.” produce cost. In total, we saved over $60,000 in a year.”

CASE STUDY TWO: CASE DAY STUDY FOUR MUSICTWO: FESTIVAL

FOURgreatest DAY MUSIC “The thing to FESTIVAL happen to our bars in a number “The greatest happen our to our bars inrevenue a number of years!

Finestthing Call to increased cocktail by of years! Finest$75,000 Call increased our revenue approximately over the 4 cocktail days whilst savingby approximately $75,000 over the 4 days whilst saving $30,000 on ingredients and prep. The quick service $30,000 ingredients and prep.cocktail The quick service potential on of the product doubled sales from potential of the product doubled sales prep from 5000 to 10,000, and profit margincocktail and staffing 5000 toequated 10,000, and profit$2-3 margin staffing prep savings to about perand drink.” savings equated to about $2-3 per drink.”

DECREASE WASTAGE 1 - 7 DAYS

Peak freshness of fruit VS

18 MONTHS+

Finest Call shelf life

INCREASE PROFIT 30 LIMES

$25-$30: approx 15-18 cocktails VS

FINEST CALL SINGLE PRESSED LIME $10: 20-22 cocktails

SAVE TIME 90 SECONDS

Juicing a lime by hand VS

UNDER 30 SECONDS

Using our purpose-designed nip pourer

18 MONTHS VS Finest Call shelf 18 MONTHS Finest Call shelf

INCREASE PROFIT INCREASE PROFIT 30 LIMES

$25-$30: approx 15-18 30 LIMES VS 15-18 $25-$30: approx

FINEST VS CALL SINGLE PRESSED FINEST CALL $10: 20-22 cockta SINGLE PRESSED

SAVE TIME SAVE TIME

$10: 20-22 cockta

90 SECON

Juicing a lime b 90 SECON VS b Juicing a lime

UNDER 30VSSEC Using our purpose UNDER 30 SEC nip poure Using our purpose nip poure

Spirits

JULIO BERMEJO

Globally recognized tequila expert and the creator of the famous Tommy’s Margarita THE WALL STREET JOURNAL CALLED TOMMY’S THE EPICENTRE OF TEQUILA IN THE US, AND CNN DUBBED IT THE GROUND ZERO OF THE TEQUILA REVOLUTION. THE BAR OPERATOR AT TOMMY’S, TEQUILA EXPERT, JULIO BERMEJO, WAS FLOWN IN FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO BE THE INTERNATIONAL GUEST JUDGE FOR THE PATRON PERFECTIONISTS AUSTRALIA/ NEW ZEALAND COCKTAIL COMPETITION FINALS. JULIO TALKED TO DRINKS TRADE ABOUT HIS LIFE WITH TEQUILA AND WHY HE SAYS IT IS THE BEST DRINK IN THE WORLD. When did your love of tequila begin?

This is embarrassing because I probably started drinking when I was 13 and 14, and that is bad. Where I was from in Mexico, access to alcohol was easy. I could steal it (from my father’s motel) or buy it, and no one cared as long as you could pay for it. People drank brandy, rum, and beer because it’s hot and humid so I would do the same with my cousins. Unfortunately, I overindulged and found myself in pain after drinking these products. Luckily or unluckily I got a bottle of tequila at Tommy’s, and it wasn’t even 100 per cent agave. It was a mixto product. I drank that and, wow, I felt fine the next day. I thought, what is going on here? Eventually I would have a bottle of 100 per cent agave. I like drinking beer but wherever possible I’d rather drink 100 per cent agave.

88 drinks trade

What is the difference between 100 per cent agave and mixto?

Even though everyone in the industry throws around the term mixto it technically does not exist in the nomenclature of the production of tequila. The two legal definitions of tequila are tequila 100 per cent agave and tequila. Simply, tequila is a distillate made in the denomination of origin region of Mexico where a minimum of 51 per cent of the alcohol in the bottle comes from the fermented sugars of agave and 49 per cent of the sugars come from any other sugar source except another agave source.

With 100 per cent agave all the alcohol has to come from the agave blue variety.

In your opinion, what makes great tequila?

The old adage that making things the old way is usually the best is the case with tequila. Different ways of doing the same things to reach commerce of scale or make the product cheaper make the product worse. For 2000 years people have been making fermented beverages from agave by taking the agave and cooking it with heat.

It is a slow process and very inefficient,

but when you cook agave with steam and with heat, there is a beautiful sweetness, roundness and richness kind of like a rich baked sweet potato. But it is inefficient, and it’s slow. You can also cook agave with acid.

When you use acids, much like when fish is cooked in lime juice, you can take the agave, finely shred it, make the solution of acids and convert those starches to fermentable sugars very quickly and in a far more efficient manner. Today that is what big tequila is doing. A lot of low-end tequila that says 100 per cent agave is made this way. Yes it’s tequila and yes it is 100 per cent agave but in the un-aged version, the Blanco, it no longer smells like tequila, like the cooked raw material. It is important to preserve the flavour and taste of tequila, of agave, and that is precisely why we argue that tequila is only distilled at 55 per cent ABV so people can taste the raw material and how it expresses itself.

When did consumers start to appreciate premium and high-end tequila, and when did that become a thing?

In the US it started out at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s. Tequila has always had a bad boy, on the edge reputation and what also seemed to go hand in hand was the allure of celebrities wanting to attach themselves to tequila by having their own brand or involvement in a brand of tequila.

That started in the mid to late 1990s. Today more people have registered trademarks of tequila in Mexico than anything else. If we are going to talk about the juice, the liquid, the distillate you have to start with products that are distillery owned and operated for the simple reason that if one doesn’t have control of the process, he or she cannot accurately speak about what is going on with the product. I promote tequila all over the world, and I will work for companies I believe in and are doing it right, but I don’t work for contracted brands because there has never been a contracted brand that has stuck with its original distillery. It is hard when you are hand-selling a product for its flavour, character and nuance and every year it changes, not because they have a philosophical change in how they make

The Margarita should taste of two things - the tequila and the lime juice. Even though the proportions are simple it is a cocktail that works. tequila but because the relationship broke down with the supplier. It is too hard to keep up with that. Good bad or otherwise, Jose Cuervo has smelt like Jose Cuervo for 200 hundred years and like it or not, they have a style.

Any favourites and why?

Stylistically tequila comes in two types.

It’s either Highland (Los Altos)or Valley (El Valle). I get excited about this. What blows my mind is tequila is the most terroir-driven spirit in the world. If you enjoy a raw material for the characteristics of its land, then you can’t look further than tequila. In the valleys the agave is grown in a certain way so when it is harvested and fermented and distilled the unaged tequilas are pungeant, earthy and vegetal. When you age those tequilas you tend to age a bit longer in newer wood to get more stone fruit like characteristics and more influence from the barrel, more tannin more lanolin. The opposite to this is Highland tequila. When it is young it is very fresh, citrussy and spicey. When these tequilas age the citrus and spicey notes start to soften and become more winter like citrus tones. The styles are so distinctly different that people have favourites, either Highland or Valley. My favourite style of tequila is

Highland. I like it citrusy and spicier than earthier even though I love a wooded Valleystyle tequila, my preference is for Highland products What is a good example of a Valley tequila and Highland tequilas?

Traditionally Valley tequilas were the big names such as Jose Cuervo, Sauza, Herradura, Forteleza. Highland products are Don Julio, Patron, Tapatio. Neither one is better or worse; they are just stylistically different.

Tell us about your famous Tommy margarita and the rationale behind replacing Triple Sec with agave nectar.

First it was luck. Everything has to do with the lifecycle of the agave plant. Every generation agave is either in a state of shortage or a state of glut. Right now there is an extreme shortage of ripe agave, so prices are through the roof, supply is tight, and quality is not at its highest. Whenever there is a glut of agave you not only see innovation in terms of brands created but people find other outlets for the plant. One of them is fructose. When people started producing more fructose and making it widely available it was presented to me. Even though it costs so much more than cane sugar it was a

drinks trade 89

Spirits

I promote tequila all over the world, and I will work for companies I believe in and are doing it right, but I don’t work for contracted brands because there has never been a contracted brand that has stuck with its original distillery. logical edition to making the Margarita. It is so much softer and more delicate than any triple sec because it doesn’t have any alcohol but also because it doesn’t have orange flavour. It made the drink more rounded, but importantly it allowed the base spirit of tequila to shine. A funny story is there was a young bartender manning a stand for a very famous French orange liqueur at a liquor conference in San Franscico. I happened to be walking past and he reads my name tag and says: Hey Julio from Tommys, do you guys make Margarita’s over there? I say, of course, we do. He says: OMG if you carry our orange liqueur you can use the cheapest tequila you want and your Margarita is going to taste like our French liqueur! I said, actually, I want to make a Margarita where people taste the tequila. The guy went ghost-white because he had never heard someone have an interest in tasting tequila period, even though the Margarita is still the number one call-cocktail in the world.

So we totally shattered expectations making a cocktail that tasted of the tequila.

90 drinks trade

To this day, it is not fully understood. If I make you a Tommy’s Margarita with Patron Silver and another with Herradura Silver and another with Altos Silver they will taste completely different. You might not be able to tell me which is which but you will be able to tell me which one you prefer. We want to lead the guest on a journey to find the tequila that he or she thinks is the best flavour profile fit for them.

Salt or no salt on the rim?

No salt. What is the world’s favourite flavouring component? Salt, right? In the US if you make something really salty or sweet, then it is going to be a hit, and we are all diabetic with high blood pressure! The Margarita should taste of two things the tequila that one chooses and the lime juice and even though it is simple and the proportions are simple it is a cocktail that works. If I put salt on a mediocre Margarita it will be salty, and people will drink it. If I want the tequila to shine through the drink, I need to balance the

agave and the acid. Unless the guest really wants it, then we salt half the glass and ask the guest to try it without the salt first and if you don’t like it then spin it around and drink it with the salt.

How important is the lime?

The lime is key. It has to be as fresh as possible. Sitting for hours doesn’t cut it. The type of lime is important. We recommend Persian seedless lime that is a variety on the sweeter side. It is still acidic but not as acidic as say a key lime that can be bitter.

What are you looking forward to the most about judging the Patron Perfectionist Cocktail Competition?

The Patron Perfectionists 2019 is the world’s most important tequila cocktail competition, not that there are a lot of them, but the reason this is so important is that it is truly global. What we are looking for is demonstration of creativity and professionalism with tequila, in the hope of finding another new kind of cocktail like a Tommy’s that is delicious and can be easily replicated in every corner of the world. I am looking forward to seeing the creativity of bartenders in Australia. Australia has solid people doing great work evident in the fact that Australia is well represented in the Top 50 bars in the world . The quality of the bars I have seen in Melbourne and Sydney make me optimistic about what I am going to see tonight.

A Drinks Trade Promotion

French Negroni

Ruby Rosé Spritz

Occasion:

APERITIVO HOUR FRENCH NEGRONI

RUBY ROSÉ SPRITZ

INGREDIENTS: 30ml Pampelle L’Apero Aperitif 30ml Gin Maré 30ml Sweet vermouth

INGREDIENTS: 30ml Pampelle Aperitif 90ml Rosé wine 30ml Soda water

GLASSWARE: Old fashioned

GLASSWARE: Large wine glass

GARNISH: A wedge of pink grapefruit

GARNISH: A slice of pink grapefruit

METHOD: Add ingredients to a cocktail mixing glass and add a scoop of ice. Stir well and fine strain over a large ice cube in an old fashioned glass

METHOD: Add ingredients to a large wine glass and fill with ice.

Stir gently

drinks trade 91

A Drinks Trade Promotion

Disaronno disrupts the liqueur category FROM THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE TO THE MODERN-DAY CATWALK, DISARONNO’S SUCCESSFUL FASHION-FORWARD MARKETING CAMPAIGN HAS PRODUCED ENVIABLE RESULTS.

In Australia Disaronno has experienced healthy growth with sales of an additional 702,000 litres in the past 12 months (IRI MAT 2019) and the brand has enjoyed 23 % value growth year on year making it the fastest growing brand in the liqueur category. Many in the industry feel that the liqueur category is losing ground but liqueurs meet current consumer demands for lower alcohol and versatility. Disaronno can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, mixed or in a cocktail such as the Disaronno Sour. Trends in the UK indicate that sales of liqueurs are incremental to spirits. Consumers are seen to be buying both at the same time.

Retailers - don’t dismiss liqueurs yet. They are versatile, delicious and fundamental to creative mixology.

92 drinks trade

DISARONNO AND FASHION Disaronno has been aligning its brand with the style elite and partnering with celebrated and iconic Italian fashion houses through the Disaronno Icon Project. The star of the seventh and latest edition is denim designer brand and global street-wear label, Diesel. Exclusive stone-washed events and Disaronno cocktails made from the Diesel-inspired limited-edition bottle were held around the world. Like all the Icon limited-editions before, the events attracted personalities in the fields of fashion, design and music all converging together to celebrate creativity with Disaronno. The Disaronno Icon Project began in 2013 and Italian fashion collaborations and limitededition ‘dressed’ bottles have included

Moschino, Versace, Cavalli, Etro, Missoni, Trussardi and Diesel. The bottles have since become collector’s items with the empty bottle of the original Moschino Disaronno bottle with its red heart motif design will set you back over $200.

2019 saw Disaronno take its fashion addiction further when it partnered with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia.

Through this project, Disaronno supports the OTB Foundation, Diesel’s parent company’s philanthropic arm, fully embracing its motto of “Brave Actions for a Better World.” In Italy and at a global level, the Foundation is involved in social initiatives focusing on three principles: sustainability, innovation and direct social impact.

ABOUT AMARETTO Amaretto means a little bitter in Italian and is a liqueur first made in Saronna, Italy in the early 14th century. There is a legendary tale that is told about the artist Bernardino Luini, a pupil of the Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci. In 1525 he was commissioned to paint the sanctuary and frescoes of the Saronno church including depicting the Madonna or the Virgin Mary.

Luini found his model in a young widowed innkeeper who over time became his lover.

When his work was complete she wanted to thank Luini with a gift. Being from simple means, she steeped apricot kernels in brandy and presented it to the artist. It was the first amaretto. The distinct flavour of the liqueur is derived from the drupe kernel or the mandorla amaro in Italian. It is said the innkeeper’s secret recipe was discovered by a member of the Reina family in the 1600s and is still the recipe the family uses today to produce Disaronno Originale.

drinks trade 93

Spirits

Summer Seasonal Sips VODKA IS STILL THE SPIRIT OF CHOICE FOR SUMMER DRINKS. ITS UNDERSTATED FLAVOUR IS PERFECT FOR BLENDING WITH FRESH JUICES, FRUITS, HERBS AND SODAS AND TO MAKE THIRST QUENCHING, REFRESHING SUMMER DRINKS AND COCKTAILS. WITH THE ENTERTAINING SEASON UPON US, IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS WITH THESE SIMPLE FUN, FRESH AND FRUITY COCKTAILS.

SUMMER MULE

WATERMELON SPRITZ

YUZU & BASIL SMASH

ROSE & LEMONGRASS GIMLET

INGREDIENTS: 30ml Vodka 30ml Campari 10ml MONIN Pink Grapefruit Syrup 20ml Fresh lime juice 100ml Ginger beer

INGREDIENTS: 45ml Grey Goose Vodka 15ml MONIN Watermelon Syrup 30ml Fresh grapefruit juice 60ml Soda water

INGREDIENTS: 45ml Grey Goose Vodka 15ml Lemoncello 30ml MONIN Yuzu Puree 10ml Fresh lemon juice 2 x Basil leaves

INGREDIENTS: 45ml Vodka 15ml MONIN Rose Syrup 15ml Fresh lime juice Bashed lemongrass

GLASSWARE: Large wine glass

GLASSWARE: Rocks

GLASSWARE: Coupette

GARNISH: Slices of pink grapefruit

GARNISH: A wedge of watermelon and fresh mint leaves

GARNISH: Basil leaves and a wedge of lemon

GARNISH: A piece of lemongrass and a rose petal

METHOD: Add ingredients to a tall glass, fill with ice and stir well

METHOD: Add ingredients to a large wine glass with a scoop of ice and stir

METHOD: Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

METHOD: Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupette glass

GLASSWARE: Tall glass

drinks trade 95

New Product | Spirits 1

2

1. Glenfiddich Fire & Kane RRP: $85/700ml bottle | Distributor: Willliam Grant & Sons The fourth concept whisky launch in its Experimental Series, Fire & Kane is the combination of smoky Glenfiddich whisky finished in sweet rum casks. The new expression highlights Glenfiddich’s sweet and fruity signature style. Glenfiddich Experimental Series pushes the boundaries of Scotch whisky through experimentation.

Other releases within the series include the Glenfiddich IPA Experiment, Glenfiddich Project XX and Glenfiddich Winter Storm.

2. Bass & Flinders Limited Edition Brandy Blend RRP: $250/700ml bottle | Distributor: Bass & Flinders Distillers To celebrate the distillery’s 10th anniversary, Bass & Flinders has launched a limited edition brandy that blends Australian brandy with French. It is a combination of Bass & Flinders Chardonnay-based brandy with N-M Petite Champagne cognac. Second generation, head distiller, Holly Klintworth said the special single release commemorative brandy is old world meetes new and encapsulates Bass & Flinders story and ethos.

96 drinks trade

3

3. Pinkster Gin RRP: $75/700ml bottle | Distributor: Pinkster Gin Australia Founded in Cambridge, UK by Stephen Marsh when he discovered distilling fresh raspberries with gin created a deliciously dry taste with hint of the fruit and a smooth finish, and most importantly a delightful pink colour. Pink drink lovers in Australia rejoice because Pinkster Gin is now available right here at home. Stephen also makes raspberry by-products with the not-quiteright berries including Pinkster Gin Jam available for $9.95 a jar and is mildly alcoholic for a more exciting breakfast time.

4. Four Pillars Christmas Gin RRP: $100/bottle | Distributors: Lion Co. The smash hit Christmas Gin flavoured with all those luscious fruit and spice botanicals we associate with Christmas is here again. Much like egg nog and mulled wine in the Northern Hemisphere, this little tipple mixed or on ice will soon become synonymous with Christmas Down Under.

4

5

5. Unico Mando Mandarin Liqueur RRP: $34.99 | Distributor: Unico Distillers Aussie beverage producers and agricultural entrepreneurs Brendan and Laura Carter have launched Unico Mando, a creative extension of their Ugly Citrus project that began with Unico Cello (a limoncello liqueur crafted from lemons that would usually go to waste), Unico MANDO is made from the large portion of Dekapon mandarins that are typically rejected within the supply chain, to never reach consumers.

Falling in love with the fruit’s intense flavour, Unico set out to salvage the fruit by establishing a healthy arrangement with their Riverland suppliers allowing for a ‘pre-harvest’ of under-sized and underutilised fruit.

The Unico team hand-peeled Dekapon Mandarins into high-grade grape-based alcohol, where it sat for six weeks prior to dilution with Queensland sugar. Refreshing and vibrant, it’s perfect for serving in spritzes over summer.

Events and Promotions

MR BLACK LAUNCHES SINGLE ORIGIN Mr Black has launched a new product in its Single Origin series called Single Origin Colombia.

The Single Origin Series celebrates the diverse terroirs of renowned coffee growing regions from around the world. The Single Origin Colombia release is made with the sought after ‘honey’ processed beans, nurtured by Luis Anibal of Finca Villa Betulia, near Huila in Colombia.

Single Origin Colombia represents the lighter side of the coffee spectrum when compared to Mr Black’s coffee liqueur; renowned for its robust dark chocolate, caramel and citrus flavour.

The new product was launched to a room full of media, baristas and bartenders and feedback and comments included; vibrant, tropical, raw, clean and nuanced like the blend from a coffee shop.

ANNELIESE GRAZIOLI WINS THE PATRÓN PERFECTIONISTS COCKTAIL COMPETITION 2019 At the Panama Dining Room in Melbourne’s Fitzroy, four of the country’s top bartenders and one Kiwi, battled it out to win the coveted Australian and New Zealand Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition. The

winner was only female contestant, Anneliese Grazioli from Hot Tamale in Darwin, Northern Territory.

The judging panel consisted of special guest judge, the creator of Tommy’s margarita and expert on agave - Julio Bermejo, Director of International Marketing at Patrón Tequila, Matthew Sykes and Editor

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE GIN CLUB AT THE NGV The creative collaboration between Bombay Sapphire and the National Gallery of Victoria continues with The Gin Club.

Inspired by what creative collaborations in times past, The Bombay Sapphire Gin Club re-imagines the vibe of New York’s underground art and social scene in the 1980s and celebrates Crossing Lines, the latest major NGV exhibition featuring the works of icon pop artists, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Guests were treated to Sunday lunch, Bombay Sapphire cocktails and G&Ts and a personalized tour of the world premiere of Crossing Lines.

in Chief of Executive Style, Michael Harry.

Anneliese won with her cocktail, ‘Over & Above’ that was based on a Manhattan with a twist. “My cocktail was inspired by anyone and everyone that goes over and above to share agave with the world. I used Patrón Añejo because I wanted the vibrant agave for the aged

notes and mango backed up with some native botanicals to complement the agave” says Anneliese Grazioli.

In just five years Patrón Perfectionists has grown from a single country competition in the UK to a program that spans six continents, and involves more than 32 countries.

OVER & ABOVE INGREDIENTS: 40ml Patrón Anejo 25ml Mango skin vermouth 10ml Patrón Citrónge Mango 3 Dash Martini bitter Lemon myrtle olive oil METHOD: Add all ingredients except for oil into a mixing glass over ice. Stir for 14-16 stirs.

Strain into a frozen Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with 1 drop of lemon myrtle olive oil.

drinks trade 97

Last Call

The Daisy Chain CRACKING THE MYTH OF THE MARGARITA

WHAT IS IT? This classic cocktail combines tequila, lime juice and Cointreau (triple sec) served in a martini or coupe glass with a salt rim.

Served frozen or iced, the Margarita has been loved for decades and continues to be a refreshing bar favourite.

WHY IS IT GOOD? It offers a little bit of almost every flavour profile – salt, sour, bitter and sweet. It’s Mexican, and it has tequila in it.

WHO INVENTED IT? Nobody is quite sure. You be the judge.

STORY NUMBER 1: Carlos ‘Danny’ Herrara with partner, Albert Hernandez created the Margarita at their Rancho La Gloria restaurant in between Tijuana and Rosarita, Mexico in 1938.

It is said Herrara made the cocktail for a Zeigfeld dancer, Marjorie King. Marjorie would only drink tequila, so Herrara had the idea to convert the tequila shot (with a lick of salt and the juice of the lime) into a sophisticated cocktail to suit his customer.

98 drinks trade

Hernandez then went on to popularize the Margarita at his La Plaza Restaurant in La Jolla, California from 1947.

STORY NUMBER 2: An Iowa newspaper editor, James Graham, came across the cocktail in Tijuana in 1936, two years before the Marjorie King story.

He wrote that he had found a drink like the American cocktail, The Daisy that replaced brandy with tequila. Margarita is the Spanish word for daisy.

STORY NUMBER 3: A barman by the name of Don Carlos Orozco created it in 1941. During a slow day at his bar, the Hussong Cantina in Ensenada, Mexico, Don was using his free time to experiment with new drinks. The daughter of a German ambassador walked into Don’s bar, and he gave her one of his new drinks to try. Her name was Margarita Henkel, so he named the drink after her.

STORY NUMBER 4: Bartender Santa Cruz made the drink for Peggy Margaret Lee in 1948 at his bar the

Balinese Room and named the drink after the Spanish version of her name.

STORY NUMBER 5: Another less likely story is one that points to a prominent Dallas socialite, Margarita Sames, for laying claim to be the namesake of the drink. So the urban legend goes, the Margarita was created at her Acapulco mansion for her friends in 1948. One wellheeled friend in attendance was Tommy Hilton who went on to add the drink to his bar menu at the Hilton hotels exposing the Margarita to a new world of drinkers.

STORY NUMBER 6 DEBUNKING STORY NUMBER 4 AND 5: Jose Cuervo promoted the line, “Margarita: it’s more than a girl’s name,” for an American advertising campaign the tequila brand ran in 1945, three years before the claim of Santa Cruz and Margarita Sames.

Jose Cuervo was the first tequila brand to export to the United States.

Section header

34

TIP #

DON’T STARE INTO YOUR PHONE. STARE INTO YOUR OLD FASHIONED. IT’S WAY MORE MYSTERIOUS. The Perfect Single Old Fashioned Glass

We can all be a little classier. Dress better. Drink better. Raise the bar. So we asked the world’s leading barman to create the perfect cocktail glasses. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Perfect Serve Collection. You’re welcome.

spiegelau.com.au drinks trade 53

URE T A N Y B - L I MITED