61 drinks trade November/December 2017

your news, your views November/December 2017 issue 61

WHAT TO STOCK

THIS SUMMER & CHRISTMAS

A Differentiated Approach to Retailing

CHRIS

O’BRIEN from Liquor Barons

ALL THE

AT THE BACK CONTAINER DEPOSIT SCHEME RUN-DOWN, INDEPENDENT BREWERS SEAL, OUR PICK CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING

TEMPERATURE CAN TRANSFORM A WINE, AND YOUR WINE SALES Selling red wine doesn’t have to slow down when the weather heats up. With Taylors Wines exclusive temperature sensors your customers can enjoy their favourite wines at the ideal drinking temperature – no matter what the weather.

With red wine selling at a premium to white wine, this is sure to make a difference to your bottom line.

Speak to your Taylors Area Manager about how you can grow your red wines sales this summer.

Or call us on 1300 655 691.

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PERFECT

taylorswines.com.au

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TEMPERATURE SENSOR

CONTENTS

Contents

November/December 2017

24

38 48

52 AWARDS PROMOTE

CONNECT

06 Meet: Chris O’Brien

30 Beer and Cider New Product Releases

56 NILWA 20th Anniversary

36 Spirits New Product Releases

62 Trade Activity

40 Champagne & Sparkling Tasting Bench

INFORM

44 Wine New Product Releases

10 News

52 Christmas Gifts and Gadgets

10 AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 08 How the Awards Work 10 Interview with Asahi Premium Beverages 14 Interview with Casella Family Brands 16 Major Award Winners 22 Overall Category Award Winners

20 Columnists

STRENGTHEN

28 Best in Class Award Winners

16 Legal Advice: Negotiating Contracts

30 Social

24 Independent Brewers Seal 32 Craft Tequila and Mezcal 38 Meet: Ed Carr 48 Summer Light Red Wines 04|drinks trade

WELCOME

CREDITS

Editor’s Note

PUBLISHER the drinks association

Welcome to our last edition of drinks trade for 2017 and what we believe is an exciting one.

I’d like to introduce myself as the new Editor. I say new, but many of you will already know me from industry events, interviews and stories over the last few years as I’ve worked closely with Ashley Pini, Managing Editor at Hip Media to produce your magazine.

It has been an absolute pleasure following Ash’s direction during this time and learning from his wealth of experience in both publishing and the liquor industry. I feel very privileged to have been passed the baton so to speak.

Ash isn’t going anywhere, however, and will still play a vital role in bringing drinks trade to life each edition.

I’d also like to welcome Tim Ludlow, Daire Dalton and Leone Cruden to our sales and marketing team at Hip Media. All three have a lot of experience in sales, marketing and the liquor industry, and would love to hear from you for all your advertising and marketing needs.

Have you noticed the double-cover this edition? At the front, we profile Chris O’Brien, General Manager of Liquor Barons. Read his interview on page 6.

At the back of the magazine you’ll find 32 extra pages dedicated to all of the 2017 Australian drinks Awards winners. On the cover of this section we have the team from Asahi Premium Beverages, celebrating their win as joint Supplier of the Year with Casella Family Brands. I would like to congratulate them and everyone else that celebrated on 9 September.

In other awards, I am also pleased to announce that drinks trade was recently nominated for Best Wine Publication (Technical & Trade) in the Wine Communicator of the Year Awards.

For what to stock this summer and festive period, turn to pages 52-54 for a range of Christmas gifts and gadgets we have selected. I also urge you not to forget about your red wine drinkers this summer with lighter reds growing in popularity at this time of year. Find out more on pages 48-50.

You can also see the top wines from our recent Champagne & Sparkling Tasting Bench on pages 40-43 and our interview with the lovely Ed Carr, the godfather of Australian sparkling, on pages 38-39.

Finally, turn to page 24 for a report on the development of an independent brewers seal that will be used on packaging to identify the origin of the beer.

Don’t forget also that you can get daily news from the liquor industry, as well as insights, interviews and product releases over at drinksbulletin.com.au

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: drinks bulletin drinksbulletin.com.au drinks guide drinksguide.com.au drinks yearbook

EDITORIAL PUBLISHING EDITOR Ashley Pini .......................... ashley@hipmedia.com.au EDITOR Hannah Sparks ....................................... hannah@hipmedia.com.au EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Stephanie Aikins ............. editorial@hipmedia.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Laurie Greenwood, Lynda Schenk, Nick Levy, Paul Bull, Simone Allan, Sonia Marine, Walter MacCallum

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

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Sasha Falloon ................ sasha@hipmedia.com.au MARKETING MANAGER Leone Cruden .................. leone@hipmedia.com.au NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Tim Ludlow ............... tim@hipmedia.com.au SALES MANAGER Daire Dalton ............................. daire@hipmedia.com.au

Produced and contract published by:

Director: Ashley Pini ACCOUNTS: accounts@hipmedia.com.au 169 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point NSW 2060 Ph: 02 9492 7999 | www.hipmedia.com.au | facebook.com/ drinksmedia ABN: 42 126 291 914

I wish you very successful trading during these important months.

Hannah Sparks, Editor - Hip Media

drinks trade|05

PROMOTE

LIQUOR BARONS A DIFFERENTIATED APPROACH TO RETAILING

“I have quite a different view on the future of liquor retailing. I think the liquor retail industry in Australia is at a tipping point. We’re seeing an enormous amount of pressure on our traditional way of doing business, in that the model of being everything to everyone is no longer appropriate and the future of the independents lies in heavy specialisation. This is certainly what we’ve seen in other industries.”

C

hris O’Brien is the General Manager of Liquor Barons, Western Australia’s largest independently owned and operated liquor retail cooperative.

Despite challenging market conditions for independent liquor retailers in Australia over the last few years, and even more so in WA with the state’s mining slump, Liquor Barons has maintained growth.

The group now represents 70 stores, a jump up from the original 20 when O’Brien started in his role eight years ago; an annual turnover of approximately $180m and seven per cent of WA’s total off-premise liquor retail sales.

A quick run-down on how the Liquor Barons model works: Liquor Barons’ members are the co-operative owners and consequently the business decision-makers. Located across Perth, each store offers a curated product range that is then tailored to the local clientele. The head office represents and looks after the needs of the members and manages the supplier relationships, cutting-edge technology and group marketing. Every cent the group raises is returned to the stores either in cash or services.

You could say Liquor Barons isn’t your typical retail banner group, in fact, its philosophy is differentiated retailing.

If you live in WA, you’ll be familiar with the images of the three quirky characters or ‘Barons’ and the “Close to home, far from ordinary” slogan that take centre stage on Liquor Barons’ advertising. Liquor Barons recognised the need to communicate its differentiated position a couple of years ago and is currently midway through a half a million dollar brand-focused advertising campaign. The Barons

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represent the personalities of the individual store owners, while the slogan promotes the convenience and unique product range each store offers.

Here, O’Brien explains: “WA has been through some incredible economic times in the last decade, and I’m pleased to say that we’re starting to see green shoots reemerging in the state. That’s exciting for us because the last two to three years have been incredibly tough on every one of our stores.”

“Social media is a key part of our advertising mix.

I think anyone that did a review of their advertising would find social media and digital marketing should play a part in their plans too. Social media, in particular, allows us to have a conversation with our customers in a way that no other platform can.”

Liquor Barons has also broken the traditional liquor retailing mould in a number of other areas, driven by an acknowledgement that the

“We’ve been clear in our strategy over the last two years, which has been to ruthlessly control our expenses, pursue profitability and continue to invest in our brand. We now find ourselves in a position where the business and the brand are incredibly well positioned to capitalise on any upswing in the economic environment.”

“We’ve been clear in our strategy over the last two years, which has been to ruthlessly control our expenses, pursue profitability and continue to invest in our brand. We now find ourselves in a position where the business and the brand are incredibly well positioned to capitalise on any upswing in the economic environment.”

“We’re well known for our clever advertising, and I think we’re ahead of the game in the digital space in that we’ve spent a lot of time and resource gaining an understanding of what works. We have two full-time staff whose focus is digital advertising, and that includes social media.”

independents can no longer play in the same space as the chains. This includes its customised POS system, group-wide integrated scan capability, 100,000+ member loyalty program and a highly regarded, long-standing tasting panel.

“An independent store cannot win if they try to beat Coles and Woolworths head to head,” O’Brien added. “That means, to succeed, the independent retailers need to have a differentiated model.”

Key to Liquor Barons’ success has been its flexible model, which allows the retailer to make the best decisions for their store and has subsequently driven a tailored product range in each site. As part

Chris O’Brien

A QUICK RUN-DOWN ON HOW THE LIQUOR BARONS MODEL WORKS: Liquor Barons’ members are the cooperative owners and consequently the business decision-makers. Located across Perth, each store offers a curated product range that is then tailored to the local clientele. The head office represents and looks after the needs of the members and manages the supplier relationships, cuttingedge technology and group marketing. Every cent the group raises is returned to the stores either in cash or services.

drinks trade|7

PROMOTE

of this, in 2015, Liquor Barons launched a sub-banner called Bucks Off to incorporate outlets that needed a convenience-based product offering focussing more on beer and bourbon.

“We’re a retail business making retail decisions.

That’s quite different to a franchise or traditional banner group where many of the decisions are made by a wholesaler. Liquor Barons isn’t directly associated with a wholesaler, supplier or product; its purpose is to look after its members.”

Knowing what works and what doesn’t work in each store is not only driven by the retailers who regularly provide feedback to the head office, but also Liquor Barons’ own group-wide scan system.

“This gives us real-time insights into what’s happening in the stores. We have real-time access to store level information and we use that to make decisions on ranging, pricing, and what we advertise.”

“This also allows us to make very commercial decisions with our supplier partners. We’re very happy to work with a wide range of suppliers and have a number of joint-business plans in place with suppliers across all categories, but what the group-wide scan data allows us to do is remove the emotion from those commercial decisions and make the right decisions for our stores.”

To be in a position where the retailers can lead the conversation on what products they want to stock is advantageous, but it’s not the traditional model of liquor retailing, and O’Brien highlighted the issue the group has had working in this way.

“Over the last few years, I’ve heard many suppliers say how important independent liquor retailers are in the Australian market, but this is at odds with their traditional trading term model that is what a supplier pays a group or banner for participation in promotional activity – which still rewards a supermarket style retailer that pursues a very standard approach. So, if we decide to pursue a differentiated market position, we are actually penalised as opposed to being rewarded under the current format.”

O’Brien says that a one size fits all approach no longer works in this industry and that there is more than one way for retailers to add value: “The suppliers that have acknowledged flexibility in their trading structure are really reaping the benefits in our business today.”

He says it’s time for other suppliers and retailers to re-evaluate their existing models: “Consider what a traditional liquor store would look like in a Westfield shopping mall today 8|drinks trade

and ask yourself this question: is this format appropriate for this space; does a liquor store still need to carry 2,000+ SKUs or should it take a more curated approach and carry 400-500 SKUs that have been carefully selected for that site and that ultimately deliver higher profitability?”

“We understand that one size doesn’t fit all, and I’m not just talking about the state, I’m talking about suburb to suburb. We know that what works in one suburb doesn’t necessarily work in another, and our model allows stores the flexibility to focus on what they need to be successful in their community.”

The cooperative of 70+ stores has a solid track record of securing products at competitive market prices and delivering strong margins.

“Our mantra when it comes to pulling together any activity is ‘margin at market competitive prices’.

double that again. I can’t overemphasise both the importance of craft beer and how different it is to manage and make profitable. The craft beer consumer is a very different proposition to the premium wine consumer. They are seeking variation and new products at a rate faster than I’ve ever seen in a category. That poses challenges for the churn of stock and brands in store, and we need to be mindful of how to balance that.”

O’Brien said Liquor Barons is also seeing no sign of the recent growth in prosecco or rosé slowing down. He says that Liquor Barons has noticed a reemergence in the interest in pinot noir and chardonnay too, and consumers seeking out new and different spirits as the small bar scene grows in WA.

“We’re a retail business making retail decisions.

That’s quite different to a franchise or traditional banner group where many of the decisions are made by a wholesaler. Liquor Barons isn’t directly associated with a wholesaler, supplier or product; its purpose is to look after its members.”

That is, we’re going to pull together a fascinating mix of products that are differentiated from any other group, and those products are going to deliver our stores a significant margin at competitive prices.

Within Liquor Barons’ product mix has always been a strong focus on premium wines chosen by a 20-year-standing tasting panel of retailers, winemakers and wine media that meet every fortnight to review some 30-40 wines blind.

“There’s no doubt that our wine product is exceptional and consequently our average sell-price on a bottle of wine is more than 40 per cent above the national average.”

“Our renowned wine panel allows wines to be evaluated with integrity by the store owners and managers, and for us to get the exceptional wines they select into our stores quickly. It’s one of our greatest strengths.”

As the craft beer trend continues to grow and shows no sign of slowing down, Liquor Barons has also begun building a craft beer tasting panel with a handful of local bloggers.

“However important you think craft beer is,

“I think the most exciting spirits category at the moment is gin, with consumers seeking out artisan and small-batch products. The challenge for retailers is getting the right mix of good quality, profitable commercial products, and really interesting artisan products. That’s the art and science of the game we’re in.”

The other benefit of being a part of the cooperative is the effectiveness of the close relationship between the stores and head office, which allows for conversations and decisions around new product development or changes in store to happen quickly between the two.

“I’ve worked hard as the General Manager to ensure that we have a collegiate environment; that is that we have a group of store owners who are engaged and willing to work together to support each other to achieve profitable outcomes.”

“If something’s not right in the store, our retailers will get on the phone and tell me about it.

We’re not too big so we can still make decisions locally and quickly in conjunction with our members and the head office.”

INFORM

NEWS FIGURES AND FACTS, PEOPLE AND POLICY, CORPORATE & COMMUNITY A RUN-DOWN ON THE NSW CONTAINER DEPOSIT SCHEME The NSW Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), Return and Earn, comes into effect in a few weeks. Here’s everything you need to know.

KEY DATES 1 October - supplier arrangements were finalised.

1 November - the first invoice was issued to suppliers and it is now prohibited by law to supply into NSW without a Supply Arrangement.

30 November - all eligible products must be registered.

1 December - Return and Earn officially commences.

WHO IS INVOLVED? The Regulator - NSW Environment Protection Authority (info@epa.nsw.gov.au) Scheme Coordinator - Exchange for Change (info@exchangeforchange.com.au) Network Operator - Tomra-Cleanaway (enquiries@tcnsw.com.au) WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING THIS? This was a key election commitment and is a step towards the NSW Government Premier’s goal of reducing litter in the state by 40 per cent.

NEWS BRIEFS

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IS THIS HAPPENING IN OTHER STATES? Similar schemes exist in SA and NT. The ACT is expected to have a CDS by early 2018.

QLD is expected to have a CDS by 1 July 2018.

WA is expected to have a CDS by 1 Jan 2019.

VIC is not pursuing a CDS at this stage.

DOES THE NSW CDS INCLUDE ALL CONTAINERS? No. Wine and spirit glass containers, wine casks and sachets are unaffected by the scheme.

HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST? The final price impact per eligible container includes the 10 cent refund, plus the recovery costs of setting up and coordinating the logistics, transport, handling and regular auditing.

This is expected to reflect an increase of at least $3.50 per carton.

It’s up to the retailer to decide on any price increase, but this will depend on their cost pressure and competitive situation.

WHAT DO THE COLLECTION POINTS LOOK LIKE? They are virtually like shipping containers with doors/bins that receive the containers and then provide the consumer with a docket to collect their refund with or they can donate their refund to a charity at the machine.

WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED? Tomra-Cleanaway is working to have 500 Reverse Vending Machine kiosks across the state, in convenient locations such as shopping centres and car parks, before 1 December.

HOW WILL THE MACHINE KNOW WHICH CONTAINERS ARE FROM NSW? Suppliers are responsible for having a refund mark and barcode with GS1 specifications that will be scanned by the Reverse Vending Machines.

MELBOURNE SHOP TO HOST WSET SAKE COURSE Want to learn more about sake? Sakeshop in Melbourne is now offering the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Sake Courses. Following the increased interest in the rice wine, Japanese sake expert Leigh Hudson decided to turn her shop into a sake school. The next course is on 19 November 2017. For $295 you can take part in a six-hour sake discovery. Learn the lingo, how to taste and the foundation knowledge behind one of the world’s greatest beverages. Book online at www.sakeshop.com.au

HOW DO CONSUMERS COLLECT THEIR REFUND? From 1 December, consumers will be able to take the docket and receive their refund at Woolworths stores. ALDI has also announced that it will be a collection point for the CDS. THE VIEWS In late September, the NSW Liquor Stores Association (LSA) held a panel discussion to give retailers a chance to voice their views to the NSW Environment Protection Authority, Exchange for Change and Tomra-Cleanaway.

Here’s what they had to say.

LSA Executive Director Michael Waters: “Unfortunately, NSW retailers are at the coalface and will be the ones copping the backlash from customers over this very complex and poorly communicated piece of legislation.”

Retailer: “What impact is this going to have on our industry with prices going up and the ACT coming in later? The price of a beer carton is expected to go up by $3-5. We are going to lose sales before the ACT comes in. How do we combat that and combat the big guys holding their prices?”

Retailer: “You’re not delivering to the retailers outside of the chains if the refund machines are located in shopping centres. This is anticompetitive behaviour, because if you’re not in the shopping centre, you’re having business driven away from you.”

Retailer: “This state government has made a couple of blunders that have bounced back on them - greyhounds and council amalgamation.

They didn’t consult with industry then and they didn’t consult with the industry now. The lesson learnt is that they should have consulted with the industry.”

IGA TOP SATISFACTION New research from Roy Morgan shows that IGA Liquor customers are more satisfied than customers of any other major liquor retailer.

From August 2016-17, customer satisfaction with IGA Liquor was rated at a whopping 93.4 per cent, a significant improvement from the year before when the retailer ranked ninth, behind market leaders such as First Choice Liquor, Cellarbrations and Dan Murphy’s. The survey with over 50,000 consumers showed BWS also improved its customer satisfaction by 3.6 per cent, as did Thirsty Camel by 2.1 per cent.

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INFORM

CELLARMASTERS CELEBRATES 35 YEARS drinks trade: What was the concept behind Cellarmasters when it launched 35 years ago?

Ben Copeman-Hill, General Manager: In 1982, Cellarmasters consisted of four people working together in a tiny office in Bondi Junction. The business founders had an idea to make the experience of buying wine more authentic and help customers discover the stories behind every wine.

They did that by taking out the middleman and connecting wine lovers directly with winemakers and grape growers. This ‘grape to glass’ concept also made it possible for Cellarmasters to offer exceptional wines delivered straight to customers’ doorsteps – back then, home delivery was quite a new notion – and the rest is history, with Cellarmasters Australia’s largest direct to consumer wine retailer today.

confident when it comes to wine. They want more choice, and they are more adventurous and like to try new brands, varietals and regions, so our offering today is much wider than it was when we first started.

Customers today are also looking for much more from a retailer than just quality wines – they want experiences, education and engagement. At Cellarmasters, we are passionate about helping wine lovers master their wine journey, and we do that by hosting wine tasting events such as Meet the Makers.

We also recently launched our Touring Cellar Door, a fully converted Citroën 1972 H Van, which has been fitted out to be a sommelier’s mobile dream and is bringing Australia’s best wines to our customers’ front doors.

DT: How many wineries and customers do Cellarmasters work with today?

BC: We have a customer database of over 800,000, and our breadth of range is incredible. We work with hundreds of grape growers, well-known winemakers and established brands, and we owe much of our success to our great relationships with winemakers and grape growers.

DT: What does the next chapter of Cellarmasters have in store?

BC: Our goal is to be considered the most trusted advisor in wine retailing and to constantly engage with our customers, so we can make sure our offering is tailor-made to suit their needs.

We have a heritage of connecting customers with growers and winemakers, which is something we will continue doing, and exploring innovative ways of doing that such as being the first to bring in exciting new wine varietals, exploring new regions and countries.

DT: What changes have you seen in wine retailing over the last 35 years?

BC: Customers are more educated and

SYDNEY’S SPIRITS LIFTED Small bars celebrated a big win recently as the NSW Government lifted the restrictions on serving neat spirits and cocktails not listed on menus after midnight. Alex Dowd, owner of Tio’s Cerveceria, said the decision was “a huge step forward towards a more mature view on Sydney.” Harriet Leigh, Head of Hospitality at Archie Rose Distilling Co., was also pleased: “We at Archie Rose are overjoyed.” And David Smith, Managing Director of Diageo Australia, which has been championing this cause over the last few years, and Chair of the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia said: “Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction for much-needed liquor reform and equal treatment of spirits in-line with wine and beer.”

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MYBOTTLESHOP.COM.AU ONLINE RETAILER OF THE YEAR FINALIST MyBottleShop.com.au is the first liquor retailer to be named a finalist of the Online Retailer of the Year category in the 2017 Optus My Business Awards. This is one of Australia’s longest-standing business awards and MyBottleShop.com.au is in the running against Menulog and MyDeal.com.au, among others. The national online liquor retailer has only been around for three years but has quickly grown to over 100,000 members and 4,000 products. Among the products it offers are digital gift cards, bottle engraving, twohour Sydney delivery, product reviews, click and collect, tasting events and online chat.

PROSECCO GOES TO PARLIAMENT Australian prosecco producers have asked Parliament for help to stop the European Union from banning them from marketing the wine’s name in the upcoming Free Trade Agreement negotiations. This has been an ongoing debate for several years, and one that reared its head in 2013 but was successfully fought off by the local industry. Because the official name of the grape varietal used to make prosecco is, in fact, glera, but is better known as the former after the Italian region, Italy feels it should have exclusive rights to the name. Australian prosecco producers have said a ruling on the name, however, would be devastating and cut-off any growth prospects for the Australian prosecco industry.

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INFORM

MEET TOP CHAMPAGNE GROWER CHARLES FOURNY our partners and their clients is very important to us; we are able to reinforce our strong links with them and remind them about what makes our products rare and limited. We like to share our passion and show that lives in the product too.

DT: What’s the thing that you like to tell people the most about Champagne Veuve Fourny?

CF: Champagne is an art. For us, it is first and foremost an expression of the terroir or village.

And Emmanuel and I like the art of expressing our terroir, with more than 70 different plots, with our own interpretation - our style, in our winemaking process.

Charles Fourny and Warwick Brook from De Bortoli Wines

drinks trade: How long have you worked in the family business and what was your first role?

Charles Fourny, fifth-generation family member: I have worked on our family estate since 1992. But even before then, my brother Emmanuel and I were used to working in the vineyards and cellars during our childhood, especially in the holidays, to help our mother who managed the estate on her own since our father passed away.

My first ‘official’ role was certainly, as

AUSSIES TOAST TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY At the time of writing this, hundreds of punters across the country were preparing to Toast 2 Love as the same-sex marriage postal survey drew to a close. A special Love brew made by The Good Beer Co. and Bright Brewery was being showcased on taps at 15 pubs, bars and venues in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide, and a glass would be raised on Friday 3 November in support of the Australian Marriage Equality campaign.

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you might say, multifunctional - I was the owner, grape grower, winemaker, sales representative, marketer; I travelled and organised reception.

My brother has been involved with the estate since 1994 and our skill sets are very complementary.

Emmanual is the grape grower and winemaker, and I am now more involved in marketing, reception and travelling, visiting partners abroad as we export 80 per cent of our product.

Reception in our estate and travelling to meet

RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING BETIQUETTE Betiquette is the NSW Government’s latest campaign to help young men to gamble safely.

The new messaging takes a lighthearted approach to a serious issue and encourages 18-35-year-old males to show some etiquette when betting on sports and racing events. With online betting now the fastest-growing type of gambling in NSW, Betiquette adverts remind the audience to know when to stop betting, to plan their bets, overcome peer pressure and to not bet under the influence of alcohol.

DT: We are hearing that grower Champagnes are increasing in popularity in Australia. Are you seeing a similar trend?

CF: Of course, the Australian market for Champagne growers, as well as in a lot of other countries, is growing as the newer Champagne consumers learn to appreciate their diversity. Champagne growers focus more on the expression of one place and one grape, and so there is more ‘personality’ in that style of Champagne.

DT: Where does Veuve Fourny sit in the Australian market in terms of its growth versus other Champagnes?

CF: Veuve Fourny et Fils is a growing brand for the connoisseur and boutique wine amateurs, however, all of our vineyards are classified Premier Cru, which means the area we can grow grapes on is limited, and so our production is also limited. Therefore we are used to organising allocations to each market.

IS THIS AUSTRALIA’S BEST RED UNDER $25?

Stonyfell Wines’ 2015 The Baton Shiraz Cabernet has won Best Red Under $25 at the Great Australian Red Challenge. There was no luck involved, however, with winemaking duo and father and son, Bryan and Nigel Dolan, both the inaugural recipients of the Jimmy Watson Trophy. Made in Langhorne Creek, South Australia the iconic blend has layers of dark red fruits, gentle oak and finely textured tannins.

Discover the Promised Land For over 20 years, Promised Land has been a favourite for Australian wine drinkers. Now for its 20th anniversary we've given this iconic range a contemporary and striking new design painted by internationally renowned Australian artist Catherine Abel. Still featuring its iconic seahorse, the new label pays homage to the discovery of fossilised seahorses on our family's estate and the promise of its rich fertile soils.

For more information speak to your Taylors Wines representative or call on 1300 655 691. taylorswines.com.au

STRENGTHEN

Photo by Red Angelo

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS Contracts are a necessary evil in business life. If you’re running your own show in hospitality, you will, more often than not, find yourself negotiating numerous arrangements with suppliers, landlords and the like, probably with to eight to ten standard form contracts in any one year.

And you’ll almost certainly do that with a perfectly legitimate concern about what impact those contracts will have on your cash flow and bottom line.

By Walter MacCallum, a Director with Aitken Lawyers

I

t is often a concern that small business owners have when they are negotiating contracts with the bigger players. Take the banks for example. Their contractual arrangements with small businesses have recently been scrutinised by the ACCC and the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, which have been putting pressure on the banks to improve their contractual relationships with small business.

The major banks have been the subject of such bad press recently that even the ACCC in a recent submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Competition in the Australian Financial System said that

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“The current oligopoly structure of retail banking in Australia is not vigorously competitive, and has not been for some time,” and that, “the largest players have been able to sustain very high margins and overall profits by international standards.”

It probably comes as no surprise then, in a measure designed to lift their flagging public profile, that the major banks have now agreed to drop fees for people using their competitor’s ATMs. But in terms of small business, more important changes occurred late last year.

Prior to November 2016, the Australian Consumer Law allowed an “unfair term” in

certain types of contracts to be declared void.

Initially, this only related to a term in a standard form “consumer contract”. However, since 12 November 2016, a term in a standard form “small business contract” may also be declared void.

The scope has therefore been broadened to protect small businesses and also includes contracts that can be spoken or even something as simple as clicking the “I agree” button on a web page. The new laws require parties to standard form contracts to be allowed the opportunity to negotiate the contract’s terms, particularly those types of contracts that are put forward on a “take it or

Your business could be part of one Your business could be part of one of the largest liquor retail groups of the largest liquor retail groups in Australia in Australia

Independent Brands Australia is the second largest retail group in the country.

With group buying power, we can meet the demands of thegroup local in market and give your Independent Brands Australia is the second largest retail the country. shoppers best available With groupthe buying power, weoffers. can meet the demands of the local market and give your A footprintthe of 2500 touch-points nationally and growing, our success is built on the shoppers best available offers. foundation of 2500 passionate retailers and supporting them with expansive retail,onmarketing A footprint of touch-points nationally and growing, our success is built the and promotional programs. foundation of passionate retailers and supporting them with expansive retail, marketing and promotional programs.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JOINING US CONTACT: NSW (02) 8822 3600 | WA (08) 9311 6000 | NT (08) 8922 5300 | QLD (07) 3489 3600 | SA (08) 8152 8700 TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JOINING US CONTACT: VIC (03) 8368 6300 | TAS (03) 6274 4000 NSW (02) 8822 3600 | WA (08) 9311 6000 | NT (08) 8922 5300 | QLD (07) 3489 3600 | SA (08) 8152 8700 VIC (03) 8368 6300 | TAS (03) 6274 4000

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STRENGTHEN

UNFAIR TERMS MAY INCLUDE: • Terms that enable one party, but not the other, to avoid or limit their obligations under the contract • Terms that enable one party, but not the other, to terminate the contract • Terms that penalise one, but not the other, for breaching or terminating the contract • Terms that enable one party, but not the other, to vary the terms of the contract

leave it” basis and contracts that contain terms that only allow for one party to terminate or vary the contract.

But Australia’s major banks have been very slow to make any changes in-keeping with these new provisions.

So slow, in fact, that the Small Business Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, said her office and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission had to work for eight months to get them to comply with the new laws, describing it as being “like pulling teeth.”

Pressured into complying, the major banks will have to remove “entire agreement” clauses. These clauses previously provided contractual protection to the banks for any liability for statements or representations made by their representatives (including in marketing paraphernalia) to borrowers that were contradictory or outside the terms of loan agreements and facility agreements.

The banks will also not be able to force borrowers to cover losses caused by fraud or misconduct by banking employees or receivers that the bank has appointed in circumstances of default. Neither, will the banks be able to

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terminate loans because of unspecified changes in the borrower’s circumstances.

The bank’s powers to vary a loan contract have now been limited, by allowing customers between 30 and 90 days to terminate a contract if the customer believes the variations made are not to their best interests.

The ACCC is also now moving into enforcement of the new provisions, commencing several proceedings last month, concerning standard form “small business contracts”.

One such example is the well-publicised case against JJ Richards, one of Australia’s largest, privately owned, waste management companies.

The ACCC has brought proceedings in the Federal Court alleging that JJ Richards’ standard small business contracts contained eight unfair contract terms, including an automatic renewal term that allowed small businesses to cancel the contract within only thirty days before the end of the term.

But while the ACCC has commenced proceedings, its investigative powers for potentially unfair terms are limited because the organisation’s investigative powers are linked to potential contraventions of the Act, while an

unfair term of a contract does not constitute a contravention, even though that term may be declared void. However, in its recent report this year, Consumer Affairs Australia and New Zealand proposed numerous amendments to the Australian Consumer Law, one of which is to enable the ACCC’s compulsory information gathering powers to be applied when investigating unfair terms. It remains whether to be seen or not if further amending legislation will be introduced and passed.

So, if it is time for renewal of your existing contracts or if you’re about to enter into a new contract, take a closer note of what’s in them.

There is an opportunity to ensure that the standard form contracts that small business owners would usually sign on a “take it or leave it” basis may no longer be the case.

Small businesses should be able to now negotiate better terms and not be at a bargaining disadvantage with bigger and more powerful interests.

If you need legal advice, contact Walter MacCallum on 02 8987 000 or WMaccallum@aitkenlawyers.com.au

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INFORM

MILLENNIALS THINK BEFORE THEY DRINK

REAL WORLD INSPIRES AND HELPS COMPANIES TO UNLOCK GROWTH

LOVE WINE? SO DO WE! LETS TALK…

Sonia Marine is the Associate Director, Marketing Effectiveness at Nielsen. She shares insights from Nielsen’s Consumer & Media View on the nuances of millennial drinkers.

Paul Bull is the Managing Director of Real World Marketing, a consumer goods consultancy specialising in marketing, category, sales and pricing analytics.

Lynda Schenk is the Executive Officer of the WCA and has a passion for the wine industry as well as nearly three decades of experience in marketing, sales and communications within it.

Millennials (aged 18 to 34) are consuming less alcohol than their older counterparts, challenging marketers to think about the range of factors that influence their drinking choices.

Just over half (53 per cent) of millennials said they consumed alcohol in the past month, compared with 65 per cent of Gen Xers (aged 35 to 54) and 72 per cent of boomers (aged 55+).

Millennials rate beer as their favourite tipple with 26 per cent having consumed it in the past month; slightly less than the 34 per cent of Gen Xers and 33 per cent of boomers.

However, millennials are also more open to other alcoholic drinks:

If you are looking to 1) improve business growth and get better support for your brand and innovation, 2) improve returns on your investments and unlock category opportunities across range and pricing activation or 3) collaborate more effectively with key customers and build the capabilities of your team - then Real

Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) is the preeminent national organisation for professionals working in wine or those people who like to drink and talk about it.

Not only that, but WCA is also a conduit for bringing the industry, and the diverse and skilled people in it, together.

Our members include winemakers,

World can help.

Since 2005, Real World has worked with clients to solve the problems they face and unlock the opportunities in the marketplace by understanding the needs of consumers, shoppers, businesses and trade partners.

At the heart of everything Real World does, is the need to achieve joint value creation.

Here are some of the ways we have helped clients: “Real World brought more to the table than just models and theory. Through their business experiences and networks, they were able to bring to life a wealth of practical examples that helped galvanise the business behind the growth strategy” Major alcohol supplier.

“What sets Real World apart is their ability to support great strategy into execution. Having established an ongoing relationship since 2009, Real World

wine writers, wine marketers, wine retailers and many other professionals who make up the Australian wine industry, as well as wine lovers who wish to be a part of the conversation.

We keep our members actively informed with: a weekly newsletter; an extensive webinar program; industry updates, annual consumer insights and trends; a nationwide calendar of events via which to connect and network; and many other touch points and special member offers throughout the year.

So if you work in wine or have an avid interest in it, membership to WCA is a must have.

It will not only keep you abreast of all the goings-on in the industry but will also provide you with access to a group of like-minded peers to talk all things wine.

What more could you honestly want?!

To make things even more palatable,

continues to challenge us to go deeper with execution internally and with customers” - Leading grocery supplier.

Real World Marketing has a team of senior consultants drawn from category, sales, marketing, pricing and retail backgrounds with extensive international experience. We have a demonstrated track record with a large number of the drinks association members.

If you would like to know more, contact Paul Bull on 0407 114 493 or paul.bull@realworldmarketing.com.au

WCA has various levels of membership available to suit all potential members within the industry.

You can choose which suits you best.

So what are you waiting for? Join the conversation today!

Join the WCA today at www.winecommunicators.com.au or call Maria Calabrese on 0417 746 126 for further information.

• 33 per cent are more likely to have consumed cider (16 per cent said they had in the past month) • 55 per cent are more likely to have consumed vodka (10 per cent) • 18 per cent are more likely to have consumed premixed drinks (nine per cent) New drinks, ideas, food and technology are highly appealing to millennial drinkers.

They are more likely to see themselves as trendsetters amongst their friends and are willing to pay extra for products that are consistent with the image they want to portray.

Millennials look for value, but they also rate health factors such as low carb, calories, vitamin-fortified and organic as very important, particularly when purchasing beer and cider.

A strong social media strategy is key for millennial drinkers! Six in ten millennial drinkers feel compelled to check social media every day. They are also 31 per cent more likely than all 18-34-year-olds to agree that social media apps are the most used feature on their mobile.

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INFORM

THE REP: LAURIE GREENWOOD, AREA MANAGER

MARKETING LESSONS FROM A NON-BEVERAGE BRAND

Laurie Greenwood is the Area Manager of Far North Queensland for both Samuel Smith & Son and Negociants Australia.

Nick Levy has worked in the liquor industry for over ten years, including in marketing roles with Coles and Taylors Wines. His column examines best marketing practice worldwide.

An original Queenslander with over 17 years of alcohol industry experience in other states, Laurie Greenwood returned home in 2014 to pursue his calling in wine with Samuel Smith & Son and Negociants Australia.

Starting out in Central Queensland, Laurie’s passion for servicing on and off-premise venues quickly took him to the wider

Burton Snowboards went from founder Jake Burton singlehandedly making snowboards in 1977 to rapidly becoming one of the world’s premier snowboarding companies.

So how did this all come about? The big problem in the early days was that most US ski resort owners would not allow snowboarders onto their slopes. Lobbying resorts

The process of redundancy is a very emotional time and the impact can be underestimated.

The best way to tackle this situation is to see it as a time of breathing space for new vocational and career opportunities.

Listed below are some helpful tips to use during this critical time: 1) The first stage of the process is internal.

territory of Far North Queensland.

Laurie’s first foray into the alcohol industry was in 1997 as an Adelaide-based sales representative for Coca-Cola Amatil. From there, in 2001, he moved to Maxxium Australia, where he looked after Jim Beam for four years before making his way up north to Darwin as Regional Manager.

A few years later, Laurie turned his hand to running venues as General Manager of the Palmerston Golf & Country Club and Darwin Sailing Club, but his longterm sights were set on sales, and in 2008 he joined the Lion Nathan team back in Airlie Beach and then Perth as On-Premise Precinct Manager until 2010. Laurie finally returned to his local city of Townsville with Diageo, looking after Bundaberg Rum, and then Asahi until 2013, before finding his dream job with Samuel Smith & Son and Negociants Australia.

This year, Laurie was honoured with the

individually, Burton finally broke through by organising the first National Snowboarding Championships at Snow Valley, Vermont in 1983. After this, Burton quietly converted more ski resorts to allow snowboarders on their mountains.

With his personal touch and by actively networking throughout the industry, Burton forged the way for snowboarding.

He continuously sought feedback from the official Burton snowboarding team and everyday snowboarders to help him with innovation and development of the sport and his brand.

This led to the development of the snowboard we see today with two stationary foot-holders as opposed to the standard board at the time, which had just one for the rider’s front foot. With his rapid prototyping lab, Burton also went on to pioneer new territories with bespoke and aerodynamic versions of gloves, pants,

You need to recognise that you may be grieving. The loss of a job encompasses a loss of identity, loss of work relationships, loss of income and loss of routine.

2) Make hay in the first 100 days. It is critical that you execute a smart 100 day plan to set your career journey on track.

Focus on maximising your time to find your next role; ideally set daily tasks and actions in your calendar. Many people feel like running away after a redundancy, but often it is better to set up your job search plan, before a holiday.

3) Create a network/ask for help. So many great ‘doers’ in the workplace forget about their professional network when they are burrowing into their career. Think about your greater networks - past bosses, colleagues, university and school alumnus; social club and community networks, and reconnect online or over a coffee.

first-ever national Fred Caley Smith Prize, acknowledging his work with several key customers to help them determine their goals and improve their business outcomes by partnering with the Yalumba brand.

Currently, Laurie is most excited about the introduction of the Coravin system in the on-premise, seeing the technology’s ability to bring premium wines to people that couldn’t afford to buy a full bottle but can afford to buy a glass. Laurie is also studying for the WSET Level 3 Award and hopes to finish in early January 2018.

jackets and boots.

The evolution of the brand itself has been astonishing. Bearing the founder’s name, Burton truly took on a life of its own with hundreds of different versions of the brand name and logotype.

So are there lessons for Australian alcohol brands here? Yes. Firstly, vision and persistence can yield results. Secondly, with care, certain brands can stretch beyond a core line into associated areas.

Several ideas worth thinking about.

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REDUNDANCY IS OFTEN A GIFT Simone Allan is the founder and Director of Mondo Search (Destination for Best Hidden Talent). For current job opportunities, visit www.mondosearch.com.au

4) Kick your own bucket. Think about your bucket list...So often we carry dreams and wish lists of things we will do when we have time off but we rarely do it. Make your bucket list a reality amidst a carefully planned 100 day action redundancy plan.

5) Be inclusive of your loved ones. Your life partner and family, hopefully, will show empathy for your situation, but they are worried too. It is important that you respect their space and the way they use their time while you’re working on your 100 day plan from home and be inclusive of them.

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INDEPENDENT BREWERS GET SEAL OF APPROVAL News of an independent brewers seal that will be used on beer packaging to identify the origin has sparked conversation within the industry of late. Questions have been raised about the amount of sway being ‘independently owned’ has on trade and consumer buying decisions, and whether or not the seal could become associated with quality, threatening to take away from the quality of the beers that are made by the bigger brewers and their subsidiaries.

By Lukas Raschilla and Hannah Sparks

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Photo by Thomas Picauly

1 7 5 years OLD

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S

eeing a need to be a voice for independent brewers, in June this year, the Craft Beer Industry Association renamed to the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) and made some significant changes to its constitution. The most notable alteration was to its membership criteria, which restricted representation to breweries that sell less than 40 million litres of beer per year and that are less than 20 per cent owned by the larger breweries, removing names such as Little Creatures, Malt Shovel and Mountain Goat from its representation at the time.

In another move intended to better represent independent brewers, more recently the IBA has been developing a seal (or logo) for its 200 members to use on their packaging and marketing assets to showcase the ownership of their beer.

Chairman of the IBA, Ben Kooyman, who is also the Founder of Endeavour Vintage Beer Co., an independent brewery based in Sydney, explained that the seal is part of a wider campaign to create a stronger awareness amongst the industry and consumers of what an independent brewer is and to identify independent brewers in Australia.

He says, “Consumers in everything want to know more. They go to a restaurant, and they want to know where the meat is coming from, where the coffee beans are sourced, and this is no different in beer. People want to know where it is brewed, what’s in the beer they are drinking and who the people behind the company they are supporting are, and we aim to educate that with the seal and our campaigns.”

Awareness forms one of the IBA’s four pillars, in addition to regulation, quality (ensuring consumers are guaranteed quality beer from its members) and value, which together feed into the IBA’s overall target to reach 15 per cent market share of Australian beer volumes by 2025.

While better quality and improved sales for independent brewers are part of the IBA’s strategy, Kooyman stresses that the seal is not intended to be linked to either and that the launch of the seal will be backed by a campaign to educate consumers on what it signifies. As to exactly when that will be, however, is unknown, with the IBA still working through its development.

“Each member brewery is producing beer on different scales and production levels, so it will be a challenge to implement the seal around the same time, so you’ll see some discrepancy with that,” Kooyman added.

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“Many have reinforced that the seal must be linked to origin only, and not to quality, to protect the larger and non-independent brewers that won’t be able to use the seal.”

Similar seals have been created by the equivalent associations in the UK and US. Paul Gatza, Director of the US Brewers Association, commented on why it had launched a seal there: “Big [brewers] hide their ownership in a handful of smaller brands they have acquired. Beer drinkers know that there have been deals, but have a hard time identifying which beers come from truly independent brewers. The independent craft brewer seal is a great tool for the beer drinker. Today, 2,284 independent craft brewers have licensed use of the seal, covering 70 per cent of craft brewer volume.”

The UK’s Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Chief Executive Mike Benner had a similar message: “The growth in popularity of beers from independent craft breweries in recent years has been a huge positive for the beer industry, but this growth has not gone unnoticed by the global beer companies that have begun buying out previously independent breweries or launching their own products marketed as craft beers.

“SIBA’s ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ seal makes it crystal clear to consumers that the beer they are buying was made by a truly independent brewery and has proved hugely successful, adopted by hundreds of breweries across the UK on their pump clips, bottles, can labels and websites.”

Supporting the introduction of a seal for independent brewers are the results of the recent 2017 Australian Craft Beer Survey by speciality craft beer retailer Beer Cartel. This is the largest, publicly available study of Australian

craft beer drinking trends, with participation of 17,000 craft beer drinkers.

The results are well worth a look at and can be found online at www.beercartel.com.au/ blog/2017-australian-craft-beer-survey-results/ Of particular interest to the launch of the seal is the strong sentiment shown by the survey that consumers consider the origin of a beer in their purchasing decision. The majority of respondents, 64 per cent, said that they want to know who owns the beer they’re drinking, and in addition, 99 per cent indicated that they are happy to buy craft beer from an independent Australian owned brewery. This is in comparison to just 23 per cent that said they would buy craft beer made by a large multi-national company, and 32 per cent from supermarket owned brands.

Backing up the IBA’s new initiative even more so, was the 82 per cent of respondents that indicated that an independent brewers seal would have a medium to large impact on the craft beer they purchase.

BROADER INDUSTRY VIEWS There is also relatively strong support for the introduction of the seal from the beer industry more broadly, with people seeing it as a good piece of innovation to identify independent brewers in the market. However, many have reinforced that the seal must be linked to origin only, and not to quality, to protect the larger and non-independent brewers that won’t be able to use the seal.

One of those, for example, is Coopers. For

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

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“If the independent brewers are going to that level of effort with their labelling, then they should also look at making their labelling compliant. Research conducted by the Department of Health in 2014 found only around 15.9 per cent of craft brewers were meeting their obligations.”

EXAMPLES OF SEALS IN OTHER COUNTRIES

INDEPENDENT BREWERS UK

six generations, Coopers has been Australian made and Australian owned, and yet despite its position as an independent brewer, because of the size of its volumes - which exceed 40 million litres per year - it is ineligible for membership to the IBA and use of the seal.

Coopers, Lion, and Carlton & United Breweries, which also will not be able to use the seal, are all represented by the Brewers Association. CEO, Brett Heffernan, says he doesn’t think that the introduction of the seal will make a difference; that most consumers don’t care who makes the beer, just that it’s good beer. However, he does raise the argument that independent brewers should consider the regulatory compliance of their existing labels before focusing their efforts on creating an additional seal.

“If the independent brewers are going to that level of effort with their labelling, then they should also look at making their labelling compliant. Research conducted by the Department of Health in 2014 found only around 15.9 per cent of craft brewers were meeting 28|drinks trade

INDEPENDENT BREWERS US

their obligations.”

Heffernan claims his members are 100 per cent compliant; this includes the symbol warning of drinking during pregnancy, as an example.

Danielle Allen, Co-Founder of Melbourne based Two Birds Brewing, which is a member of the IBA, is supportive of the seal but maintains that it needs to be backed up with a strong campaign to educate consumers on what it really means and stands for.

She comments: “I’m definitely supportive of it [the seal], but I would like to see the consumer campaign that goes along with it, as I think it’s critical to get the messaging piece right.

“If breweries all start placing a seal or logo on their branding without the backup of a consumer campaign, and actually explaining to consumers what it means, it will be an expense that will be difficult to justify.

“The marketing campaign needs to be carefully crafted so that the average consumer can understand the campaign and how this relates to their purchasing decision. Hopefully, it will be positively received by consumers,

Photo by Yutacar

and this will help sustain the ambitious growth targets for the industry and Australian owned craft breweries.”

From a retailer perspective, Richard Kelsey, Director of Beer Cartel (the business behind the Australian Craft Beer Survey), feels that the seal will help to distinguish an independent, Australian-owned brewery from one that is owned by one of the bigger corporates.

Kelsey does, however, reiterate the concerns that consumers may see the seal as a symbol of quality.

“There is a consumer perception that small, independent craft brewers are about using the best ingredients and processes to make the best beer possible. The perception is that these breweries aren’t about selling a beer that is based around marketing, but one that has great flavour and quality.

“In contrast a belief exists, whether rightly or wrongly, that when a big brewer buys a little brewer, the quality goes downhill because they are then trying to cut corners (and costs) to line the pockets of their shareholders.

“From a retailer point of view, the seal may also cause us to rethink how we layout our stores maybe in the future there will be an Australian independent beer section that exclusively stocks independently brewed beers.”

“An example of this is with Little Creatures, who people frequently say doesn’t taste the same as when it was independent. Personally in that instance (with Little Creatures), I don’t think the quality has changed, it’s more so a fact that consumer tastes have evolved and what was once a bold pale ale doesn’t really stack against other pale ales that are now on the market.”

Kelsey also brings to the forefront an intriguing suggestion that the roll out of the IBA seal may spur retailers to create a solely independent section for consumers.

He says, “From a retailer point of view, the seal may also cause us to rethink how we layout our stores - maybe in the future there will be an Australian independent beer section that exclusively stocks independently brewed beers.”

Victorian-based Mountain Goat Beer has also heard similar comments since being acquired

by Asahi Premium Beverages, but what many customers and consumers don’t know is that Mountain Goat was already producing some of its beer at Asahi’s Laverton brewery before the acquisition to support volumes. Mountain Goat

was upfront about this from the get-go, including a note on the label of the beers brewed at Laverton that stated: ‘Brewed offsite under the close watch of Goats’.

And even under the ownership of Asahi, Mountain Goat has continued to produce award-winning beer - three Australian International Beer Awards trophies, one for Best New World Pale Ale and two for Best IPA, and all of the core range of beers have been recognised with medals.

Mountain Goat General Manager Mick Bentley’s views are that the introduction of a seal is positive, but also expresses the potential downfalls of linking the independent seal and term to beer quality.

“It’s a great initiative,” he says. “The craft beer category in Australia should celebrate the diversity of the breweries that make it up. If independent breweries wish to promote the IBA on their packaging, hopefully, this clarifies that on every other measure we are all craft breweries and we can now work together on the other challenges our industry is facing.”

However, Bentley also reiterated that “Independence cannot possibly mean better quality beer. Only brewing techniques, ingredients and professional development of our brewers can impact quality (or lack thereof). To associate independence with quality is risky for our entire category, and the IBA must be aware of its role in helping to develop all of its smaller members that don’t have access to the same facilities, ingredients and equipment of its larger members.“ Education around the meaning of the seal will be central to its implementation and the IBA will be working on the supporting campaign over the coming months, ensuring that its communication is directly linked to the origin and not quality.

Two Birds Brewing’s Danielle Allen adds to this point: “It’s not a mark of quality - multinational breweries can also produce great beer - it’s a device to simply point out to the consumer which breweries are independently owned.”

As for the impact that its presence will have on independent beers sales, time will only tell once the seal has had a chance to make its mark.

CONNECT

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1. REKORDERLIG STRAWBERRY-LIME LOW SUGAR CIDER RRP: $20 four-pack • Distributor: Coca-Cola Amatil Beautifully Swedish cider brand Rekorderlig launched its all-new, Strawberry-Lime Low Sugar Cider this month. The release follows the latest research in health and wellbeing trends, which shows more consumers are seeking better-for-you options that don’t compromise on taste. The latest innovation from Rekorderlig provides consumers with exactly that with less sugar, carbohydrates and just 106 calories per bottle. It’s deliciously crisp and has a fragrance of freshly picked strawberries and a citrusy finish. Try serving over ice with a wedge of lemon this summer.

2. COOPERS SESSION ALE Tap Only • Distributor: Coopers Brewery The newest addition to the Coopers family in 13 years is set to take on the fastest growing segment in value in the craft beer category, with session/summer ales holding eight per cent dollar share of total beer currently. Coopers Session Ale has a cloudy appearance created from the same secondary fermentation process as all Coopers Ales, plus citrus aromas, subtle fruity overtones and a mild bitterness. 4.2% ABV

3. 4 PINES AUSTRALIAN DOUBLE IPA RRP: $12 500ml bottle • Distributor: 4 Pines Brewing Company New news and new brews. The Australian Double IPA is the latest small batch Keller Door release from 4 Pines, which was acquired by AB InBev back in September, but for now, distribution remains the same. As for the beer…it’s big and it’s bold. This punchy brew hits you in the face with fruity flavours of pineapple, mango and passionfruit, which are balanced by spice and earthy flavours. 9% ABV

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4. JAMES SQUIRE TALL TALE TROPICANA SPRING ALE RRP: $14.95 six-pack • Distributor: Lion Inspired by the sights and smells of spring, James Squire has released its latest seasonal limited edition named after Squire’s notorious nature of telling a few tall tales when it came to negotiations! The Spring Ale is a light bodied pale ale with mild bitterness and lots of tropical fruit flavours including guava and passionfruit. 4.5% ABV

5. MILLER CHILL NEW CAN RRP: $24.99 ten-pack • Distributor: Coca-Cola Amatil Australia’s biggest selling flavoured beer, Miller Chill, has launched a new 330ml can, which comes in an easy-to-carry ten-pack format for summer. The lower carbohydrate beer with real lime flavour is targeted at 18-25-year-old males and females looking for easy-drinking refreshment during the warmer months. 4.0% ABV

6. LIMITED EDITION TASMANIAN CIDERS RRP: $32.99 750ml bottle • Distributor: Willie Smith’s Willie Smith’s in the Huon Valley, Tasmania has released two limited edition ciders that showcase the characters of different apple varieties. Pictured here, the Somerset Redstreak cider is made from a traditional bittersweet apple variety from the West Country of England, and is dry with delicate apple and sweet spice aromas, plus toffee apple notes. The second release, the 23 Varieties Apple Cider, is made with 23 French and British bittersweet apple varietals. It has floral, apricot and other stone fruit aromas, underpinned by sweet spice.

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SPIRITS & LIQUEURS

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TASTE OF MEXICO As the interest in craft tequilas and mezcals grows, now is the time to increase your mix of specialty expressions among some of the better-known brands for consumers looking for something new to try and who already know what they like to drink.

Here are ten artisan tequilas, mezcals and even a raiscilla for those looking to stock something for the collectors and aficionados, as recommended by Global Mezcal Ambassador and all-round tequila expert Phillip Bayly.

TEQUILA OCHO BLANCO Third generation Tequilero Carlos Camarena, 2005 Distiller of the Year (San Francisco World Spirits Competition), is dedicated to using artisanal tequila production methods and showcasing the influence of terroir by creating single estate expressions. This unaged tequila reflects the vibrant and clean flavours of the 100 per cent blue agave used and grown in the Arandas and Camarena “Ranchos” or fields in Arandas in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

Distributor: Vanguard Luxury Brands (RRP $110 750ml bottle, 40% ABV)

TEQUILA FORTALEZA AÑEJO Guillermo Erickson Sauza comes from a long lineage of tequila makers. In fact, his great-greatgrandfather Don Cenobio is said to have been the first to export tequila to the US. Made from 100 per cent stone crushed agave and century-old stills, plus 18 months in American oak, Fortaleza’s añejo tequila is extremely rich and complex with aromas and flavours of cooked agave, caramel and butterscotch.

Distributor: Vanguard Luxury Brands (RRP $200 750ml bottle, 40% ABV)

DEL MAGUEY SANTA DOMINGO ALBARRADAS SINGLE VILLAGE MEZCAL Internationally renowned artist and mezcal enthusiast Ron Cooper founded the Del Maguey company in 1990 to promote the authentic mezcals made in remote villages across the Oaxaca state of Mexico. The high altitude and tropical climate in the Santo Domingo Albarradas village creates a mezcal that’s light on the nose with citrus notes and spicy, woody flavours.

Distributor: Vanguard Luxury Brands (RRP $125 750ml bottle, 48% ABV)

LA VENENOSA RAICILLA COSTA DE JALISO Something a little bit different for your shelves, raicilla, like mezcal and tequila, is also a distilled spirit made from agave and is one of Mexico’s oldest spirits. Raicilla is made in the Mexican state of Jalisco and is either from de la costa (the coast) or de la sierra (the mountains). La Venenosa’s Raicilla is made from two types of coastal grown agaves that have been oven roasted and then double distilled. It has unusual aromas of gravel and old wood smoke, plus complex flavours of fruit, spice and herbs.

Distributor: de Vino Mezcal (RRP $90 700ml bottle, 45.5% ABV)

SIEMBRA VALLES BLANCO TEQUILA The Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila is bottled straight from the still for a fresher taste. The spirit coats the mouth with dry spices, dates and figs. On the nose, there’s a buttery aroma of orange blossom, flowers and copper notes from the still. Despite the higher ABV, it’s still approachable and elegant.

Once the glass is empty you can find scents of strong cooked agave and butter.

Distributor: Artisan Handcrafted (RRP $79.99 700ml bottle, 40% ABV)

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Add these notes to your shelf to give customers extra product information and a guide to flavour profiles.

SIEMBRA AZUL 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION REPOSADO TEQUILA Siembra Azul’s Reposado Tequila is made in Los Altos (The Highlands) of Jalisco, Mexico and aged for between two to 12 months in medium toast white oak barrels from the Missouri Ozarks. The resulting tequila is light golden in colour with a velvet-like texture, spices and floral notes of agave, plus hints of chocolate, butterscotch and almond.

Distributor: Artisan Handcrafted (RRP $99 700ml bottle, 40% ABV)

MEZCAL VAGO ESPADÍN Mezcal Vago is made by Aquilino Garcia Lopez in the hills above the small pueblo or village of Candelaria Yegole. The region, located between the Central Valley and Sierra Sur regions of Oaxaca, Mexico is extremely arid but sits on the meeting point of two rivers. This makes for a dry environment with ample fresh water - the ideal climate in which to create mezcal. The Espadín mezcal has light scents of sweet potato, citrus and flint, and flavours of anise and plantains.

Distributor: Artisan Handcrafted (RRP $109.99 700ml bottle, 40% ABV)

ALIPÚS SAN JUAN MEZCAL Alipús represents a cooperative of small family distilleries making unaged mezcal in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. This expression is made by Don Joel Antonio Cruz and his sons in the town of San Juan del Rio. It is made from 100 per cent Espadín agave, grown at 4,600 feet on a mountain.

The mezcal has mineral and fruity flavours distinguished by the reddish and white soils in which the plant is raised and an extended fermentation period of six days.

Distributor: Neat Spirits (RRP $130 700ml bottle, 47.8% ABV)

ARTENOM SELECCION DE 1549 BLANCO TEQUILA Tequila ArteNOM represents a collection of small-batch tequilas that showcase terroir and are considered the distillers’ personal favourites from various regions in Mexico. This expression is unaged and crafted in the El Arnal Valley, 4,200 feet above sea level. The climate here gives the tequila a herbaceous flavour and a fresh, vegetal bouquet with hints of cocao and spice.

Distributor: Cerbaco (RRP $125 700ml bottle, 47.8% ABV)

TEQUILA FUENTESECA RESERVA EXTRA AÑEJO TEQUILA AGED 12 YEARS Master Distiller Enrique Fonseca’s first foray into tequila was supplying agave to two of the world’s largest tequila producers, but when the companies reneged on their contracts, Fonseca turned his sights to distilling, and with access to hundreds of acres of matured agaves his tequila is some of the finest around. This expression of tequila has lush aromas of red apple and soft floral vanilla.

Moderate woodiness on the palate displays dry apricot, toasted almond and dark caramel, with a subtle pepperiness.

Distributor: Cerbaco (RRP $585 750ml bottle, 45% ABV)

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PROMOTE

LOOKING FOR TRADITIONALLY CRAFTED TEQUILA? WE KNOW WHERE TO GO For 145 years, Casa Herradura has been patiently honing its craft. From the fields to the barrel rooms, Herradura knows that only meticulous care and time honoured traditions create the world’s finest tequila. Whether it’s the maturity of Selección Suprema, the smooth and rich flavours of Ultra, the sweet agave notes of Directo De Alambique, or the complexity of the Cognac and Port Cask Finishes your customers are after, look no further than Brown-Forman.

ULTRA PREMIUM

LIMITED RELEASES

SELECCIÓN SUPREMA

ULTRA

DIRECTO DE ALAMBIQUE 2015

COGNAC CASK FINISH 2013

PORT CASK FINISH 2016

Extra anejo tequila aged in oak barrels for 49 months; this is Casa Herradura’s finest expression. It has encapsulating aromas of cooked agave, spices and floral notes, followed by by complex yet balanced flavours of cooked agave, rich vanilla, oak and dried fruit on a long finish.

A blend of premium añejo and extra añejo tequilas, fine-filtered for a crystal clear colour and extrafiltered for a superior finish.

Aromas of wood, vanilla, cooked agave and subtle spices intertwine with flavours of wood, vanilla, caramel and a lingering hint of agave nectar.

A small-batch tequila bottled direct from the still, without barrel ageing, for a fresh tequila flavour.

The result is a crystal-clear tequila with robust notes of sweet agave, green pepper, citrus and hints of herbs and spices.

A bold expression for tequila aficionados.

This reposado was rested in medium-char American oak casks for eleven months and French oak barrels from the renowned Cognac region of France for a further three months. The tequila has accentuated aromas of cooked agave and dried fruit, and a palate of earthy and spicy notes.

This reposado was aged in medium-char American oak casks for eleven months and for another two months in hand-selected vintage port casks from the renowned Douro Valley in Portugal. It has accentuated notes of oak aged agave and aromas of dried fruit and ripe plum.

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1. BUNDABERG RUM SMALL BATCH SILVER RESERVE RRP: $66.95 • Distributor: Diageo Australia The latest from Bundaberg Rum under the Master Distillers’ Collection, Small Batch Silver Reserve, is now available. Made for summer cocktails, it is a premium white blended rum made from Bundaberg’s smoothest reserves that have been aged for four years in first fill American oak bourbon barrels. It has then been charcoal filtered for a smooth and clean finish. The resulting flavours are of tropical fruit, spice, vanilla and oak.

2. SLANE IRISH WHISKEY TRIPLE CASKED RRP: $60 • Distributor: Brown-Forman Australia Brown-Forman and the Conyngham family of Slane Castle in Ireland have joined together to create a new smooth and complex, triple-casked, blended whiskey. High quality, mature Irish grain and malt whiskey are aged in three different types of casks: virgin American oak, seasoned oak and Oloroso sherry from Spain. Each affords a unique flavour: toasted oak, vanilla and chocolate from the virgin oak; caramel, plum, butterscotch and banana from the seasoned oak; and notes of raisin, spice and tree nuts from the Oloroso sherry cask. The result is a complex expression with a more robust flavour than most traditional blended Irish whiskeys.

3. LIMITED EDITION GREY GOOSE BOTTLE

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RRP: $75 • Distributor: Bacardi-Martini Australia Celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer, Grey Goose has released a limited edition bottle with classic French, blue and white stripes, and the iconic flying goose. The bottle is available to order and will appear at a series of exclusive events across Sydney and Melbourne this season as the brand ramps up activity with its signature Le Grand Fizz cocktail (Grey Goose vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh lime and soda water) as a cooling refreshment.

4. UNTOLD RUM RRP: $50 bottle/$23 premix • Distributor: Asahi Premium Beverages An all-new spirit from Asahi following the growth in spiced rums and created in collaboration with a number of mixologists, bartenders and artists. Untold is blended and made with premium, golden Caribbean rum aged for two to three years, plus natural spices. It comes in an individual bottle made for mixing, as well as the premixed Spiced Rum with Cola and Spiced Rum with Ginger Beer. One of the bartenders that helped on the project, Oscar Eastman (ex-Eau de Vie), described the rum as having “balanced spice, sweetness and then finished with a delightfully savoury note to steer it away from the sickly sweet rums that dominate the market.”

5. NEW-LOOK DRAMBUIE RRP $59.99 • Distributor: William Grant & Sons Drambuie has launched a new-look bottle both in shape and label to celebrate the premium whisky liqueur’s 270-year-old rich history. Replacing the existing design is a bottle made from dark amber glass with a red cork closure, stronger shoulders and a slight taper, helping it to stand out on shelves. The label has an old, worn paper look and outlines a description of the spirit, first made in 1745 on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Inside the bottle is the same liquid consumers know and love - a mix of aged Scotch whisky, heather honey, herbs and spices.

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ED CARR Ask Ed Carr any question on the subject of Australian sparkling and he has the answer.

Ed is the godfather of Australian sparkling.

Not only is he Australia’s most awarded sparkling winemaker, but he has also significantly lifted the reputation of Australian sparkling internationally with his work on House of Arras and pursuance of Tasmania’s cool climate fruit. With over 30 years specialising in sparkling wine production, Ed now oversees Accolade Wines’ entire sparkling portfolio, including Arras, as Group Sparkling Winemaker. drinks trade: What are the trends in Australian sparkling currently?

Ed Carr: We are seeing a decline in the budget end of the Australian sparkling market, but there’s strong growth in the premium end. The fact that Australia is a huge market for Champagne means that people are prepared to spend hard earned money on good quality product. So if the quality of Australian sparkling moves up - which I think it has, particularly in the last five years or so - there are reasons for people to invest in the category.

DT: Arras has done a lot for putting Australia and Tasmania on the map for sparkling wine and pushing the “drink local” message. What do you think are the key selling points for Australian sparkling versus international sparkling?

EC: I don’t see it as a competition. A lot of people like to ask which one is best, but I don’t really see it like that. I’d like to see people’s purchase being driven on quality and price, so it comes back to label rather than country of origin. There is a lot of very good Australian sparkling and I think ours sits up fairly well in that field.

DT: What’s needed to continue to improve the reputation of Australian sparkling?

EC: If you look at vintage Champagnes, the current releases are mostly ‘08s and ‘09s; there are not many Australian wines that have that level of age on them. It’s pleasing to see that quite a few more Australian sparkling labels are moving towards aged releases, but if we want to be perceived as being at a similar level of complexity and depth on a global basis, we’ve got to get to a similar age.

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DT: How can the trade help to get more Australian sparkling into consumers’ glasses?

EC: Show people; share your knowledge and get consumers to taste it. I think it’s an education process to show how good those wines can be.

DT: A good sparkling wine needs cool climate fruit. We’ve had some warm summers over the last couple of years, how have the vintages been in light of this?

EC: Tasmania is pretty isolated from a lot of the hotter weather that we’ve seen in some of the past vintages, but it does still follow the same trend. I guess with global warming, climates are changing and places are getting warmer, but I think Tasmania is cool enough that generally the warm years are still very good years.

DT: For the sparkling wines across Accolade’s portfolio, are you able to draw on wine from previous vintages in years when the vintage conditions haven’t been particularly favourable?

EC: We’re very fortunate in Australia, really, to not have those years that are disastrous.

We do sometimes blend years for the nonvintage wines across our range, but because the Tasmanian summer is generally pretty good for getting the grapes ripe, we don’t have the variability that you might have in France.

Generally, the sun’s a lot brighter in Tasmania.

Even though the climate is cool, there’s a high light intensity. I think one of the differences

you see in great Aussie sparkling compared to Champagne is that they really do reflect the sunshine.

DT: Could you give us an overview of the different styles of sparkling in Accolade’s portfolio?

EC: Grant Burge is a rich and full style with good age; Croser is a more fresh, fruit-based style that expresses pinot noir and chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills; and Yarra Burn is an elegant wine with bright fruit sourced from across Victoria and light yeast influence. Then we’ve got the Bay of Fires and Arras labels that are both Tasmanian driven and have that additional age to push them into another spectrum.

DT: Final question, what are you working on currently?

EC: We’re currently looking at a museum release program of some 15 year old plus wines to show how far these wines can go if you give them the opportunity with age…it’s like they never get old. The ones we’ve chosen have got great longevity and flavours, as well as an amazing vibrancy.

We’re releasing 400 bottles of a 2001 Blanc de Blancs in the New Year. Each will retail for $350, making it one of the most expensive products Arras has brought to market, but we believe it’s worth the price and it’s already picked up Best Australian Future Re-Release at the Champagne & Sparkling World Championships.

DT: The 2007 and 2008 House of Arras Grand Vintages have won a number of amazing awards recently. What inspired you to create a wine with such an age statement?

EC: Those awards were great for the category and great for the brand. It really means that Aussie sparkling has come of age in the wine show circuit and people are taking it seriously.

We envisaged creating aged wines quite a way back but it didn’t happen all at once.

The first wine we released was a ’95 vintage under the Arras label with four years of age on it, and we thought we were pretty smart then! But as we grew in confidence with the wines, we just felt that they improved over time as they got older.

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Tasting Bench CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING This is always our most exciting tasting of the year and this year it didn’t disappoint as our biggest yet, with over 170 wines entered. All of the wines were blind tasted and scored on the 100 point scale, with varietal characteristics, regionality, vintage and value key considerations.

This was no small feat for our talented judges who come from a broad range of roles across the industry and are all WSET Level 3 qualified or above. We are always keen to have more judges on the panel so if you’re interested, please get in touch.

The results show that Champagne continues to provide very good value for money, with more than half of the winners shown here priced under $100.

Tasmania and the Adelaide Hills also continue to produce the best quality white sparkling in Australia, with all but one of the winners from these two regions.

The judges took a careful look at the sparkling red and rosé entries, with the popularity of these two categories increasing each year, and we have some great tasting and great value wines here to offer your customers.

While Australia’s prosecco industry is also growing, the judges preferred the drier styles from Italy versus the Australian entries, evident in the fact that only one local producer featured in the results and interestingly from Tumbarumba in New South Wales. Perhaps new sights are on the horizon for this region?

THE PANEL Travis Fuller, Marketing Manager - Hardys, Accolade Wines

Tim Dolan, Senior Winemaker, Peter Lehmann Wines

Sharyn Foulis, Wine Consultant

Amy Hayes, PR & Media Manager, McWilliam’s Wines

Michael Quirk, Wine Educator, Hunter Fine Wine Company

Kati Vainionpaa, Marketing Officer - Asia Pacific, Wine Australia

Neil Hadley MW, General Manager - Export, Taylors Wines

Mj Van Vuuren, Area Sales Manager, Moët Hennessy Australia

Mark Faber, Buyer & Seller of the Bottles, Wine Ark

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2008 Champagne Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage

2004 Champagne Pommery Louise Cuvée

NV Champagne Achille Princier Brut Grande Tradition

RRP: $100 Region: Champagne Distributor: Moët Hennessy Australia Judges’ comments: Generous yeasty aromas and hints of lanolin and honey. A rich and mouth-filling explosion of citrus and stone fruits. The palate has excellent persistence and length.

RRP: $249 Region: Champagne Distributor: Vranken-Pommery Australia Judges’ comments: Lovely yeasty and creamy aromas with hints of lemon and honey. A sophisticated and rich palate, but with all the freshness. This is a very attractive Champagne made in the lighter style.

RRP: $56 Region: Champagne Distributor: Discover Vin Judges’ comments: Pale lemon colour.

Bready, buttery aromas with underlying lemon and stone fruit notes. A more lavish style with riper stone fruit flavours and toasty characters.

NV Champagne Pommery Brut Apanage

NV Champagne Lallier Blanc de Blancs Brut

NV Champagne Brimoncourt Brut Régence

RRP: $79 Region: Champagne Distributor: Vranken-Pommery Australia (on-premise only) Judges’ comments: Delicious aromas of peach and fig. Lots of weight and power drive a vibrant palate with creamy mousse and savoury, nutty characters.

RRP: $79.99 Region: Champagne Distributors: The Leckie Group (NSW)/ Octagonal Wines (VIC)/128 Trading Company (QLD)/Vintex (WA) Judges’ comments: Aromas of red apple, citrus and lemon curd. Lovely bead and persistent flavours of stone fruit, biscuit and a touch of brioche, followed by a fresh and clean finish.

RRP: $84 Region: Champagne Distributor: Fesq & Company Judges’ comments: Hints of spice and stone fruits. Small, firm bead and a creamy mousse. Flavours of lemon and apple on a fresh and bright palate with great length.

NV Champagne Frerejean Frères Brut Blanc de Blancs

NV Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs

NV Champagne Pommery Brut Rosé Royal

RRP: $138 Region: Champagne Distributor: Noble Spirits Judges’ comments: Pronounced buttery and toasty aromas, plus some developing notes of apple and honey. On the palate, there is a nice toasty complexity, firm bead and acidity, followed by a long, dry finish.

RRP: $140 Region: Champagne Distributor: Domaine Wine Shippers Judges’ comments: Developing bready and biscuity notes on the nose. Mouthfilling richness and flavours of lemon curd, subtle crisp, green apple and brioche, driven by fantastic persistence. This wine stands up and delivers.

RRP: $89 Region: Champagne Distributor: Vranken-Pommery Australia Judges’ comments: Pale orange-pink. A whiff of strawberry and lees on the nose.

Lovely mousse and acidity cut through pleasant fruit flavour. Very enjoyable, friendly and well balanced.

NV Champagne Collet Brut Rosé

NV Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé

2016 Costanzo & Sons Vintage Blanc de Noirs

RRP: $140 Region: Champagne Distributor: Domaine Wine Shippers Judges’ comments: Pale salmon pink. A pretty, light style of wine with subtle red fruit aromas and a bright, fresh and fruity palate. The finish is creamy and long.

RRP: $35 Region: Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria Distributor: Single Vineyard Sellers Judges’ comments: A red fruit driven wine from the use of 100 per cent pinot noir.

Deliciously round and sophisticated with a nice drive of cool climate acid. Great value.

RRP: $92 Region: Champagne Distributor: Bacchus Wine Merchant Judges’ comments: Generous pink colour.

Fresh and clean aromas of red apples, plus a hint of oyster shell. Crisp acid drives a palate of soft, red fruit flavours with a savoury and long finish.

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2012 Jansz Vintage Cuvée

2009 Jansz Late Disgorged

RRP: $46.95 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Samuel Smith & Son Judges’ comments: Rich autolysis and then citrus blossom, grapefruit and honey on the aroma. Mouth-watering acid and a lemon pith finish. A quality wine with long length and complexity.

RRP: $55.95 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Samuel Smith & Son Judges’ comments: Aromas of lemon curd, butter, ginger and almond meal. A well-balanced palate with excellent drive and flavours of citrus, nuts and ginger.

Outstanding quality.

2008 House of Arras Blanc de Blancs

2003 House of Arras E.J. Carr Late Disgorged

2001 House of Arras E.J. Carr Late Disgorged Magnum

RRP: $86.99 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: Complex nutty, spicy, lemon butter and green apple aromas.

Flavours of bread, butter, mushroom and earthy, herbal spices reminiscent of arrowroot and liquorice. Outstanding quality.

RRP: $189.99 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: A delicious, dry sparkling wine with aromas of orange blossom, spring flowers and honeyed toast.

The palate is excellently balanced, complex and long, with flavours of citrus, flowers and nuts.

RRP: $399 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: Ginger nut and honey snap biscuits, toasted almond and marzipan aromas. A strong lemon flavour is overlayered with ginger, flowers and nuts.

An exceptionally high-quality wine and very complex from an extended ageing period, yet it retains freshness.

NV House of Arras A by Arras Premium Cuvée

NV Sterling Vineyards Sparkling

NV d’Arenberg Pollyanna Polly Sparkling

RRP: $24.99 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: Amazing autolysis from time on lees and great value. Aromas of spice, florals and orchard fruits. Vibrant fruit flavours, frothy mousse and a hint of yeast.

RRP: $27 Region: Adelaide Hills Distributor: Treasury Wine Estates Judges’ comments: Orchard fruit and floral aromas. Clean, fresh orchard fruit flavours with hints of toast on a mediumlength and well-balanced palate. Lovely aperitif style.

2008 House of Arras Grand Vintage RRP: $79.99 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: Talk about bang for your buck! Intriguing aromas of earthy mushroom, curry spices and rhubarb, but still fresh. A vibrant and pure, complex and classic palate. Citrus-focused flavours and some subtle floral notes.

RRP: $28 Region: Adelaide Hills Distributors: Off The Vine (WA)/Empire Liquor (SA)/Young & Rashleigh Wine Merchants (TAS)/The Wine Company (VIC)/ The Wine Tradition (QLD)/Inglewood Wine Merchants (NSW) Judges’ comments: Perfumed strawberry and lemon aromas. On the palate, there are developed yeasty and brioche flavours with balanced bead, fresh acidity and long length.

NV Relbia Estate Sparkling

NV Jansz Premium Cuvée

NV Pirie Sparkling

RRP: $28.80 Region: Tasmania Distributor: David Johnstone and Associates (TAS)/Josef Chromy (all other states) Judges’ comments: Slight blush pink hue.

A citrus-driven nose with hints of earth and red fruit. A clean and vibrant palate that’s showing complexity, balance and structure.

RRP: $31.95 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Samuel Smith & Son Judges’ comments: A bright nose with creamy and citrus aromas. The palate is clean and fresh with some lime and sea salt flavours, plus some secondary notes of dried apples. Fine bead and frothy mousse.

Good complexity.

RRP: $32 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Brown Brothers Judges’ comments: Secondary aromas of toast, melon, baked apple pie and cinnamon. Firm bead and an elegant mousse with flavours of nectarine and ripe apple. Lovely acidity and length.

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NV Bay of Fires Tasmanian Brut Cuvée RRP: $39.99 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: Notes of vanilla, toast and ripe fruit on the nose. A fresh and youthful palate with elegant fruit flavour and toasty, savoury notes.

NV Clover Hill Tasmanian Cuvée Rosé RRP: $35 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Oatley Fine Wine Merchants Judges’ comments: Pale pink. Aroma of dried strawberry, plus a hint of toasted cashew. Quite a robust style of wine. The palate is well-balanced with good acidity and length driving red berry fruit flavour.

NV House of Arras Brut Elite RRP: $49.99 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Accolade Wines Judges’ comments: Minerality and yeasty aromas. Small, fine bead and an elegant mousse. Flavours of spice, apple, yeast and a touch of biscuit. Dry, balanced acidity and length. Lovely.

2013 Jansz Vintage Rosé RRP: $52.95 Region: Tasmania Distributor: Samuel Smith & Son Judges’ comments: Pale salmon. Complex aromas of bread, strawberries, a hint of rhubarb and vanilla oak. Lovely line of fruit, framed by vibrant acidity. An attractive wine.

2012 Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling

2017 Coppabella Single Vineyard Prosecco

RRP: $42 Region: Barossa Valley Distributor: Casella Family Brands Judges’ comments: Rich red colour. Dark red and black fruit aromas with a whiff of smoke. Juicy, rich fruit flavours and spices.

Good balance and depth.

RRP: $26 Region: Tumbarumba, NSW Distributor: Cuttings Wine Merchants Judges’ comments: Pale lemon colour.

Chalky soda, nashi pear and some white nectarine on both the nose and palate.

Overall, a good quality prosecco that’s well balanced and good value for money.

NV Bella Modella Modella Prosecco D.O.C

2016 Canella Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut D.O.C.G

RRP: $28.95 Region: Italy Distributor: Fesq & Company Judges’ comments: Complex aromas of fennel, pear, dried herbs and apples. On the palate, there are flavours of green apples and white flowers, followed by a chalky finish. Very easy to drink.

RRP: $30 Region: Italy Distributors: Trembath & Taylor (VIC, NSW)/Muster Wine Co. (SA)/The Wine Tradition (QLD)/Dave Mullen Wine Agency (WA)/Wine Profile (TAS)/Australian Wine Archives (ACT)/Thomas Chin (NT) Judges’ comments: Aromas of fennel, dried anise and green peas. Pear juice, green apple skin and fennel on the palate.

A good quality, simple prosecco with enough interest from some bottle ageing.

NV Brown Brothers Sparkling Brut Rosé RRP: $25 Region: King Valley, Victoria Distributor: Brown Brothers Judges’ comments: Bright pink. A fresh and lightly bready aroma with a hint of strawberry. The palate is clean and elegant.

Very well made with fruit, acid and tannin all in balance.

2014 Grampians Estate Rutherford Sparkling Shiraz RRP: $35 Region: Grampians, Victoria Distributor: Grampians Estate Judges’ comments: Youthful, but offering a lot to those who like the style. Aromas of deep spices and dark fruits. A rich and tarry palate with depth and multi-dimensions.

NV Sentio Prosecco Brut D.O.C RRP: $27 Region: Italy Distributor: Global Fine Wines Judges’ comments: A restrained, yet exciting nose of fennel, chalk and pear.

Flavours of nashi pear, apple juice and a chalky finish. A nice aperitif.

If you would like to receive information about our upcoming tastings, please email Hannah Sparks at hannah@hipmedia.com.au

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1. LA LA LAND ROSÉ

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RRP: $18 • Distributor: Red + White With growth in the rosé category showing no sign of slowing down, La La Land Wines in Murray Darling, Victoria has created its own version of this popular wine and added it to its core range. It’s made from 100 per cent pinot noir grapes and using the French saignée method, which give the wine its luscious pale pink colour. To taste, it has natural, juicy strawberry flavours with a hint of fresh watermelon and toffee on a dry palate.

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2. OFF THE GRID RRP: $15 • Distributor: Australian Vintage Limited An all-new wine brand and the latest innovation from Australian Vintage Limited, Off The Grid, aims to get new consumers into the category and trying something a little different with a tempranillo and montepulciano bottled in a 500ml brown, beer-like bottle with a crown seal. Trialed in 142 BWS stores, the names have also been dubbed to the more easily pronounced Monte and Temp.

3. BELLINI BY CANELLA RRP: $24 • Distributor: Trembath and Taylor This classic aperitif comprises two parts sparkling wine and one part peach juice and pulp, plus a few drops of wild raspberry. The ingredients are all cultivated in the Venetian countryside and the resulting wine tastes of delicate white peaches. The fruit is left until perfectly ripe to ensure maximum concentration of sugars and aromas. Best served slightly chilled.

4. [YELLOW TAIL] PROSECCO

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RRP: $15 • Distributor: Casella Family Brands Jumping on the growth of this exciting category and just in time for the festive season, [yellow tail] has released this fresh and zesty prosecco with citrus and nashi pear aromas. Prosecco has more than doubled in size in the last two years and the [yellow tail] Prosecco is set to bring more consumers into the category with its affordable price point.

5. [YELLOW TAIL] ROSÉ RRP: $10 • Distributor: Casella Family Brands Just in time for summer and driven by interest from retailers, [yellow tail] has released an entry-level rosé made in the Provence style. It has a soft blush colour and lofty aromas of red cherry, strawberries and cream. On the palate, it is a crisp, dry and refreshing wine with flavours of white peach, red liquorice and subtle floral hints.

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Brand Awareness Brand Awareness

Reaching New Consumers Reaching New Consumers

Increased Loyalty Increased Profit New Sales Channel Increased Loyalty Increased Profit New Sales Channel

Over $1 million in sales Over $1 million in sales over the first 6 months over the first 6 months Grayswine Connect is Grayswine Connect is Grayswine’s latest growth Grayswine’s latest initiative: a team ofgrowth dedicated initiative: a team of dedicated wine professionals marketing wineproducts professionals marketing your over the phone your products over the to Grays’ loyal databasephone of to Grays’ loyal database of consumers. consumers.

Since February 2017, the new Sincehas February 2017, the$1new team achieved over team has achieved million in sales in itsover first$1 6 million in in itsacross first 6 months of sales operating months of operating across 55 brands.

55 brands.

No online advertised prices, greater brand loyalty, stronger sales conversion rates; Grayswine Connect is theonline perfectadvertised avenue to prices, add to your existing channels.

No greater brandsales loyalty, stronger sales conversion rates; Grayswine Connect is the perfect avenue to addmore to your existing&sales channels.

If you’re looking to reach customers increase your sales, brand loyalty and awareness, then join our

of Grayswine Connect suppliers and let our team of winebrand experts market wines! then join our Ifnetwork you’re looking to reach more customers & increase your sales, loyalty and your awareness, network of Grayswine Connect suppliers and let our at team of wine experts market your wines!

For any enquiries, please contact Greg Fitzsimmons greg.fitzsimmons@grays.com.au or 0420 939 371.

For any enquiries, please contact Greg Fitzsimmons at greg.fitzsimmons@grays.com.au or 0420 939 371. drinks trade|45

CONNECT

7

WINE

6

6. PATRITTI MERCHANT SERIES RRP: $24 • Distributor: Patritti Wines One of Australia’s best-known wines, which you probably haven’t heard of…

This family-owned winery has more than 91 years in the business of making and selling wine, but for the last 40, its focus has been on the international market. Not anymore. Patritti wines is bringing something exciting back to its homeland with the launch of a new range of wines that will cement its presence locally and help bring consumers up to speed on its history. The Patritti Merchant Series features a pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills; and a GSM, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from McLaren Vale, which each feature a unique and bold label telling a story from the winery’s early days to present day.

7. VIDAL LEGACY CHARDONNAY 2016 AND SYRAH 2013 RRP: $55 Chardonnay/$70 Syrah • Distributor: House of Fine Wine Vidal’s Legacy range represents the utmost quality in the vineyard and in the winery. As Winemaker Hugh Crichton puts it: “If it won’t be an outstanding bottle, it won’t go in the bottle.” The 2016 Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay has all the complex, flinty notes that are the signature of this flagship wine, plus citrus, pink grapefruit and roasted nuts. The 2013 Vidal Legacy Syrah from the Gimblett Gravels has intense aromas of dark rose, plum, herbs and spices. The full-bodied taste is of dark cherry and plum together with complex notes of savoury oak.

8. PREECE IS BACK

8

9

RRP: $20 • Distributor: Mitchelton Wines One of Australia’s most loved wine brands is making a come-back. The popular PREECE wines from the 80s and 90s are returning to Mitchelton Wines’ portfolio with refreshed packaging and varietals. The relaunch introduces a PREECE 2016 chardonnay, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from the Nagambie Lakes in Victoria. Behind the winemaking is Mitchelton Chief Winemaker Travis Clydesdale, who has tried to inject the same modern approach first taken by PREECE’s creator and Mitchelton’s founding winemaker Colin Preece. All of the wines are single varietal and Clydesdale plans on extending the range outside of the Nagambie Lakes in the coming months.

9. TWO NEW WINES FOR ST HUGO RRP: $65 Last Letter/$39.99 Riesling • Distributor: Pernod Ricard Australia Two new wines joined the St Hugo stable last month, marking not only the first white wine to be released by the winery but also the inaugural Legacy Collection limited edition. Starting with The Last Letter, each year a new wine will be released under the collection to pay homage to founder Hugo Gramp. This wine is named after the letter that was sent by Hugo to his son just before he passed away in 1938. It has all the hallmarks of good cabernet sauvignon - ripe forest fruits, rich dark chocolate and sweet spices balanced by silky tannins. As for the 2017 Riesling, even with hardly any time out on shelves, it has already picked up a number of awards including top pick in drinks trade’s recent summer whites tasting - the full results of which can be seen in the next issue. It has classic citrus, floral and minerality notes, wonderful long length and taut acidity.

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Distributed Nationally by Red + White: 1300 780 074

WINE

INFORM

Choose Light

Red Wines This Summer Don’t forget about your red wine drinkers as you start to stock up on the usual rosé, white and sparkling wines for spring and summer. According to a number of retailers, sommeliers and winemakers, lighter red wines are growing in popularity at this time of year.

By Hannah Sparks

“

We have been championing lighter reds for about a year now,” says Dan Murphy’s Wine Panel expert, Peter Nixon. “I suspect this trend has been driven on the back of rosé, with consumers not only accepting lighter coloured (and weighted) reds but actively seeking them out. Red is now seen as a continuum rather than an absolute.”

Nixon also highlights that this isn’t a new trend internationally, with a chilled carafe of red wine a staple in Mediterranean countries in summer. The French even have the term “vins de soif,” which loosely translates to refreshing red, and you only have to say the word Beaujolais for most people to connect the dots.

This gamay-based wine from the eponymous region of France was once one of the most popular light-bodied red wines globally, loved for its juicy, fruity nature. Much like chardonnay in Australia however, its boom eventually took a downturn, a Beaujolais backlash, which was the result of too many producers jumping on the bandwagon and soon enough it went out of fashion. More recently, however, better winemaking in France has created more refined styles of Beaujolais and the wine is slowly seeing a return to its former days.

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Christian Blair, co-owner of Annata wine bar in Crows Nest, Sydney says he sees a strong future for light red wines during spring and summer in Australia.

“The fact is that a lot of people love red wine and they don’t want to give it up during summertime. Light reds are a great way to get around this - wines without high tannin extraction, high alcohol content or super concentrated flavours, and there are plenty of red varietals perfect to fill that gap. Adding to that, a growing contingent of winemakers happy to be experimental with the way they make their wines means the light red category is certainly not lacking choice.”

Light red wines can be defined by varietal or style, or both. What that means is that there are red grape varietals that naturally produce lighterbodied wines, but there are also winemaking techniques that can produce a lighter-bodied style of wine with a varietal that can also make a heavierbodied wine. A good example of this is shiraz versus syrah. Often confusing, the two names represent a difference in style, with Australian shiraz typically richer, more fruit-forward and full-

bodied with tannin, while syrah is typically lighter and leaner.

Other varietals that typically fall into the lighter red style are pinot noir, mencia, lambrusco (which is making a fashionable come-back according to Nixon), alicante bouchet, nero d’avola, nerello mascalese, cabernet franc, dolcetto and grenache/ GSM blends.

Jason Bowyer, Buying Director for Wines and Sparkling at Aldi, another retailer focusing on the lighter red segment currently, also recommends grenache, but believes it will be some time before we see really great light-bodied, straight grenache from Australian producers, with winemakers here traditionally more focused on making a richer style of this wine.

Blair also recommends cabernet franc, which he says “is a growing category producing light-bodied, perfumed and savoury examples.”

Then there are the red wines that fall into the lighter category stylistically. Look out for cool climate wines with a younger vintage, lower alcohol and minimal oak, which should mean the wine is fresher and easier to drink - exactly what consumers want when it’s hot.

Blair shares another tip when searching for lighter red wines: “In many cases now, it’s easy to look for blends, or even single varietals, produced in a way so that they are lighter and easier-drinking.

Look for the word ‘nouveau’ on labels - often these are unoaked, carbonic (like Beaujolais) examples designed to be lower in tannin, fresher and lighter, great for even putting in the fridge for a little while.”

Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique often used by Beaujolais producers and is what gives the wine its famous cherry character. In its simplest form, it is when the grapes are fermented whole and the fermentation takes place mostly inside of the grape. This is important because it keeps the sugar, alcohol and tannin content low, while also retaining the juicy, fruity flavours. These types of wines are made to be consumed young, which is perfect for lighter red wines and as such is a

method that is being used more and more by Australian winemakers.

Nixon tells me that Mitchelton Wines in Victoria somewhat invented its own light red wine known as Cab Mac (short for carbonic maceration) in the late 1980s, around the time that Beaujolais was at its height. As the gamay grape was not available in Australia at the time, Ian Hickinbotham (Mitchelton’s winemaker back then) came up with the idea of fermenting some of the red grape varieties they had using carbonic maceration. This gave the wine lots of juicy flavour, and in this case cherry and gamey characters, but without much tannin, much like Beaujolais. It was promoted as a good food wine that could be served slightly chilled.

Chilling lighter red wines is a great idea in late spring and all the way through summer, not just because this makes them more refreshing when it’s hot, but also because they don’t typically have high tannin structure. This means that even when chilled and some of the aromas and flavours have gone to sleep, you still won’t get hit with tannin at the first sip. About 15-20 minutes in the fridge seems to be the recommended cooling period.

Another producer in Victoria that has been experimenting with new varieties is De Bortoli Wines. Based in the Yarra Valley, the winery had been focusing on the classic varieties of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay and pinot noir (with even pinot a relative newcomer), until a few years ago when Leanne and Steve De Bortoli decided to introduce some of the wines they had enjoyed overseas.

Gamay is one of the new additions inspired by the great Beaujolais wines Leanne and Steve had enjoyed on their trips to France. They started with a straight gamay and then went on to make a syrah gamay blend, which is perfumed, fruitdriven, medium-weight and very easy to drink. The couple is so excited about the future of gamay that they also just introduced plantings of the varietal on their own property.

De Bortoli also introduced a pinot meunier pinot noir blend under its Vinoque range, which trials

alternative varietals, in response to the growing popularity of light reds. The wine is called Same Same after the fact that these two varietals have the same DNA but different flavour profiles. The current release is from the 2015 vintage and is described as “a light, bright cherry red. Seriously perfumed, spice, dried herb, gentle tannins, wickedly easy to drink.”

The Sorrenberg winery in Beechworth, Victoria produces one of Australia’s best-known straight gamay wines using a combination of Burgundian and Beaujolais techniques. Half of the gamay fruit is cold macerated, which means the fruit is picked cold, crushed and left to soak for four days before fermentation starts. Of the rest, 20 per cent of the fruit is left whole in ferment. Fermentation with natural yeast takes place for two weeks, after which the wine is pressed and matured in oak for eleven months. This gives it luscious black cherry aromas, a full, smooth and soft palate with subtle spice, balanced acid and restrained tannins.

Vigneron Barry Morey says gamay has been growing at Sorrenberg right from the start: “I was either going to do pinot or gamay and thought I’d be a bit game, especially being on granitic soil.”

Their current release 2016 Gamay is already sold out and trade will have to wait until next year to get their hands on this wine. Barry said gamay was relatively unknown in the 80s and 90s, but as consumers have become more aware of the variety, Sorrenberg’s has evidently become very popular as one of the few made in Australia with older vines.

Another great light red wine from Victoria is Best’s Great Western’s Old Vine Pinot Meunier, which as its name suggests, is made from some of the oldest vines of this varietal in the world and has quite a cult following.

Pinot meunier is a mutation of pinot noir and shares many of its predecessor’s characteristics, described by some as pinot noir with attitude.

Straight pinot meunier wines are not common, with the fact that the varietal doesn’t typically age very well or have a lot of body, means it is more commonly used in a sparkling wine blend. Yet Best’s

drinks trade|49

WINE

INFORM

“The fact is that a lot of people love red wine and they don’t want to give it up during summertime.”

has had a lot of success with its straight pinot meunier. Winemaker Justin Purser explains.

“Best’s has always made pinot meunier as a straight red table wine. We let the wine have contact with the skins, which makes it more age-worthy. In Champagne, pinot meunier isn’t left on the skins.”

Best’s also adds a little pinot noir to give the wine extra body. The current release is still young, from the 2016 vintage, and the 2017 vintage is expected to be bottled this November.

Purser describes the wine as, “A lighterbodied, drinkable, delicious style of red wine. We recommend it as a great summer wine with a touch of chill. It has intensity, but it’s still lighter-bodied because of the big berries, so you don’t get lots of concentration.”

Like De Bortoli, Best’s has also tried to make a gamay table wine, but has struggled due to disease.

“We have some of the oldest gamay vines in the world (planted in 1868), but there are only a few left as they have a virus in them. We have been working with the Yalumba Nursery for several years now and this year they were successful in propagating a clone of gamay from our virus-free material. They are currently growing sufficient vines so that we can plant a small amount in our vineyards, hopefully, this year or in autumn 2018.”

Oakridge Wines in the Yarra Valley also makes a straight pinot meunier, which started as a side project in 2014 but has since grown to become one of its most sought-after wines. The idea to create a straight pinot meunier was inspired by the growth 50|drinks trade

the winery had seen in light, dry red, easy-drinking and approachable wines.

Winemaker Tim Perrin said, “We’d seen Beaujolais wines popping up in bottle shops, and bars in Melbourne and David Bicknel (Chief Winemaker)l had an idea of what he wanted to create. We didn’t have access to any gamay, but we did have pinot meunier. It’s light, fresh, low in tannin and with no added new oak. It has a fresh vibrancy and fruit flavour - it really is lovely to drink.”

Brown Brothers in Milawa, Victoria has also been implementing lighter red varieties into its portfolio because of the increase in people wanting fresh red wines.

Assistant Winemaker Katherine Brown said, “It’s normal to turn to white wine for a refreshing wine, but you can get refreshment from reds too.”

She recommends Brown Brothers’ iconic Tarrango wine, which was developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 1965. The variety was the brainchild of the late Dr Alana Antcliff who developed a number of new grape varieties in the hope that they would suit the Australian vine growing climate and consumers’ taste buds.

Winemakers had found that the classic European grape varieties didn’t produce the fruity, fleshy flavours in many of Australia’s warm viticultural areas. Thus Tarrango was born, a cross between the lesser known Portuguese port variety,

Touriga, and the generous yielding, fruity white grape, Sultana. This made for a light, fruity red wine ideal to chill for summer drinking.

“It’s like a sultana grape you would get in the supermarket, so it doesn’t have as much of a dense colour in the skin and it’s quite fleshy,” Brown explained. “When red grapes have a lot of flesh, they don’t have as much tannin.”

Brown Brothers also produces a straight gamay, which at this stage is a cellar door only release, however, the winery has been so impressed with customers’ response to the wine that Brown said it could well be a national product in future. The current release is a 2015 vintage and is described as being soft, juicy and delicious with aromas of sour cherry and red berry fruits. Brown said if customers are interested in stocking the gamay to get in touch with the winery.

Brown also recommends Cienna, another varietal, like Tarrango, that was developed with CSIRO and is rich and juicy with a refreshing, spritzing finish. This and Brown Brothers’ Dolcetto & Syrah blend. Dolcetto, an Italian grape variety, is known as the “little sweet one”.

Together with syrah, it creates a fruit-driven wine with attractive ripe summer berry flavours.

Both are only partially fermented in cooler temperatures, which gives them natural sugars and makes them lower in alcohol (Cienna 7.5% ABV/Dolcetto & Syrah 10.5% ABV), perfect for summer.

drinks trade|53

CONNECT

CHRISTMAS Gifts + Gadgets The countdown is on - less than eight weeks to go until Christmas and then, of course, New Year celebrations. Whether it’s a gift for him or a gift for her, mum, dad, brother or sister, or even a bottle to pass around this Christmas Day, there is a drop to suit every taste; from cocktail kits to tasting packs, glassware and books. Get inspired and stock a few of these gifts and gadgets on your shelf this festive season.

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve with Two Whisky Glasses Gift Pack RRP $55 www.pernod-ricard-australia.com

DON’T MISS OUT WITH JÄGERMEISTER

Increase your profit over the festive period! Jägermeister is a must-stock brand as almost 50 per cent of shoppers will walk away empty-handed if they can’t find Jägermeister. The Jägermeister shopper is very valuable, spending +$48.37 more in store than the average shopper. 62 per cent of Jager shoppers buy on impulse - try the 200ml SKU, bundle with beers, use displays and promotions (Shopper Tracker 2017).

RRP $30 www.brownforman.co.au/business

Coravin Model 2 RRP $549 www.samsmith.com

The Carry On Champagne Cocktail Kit RRP $24 www.wandpdesign.com

Cointreau Fizz Limited Edition Cocktail Carafe Set RRP $47-49 www.spiritsplatform.com.au

Chivas Regal Extra 700ml with Two Chivas Tumblers Gift Pack RRP $55 www.pernod-ricard-australia.com

52|drinks trade

Vinturi Red Wine Aerator RRP $29.99 www.vinturi.com

Four Pillars Australian Christmas Gin RRP $105 www.fourpillarsgin.com.au

Bollinger Rosé 2006 Limited Edition RRP $180 www.hofw.com.au

62|drinks trade

CONNECT PERSONALISE YOUR BOTTLE OF JACK THIS CHRISTMAS

From the makers of Jack Daniel’s, consumers can have a personal message engraved onto a bottle of Gentleman Jack, Single Barrel or Sinatra Select.

RRP $289.99 Sinatra Select - pleasant smokiness and vanilla finish RRP $110 Single Barrel - bold, intense flavours of spice and oak RRP $75.99 Gentleman Jack - smoothest expression of Jack Daniel’s (price includes engraving) www.brownforman.co.au/gifting

Rémy Martin VSOP with Two Rémy Martin Glasses Gift Pack RRP $75-80 www.spiritsplatform.com.au

The Original Ice Ball Maker RRP $14.99 www.yellowoctopus.com.au

Chandon x Seafolly Limited Edition Summer Bottles $29.99 www.lvmh.com

The Barware Set RRP $49 www.wandpdesign.com

Whisky Glass Explorer Pack RRP $150 www.wootten.com.au

G.H.Mumm Cordon Rouge Twin Flute Gift Pack RRP $53 www.pernod-ricard-australia.com

Tia Maria and Customisable Chalkboard Coffee Cup RRP $28-30 www.spiritsplatform.com.au

Australian Wine Vintages 2018 The Gold Book by Rob Geddes MW RRP $34.95 www.robgeddesmw.com

54|drinks trade

Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Shiraz 2015 with Two Glasses Gift Pack RRP $30 www.pernod-ricard-australia.com

PROMOTE

NILWA

CELEBRATES 20 YEARS Twenty years ago in Sydney, seven liquor wholesalers joined forces and became the National Independent Liquor Wholesalers Association (NILWA). It was the first on-premise focused group of independent liquor wholesalers with national representation and trading terms.

“We have established a very strong record for doing what we say we can do and being open and honest with our stakeholders.

And every person involved in the group, including the current Board and all of our employees, will ensure our proud traditions continue for the next 20 years.”

I

t was the September of 1997 - a time when national trading terms were evolving and marketing initiatives were becoming more centred around retail banner activities.

All of them family-owned and operated businesses, NILWA members recognised the need to band together to voice their strengths, value and develop on-premise marketing platforms to offer specific pouring and ranging programs.

This year, NILWA celebrates its 20th anniversary and National Group Executive Jenny Hughes described the event as a significant milestone, looking back on the association’s inaugural promise to the trade.

“In 1997, NILWA’s positioning statement was: ‘in the supply of liquor products to on-premise venues, NILWA wholesalers aim to offer a highquality service of wide product choice and a value-based business relationship.’ Twenty years on, and this statement is still relevant today.”

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Current NILWA members include D’Aquino Liquor Merchants, Novocastrian Wholesale Liquor, Gateway Liquor Wholesale, G H Cole & Son, Rivercity Wholesale Liquor, Monacellars Wine & Spirits and Festival City.

D’Aquino Liquor Merchants is one of the original members of NILWA and Managing Director Rex D’Aquino remembers the group in its early days.

“NILWA was set up as an independent option for the supply of services, mainly liquor, to the on-premise channel,” he said. “20 years later and our core focus is still on being channel specific, our customers’ needs, service and national distribution.”

“What makes us unique is that we are on-premise focused and always have been, combined with the excellent service we provide,” added Stephen Williams, General Manager of Gateway Liquor Wholesalers.

Collectively, these nine members service over 4,000 city and regional customers with purchase and range decisions, back bar and fridge space, drink lists, drinks of the month, wines poured by the glass and more, with a total of 40 experienced sales staff on the road.

Each member is also supported by the head office team, which is located in Newcastle in the Novocastrian warehouse. This is also where NILWA Chairman Martin O’Mara is based, since transitioning from CEO of NILWA to CEO of Novocastrian over a year ago; the same time as Hughes also moved up from National Business Manager to National Group Executive.

Both Hughes and O’Mara are best positioned to lead NILWA into its next chapter with over 11 and 18 years, respectively, of experience working with the association.

“I have enjoyed every day working with some of the most talented, passionate, professional, and entrepreneurial people in the liquor industry,”

NILWA members at the 20th anniversary AGM

“NILWA was set up as an independent option for the supply of services, mainly liquor, to the on-premise channel. 20 years later and our core focus is still on being channel specific, our customers’ needs, service and national distribution.”

WHAT IS NILWA? • 1 National group • 7 Independent liquor wholesalers

• 40 Sales representatives • 5 Head office staff O’Mara commented. “This includes dozens of supplier national account managers, dedicated head office staff, and NILWA Directors and their staff (past and present).”

He added, “We have established a very strong record for doing what we say we can do and being open and honest with our stakeholders.

And every person involved in the group, including the current Board and all of our employees, will ensure our proud traditions continue for the next 20 years.”

In an ever-changing industry, NILWA knows that it must continue to develop its services to maintain a relevant offering, and over the last few years, members have invested in modern warehousing and logistics facilities to ensure they can efficiently service on-premise customers nationwide.

More recently, NILWA has also been working on implementing its third-generation data warehousing system. The group’s ability to control the collection and interpretation of

on-premise results has always placed it ahead of the curve from other associations and this latest initiative will continue NILWA’s ownership of strong trend analysis and marketing results based on timely, clean and accurate member sales data.

This data also underpins NILWA’s all-new Signature Drinks program, which represents a banner for all on-premise marketing activities and activations. Essentially, it provides customers with consistent, competitive, everyday pricing; a purpose-built product range; a loyalty program; a promotional program designed for key selling periods; an online training module that educates staff about the latest trends, techniques and industry news; and a POS suite.

Hughes explained: “We created Signature Drinks, which is an on-premise customer marketing group. It’s designed specifically for the on-premise and to meet our customers’ needs.

Signature Drinks validates the key on-premise behaviours that suppliers need us to meet; this

is our national, 100 per cent focus; it’s something we presented to our sales team at the conference and the feedback so far has been positive.”

From the perspective of Novocastrian as a member, O’Mara continued: “Now and in the future, we will look towards NILWA to build all of our marketing platforms to provide to the bars, clubs and restaurants we service. We are fast developing a suite of tools that will enable the on-premise channel to trust us that the ranging and pouring programs we offer are market-competitive.

“Our service proposition of filling 100 per cent of orders that are commercially relevant and via weekly on-time delivery, plus pouring and ranging programs, set us apart from our competition and set us up to grow year-on-year.”

NILWA looks forward to the next chapter and 20 years.

For more information, contact NILWA National Group Executive Jenny Hughes at jennyh@nilwa.com.au

drinks trade|57

INFORM

AUSTRALIA’S WINE LIST OF

“I only have good words to say about the Wine List of the Year Awards, because it not only rewards hard work and gains customers’ attention, but it is also a good way for us to improve ourselves through research, experimenting with new styles and pushing into directions we might not have taken.”

- CHRISTIAN MAIER, Sommelier RACV Club & Resorts, RACV City Club.

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“We are thrilled Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards exist; they allow businesses that may not be known for wines to be recognised. It’s an honour to be awarded two years in a row.”

- BLAIR HAYDEN, Publican, Upstairs, The Lord Nelson.

“The awards are a way for our sommeliers to see what our competitors are up to, to network with the industry, build relationships, and give each of our wine lists a solid ‘health check’. At the end of the day, we want to keep our regulars happy, attract new people to our venues, and have more clients – so awards and recognition can help us to achieve this.”

- MATT DUNNE, Group Sommelier, Solotel Group, Aria.

OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2017

“This year’s Wine List of the Year Awards was incredibly well organised and the event was strongly supported by great sponsors who were happy to showcase their products.

Indeed, winning the award has brought great pride to all of our team and owner Peter Montgomery, and we have seen a really nice increase of interest in our wine list.”

- NEILS SLUIMAN, Group Head Sommelier, Jonah’s Restaurant.

“It’s an absolute honour to receive such an esteemed national award as judged by fellow wine and food enthusiasts. This level of peer acknowledgement serves to further encourage the Appellation team to continue to strive for cuisine, hospitality and service excellence.”

“It was nice to be acknowledged for all of the hard work and dedication the wine team had put in.”

- CASSALY FITZGERALD, Sommelier, Appellation.

LOCATION: Glass Brasserie, Hilton Sydney Hotel WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2018: Monday, 30 July

- GAVIN CREMMING, Head Sommelier, Stokehouse, St. Kilda Beach.

drinks trade|59

SPRING

GLENN MCGRATH

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PROMOTE

TRADE ACTIVITY THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE BRANDS David Robinson from Hot Tamale in the Northern Territory was crowned National Winner of the Australian Patrón Perfectionists Competition in October.

Dan Gregory from Canvas took out the title of Australian Angostura Brand Ambassador after winning the national 2018 Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge.

Moët & Chandon, in partnership with Vintage Cellars, broke the Guinness World Records title for the largest Champagne tasting with over 700 people at Sydney Opera House.

Melbourne’s popular Asian-fusion restaurant Chin Chin and its downstairs bar GoGo opened in Sydney with an all-girl wine team and and Bartender of the Year Michael Chiem.

The French Embassy Trade Commission, Business France, held a French wine and spirits trade tasting with 11 producers in Sydney and Melbourne in October.

The Supplier Panel at the 2017 IBA Trade Workshop presented to an audience of 800 delegates on the Gold Coast, addressing a number of topics including the NSW Container Deposit Scheme and centralised buying options.

Cricketers Arms took over the Park Bar at the Pineapple Hotel, Brisbane in October following the venue’s new refurbishments.

L-R: Geoff Pevreall, Laura Sawade and Ian Bradshaw

Vidal Winemaker Hugh Crichton paid a visit to Australia to reveal the new vintage Legacy range wines. Find out more on page 46.

62|drinks trade

Hacienda Sydney celebrated its first birthday back in September with a cocktail party overlooking the harbour with 200 of its favourite guests.

Coopers Brewery raced to South Australia’s Balaklava Cup in September with some 400 guests hosted at its VIP marquee.

drinks trade|11

PROMOTE

Yalumba Chief Winemaker Louisa Rose and Jack Walker from O’Leary Walker Wines

Ella Rhodes from Cobbler announced in the Top 8 The Top 8 Bartenders of the 2017/2018 BACARDÍ Legacy Global Cocktail Competition took part in the national semi-finals on 1 November. View the winner on drinksbulletin.com.au

Dozens of drinks suppliers and thousands of buyers from bars, clubs and licensed food service venues met at the Commercial Drinks Show 11-14 September.

Advantage Group’s John McLoughlin presented results from the annual Trade Survey at the drinks association’s final Network Breakfast of 2017.

drinks trade’s annual and biggest Champagne and sparkling tasting took place in October with over 170 entries. See the results on pages 40-43.

Dan Murphy’s Whisky Showcase Event treated guests to a range of 40 premium whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, USA, Australia, Japan and Taiwan.

Samuel Smith & Son and Negociants Australia took to the road in September for their biennial portfolio event, showcasing all of their wines to trade in the major cities.

Diageo announced Krystal Hart as the new National Ambassador for the Diageo World Class bartending competition.

Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales from Romance Was Born Australian actor Chris Hemsworth became the voice of Jacob’s Creek’s latest campaign for its premium wine range Double Barrel.

64|drinks trade

Handpicked Wines threw an event at its cellar door to celebrate its collaboration with fashion label Romance Was Born to create a limited edition Yarra Valley Rosé.

Participants in the 2017 Women in drinks Mentoring Program raised a glass at the end of October to the success of the inaugural program.

W E N T E M P U S T WO GO E S PLATIN U M New Platinum series offers accessible style to every occasion.

Wines that taste as good as they look!

Available now, contact your AVL representative or call 08 8172 8333 to place an order. drinks trade|65

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To find out more on how we can help you untap the potential of your people, contact: Simon Wolnizer +61 2 9253 82 77 aonhewitt.com.au

“Vision and mission can come from the top down, but values come from people up.�

Chris Litchfield Managing Director, Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand

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,

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Celebrating Excellence

ASAHI PREMIUM BEVERAGES CELEBRATES WINNING JOINT

2017 SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

62|drinks trade

MADE BY LEADING BARTENDERS, PERFECT FOR MIXING. Untold Spiced Rum was borne from a passionate collaboration between bartenders, artists and spirit experts. Bartenders Dave Kerr (The Beaufort), Nathan Beasley (Black Pearl), Oscar Eastman (ex-Eau de Vie) and Andres Walters (The Lobo Plantation) developed the spiced rum by selecting a blend of 2-3 year aged rum from Trinidad. They then infused it with subtle natural spices that produced a flavour which is sweet on the nose but has a smooth, dry taste, letting the rum base shine through.

For cocktail recipes visit:

UntoldRum

To order contact Asahi Premium Beverages on: 1800 090 378

@untold.rum

LYNCHBURG ISN’T KNOWN FOR ITS CHARCOAL. BUT WE CAN’T MAKE JACK WITHOUT IT. If making our own charcoal sounds extravagant, well it is. But without it, there’d be no such thing as Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. You see it’s what gives Jack Daniel’s its signature character, which is why we mellow every single drop through 10ft of sugar maple charcoal. It’s so important, we make it ourselves right here in Lynchburg Tennessee. If you can’t make it for a visit, look out for our postcards, we send them all over.

PLEASE ENJOY EVERY DROP RESPONSIBLY. JACK DANIEL’S AND OLD NO.7 ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. ©2017 JACK DANIEL’S. TENNESSEE WHISKEY ALCOHOL 40% BY VOLUME (80 PROOF). DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY JACK DANIEL DISTILLERY, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE. JACKDANIELS.COM

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | AWARD SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS AWARD PARTNERS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

MEDIA PARTNER

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EVENT PARTNER

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | WELCOME

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS What a wonderful night it was on 9 September at the 2017 Australian drinks Awards.

T

here was an incredible buzz in the room as more than 500 guests walked down the red carpet to our first-ever, theatre-style award ceremony.

It was also my first-ever Australian drinks Awards as CEO of the drinks association and I was very proud to celebrate the achievements of our industry at the newly opened ICC Sydney.

The night wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing event partner, Veritas Events, and the drinks association team.

I would also like to thank Georgia Lennon and General former CEO Sandra Przibilla for Manager Sales Michael Ritoli, Asahi Premium Beverages being the driving force behind the industry having such a respected awards night.

Sandra was instrumental in launching the Australian drinks Awards in 2012 and the way the night has evolved and grown over the past five years is a credit to both her and our dynamic industry. She devoted the last months of her tenure with the drinks association to ensure the night was our most exciting yet.

The Awards themselves couldn’t have been determined without Nielsen and Advantage Australia. Nielsen oversees the judging process behind the awards each year, while Advantage Australia’s Benchmarking Report determines Supplier of the Year.

Thank you also to NCI Finance/AMA Collection Services, SKUVantage, Liebherr and OnTap Data for being valued Award Partners.

After the official proceedings ended, the fun continued with an after-party sponsored for the second year running by StayinFront. It featured 48 West, a classy, sophisticated jazz band that re-imagined forever-favourite radio hits into swinging jazz anthems. the drinks association is already working on plans to make the 2018 Australian drinks Awards even bigger and better. We look forward to seeing you in September 2018 for another fantastic evening.

Regards, Georgia Lennon, CEO, the drinks association drinks trade|7

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | AWARDS STRUCTURE

HOW THE AWARDS WORK The Australian drinks Awards are the most independent, credible and transparent in the alcohol industry, thanks to the rigorous process undertaken by leading market research bodies Nielsen and Advantage Australia to find the winners. Here’s how they do it.

1

Online Self Nominations Open

Collected

Alcohol brands wishing to be considered for Most Loved Brand, Best Innovation, Best Ad Campaign, Best Presence in Social Media and Best Sales Achievement are invited to apply online at www.australiandrinksawards.com.au

2

Nielsen collects the supporting materials from the online entries.

3

Consumer Survey

A consumer panel votes for their preferred brand, product or campaign for Most Loved Brand, Best Innovation, Best Ad Campaign and Best Presence in Social Media.

Social Media Monitoring

4

5

Best Sales Achievement

6

Brand of the Year

For the Best Presence in Social Media award, Nielsen also measures the social media performance of different brands through the Salesforce social media monitoring site. The Facebook numbers submitted by entrants online are also incorporated into the social media monitoring.

8|drinks trade

Entries

Separate to the consumer survey, the award winner for Best Sales Achievement is determined from the brand’s sales data provided in the online entry, which is analysed by Nielsen for incremental and percentage growth.

Nielsen determines the Brand of the Year award by looking at the best average performance across all five of the awards. The brand with the highest performance across the five awards is nominated for Brand of the Year.

7

8

Winners Approved

Nielsen compiles all of the analysis from the consumer survey, social media monitoring, and sales data, and presents the winners list to the drinks association.

10

Methodology

In the trade survey, respondents rate suppliers using a five-point scale (one = highest and five = lowest). These are then converted to give each supplier a net favourable score, which can range from 100 to -100. Each supplier is then benchmarked against other suppliers based on this score.

Supplier of the Year

Supplier of the Year is determined by Advantage Australia via its Benchmarking Report, which measures how favourable a supplier is among their respective customers in the onpremise, off-premise and wholesale trade.

11

Qualitative Research

The surveys are then followed up with interviews with personnel from all levels and functions of the trade businesses to gain deeper insights and specific feedback about the suppliers’ performance.

12

9

Quantitative Research

Members of the on-premise, off-premise and wholesale trade are asked to take part in an online survey and rate suppliers they have worked with in the last 12 months against 35 performance factors such as business relationships, customer service and supply chain.

The Results

The quantitative data and qualitative feedback are analysed by Advantage to determine the Supplier of the Year, which is the company with the highest net favourable score across the total program. These results are also integrated into supplier specific reports and presented back to participating suppliers.

13

Presentation Ceremony

The Australian drinks Awards are presented by the drinks association at a big annual ceremony celebrated by the industry.

drinks trade|9

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | INTERVIEWS WITH THE MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

L-R Michael Edmonds, Scott Hadley & Michael Ritoli

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

ASAHI PREMIUM BEVERAGES Voted as your joint-favourite supplier to do business with highlights both the significant investment Asahi Premium Beverages (APB) has put into building a strong multibeverage portfolio and the positive and passionate people behind the business. Here, drinks trade speaks to Chief Commercial Officer Scott Hadley, General Manager Sales Michael Ritoli, and General Manager Marketing Michael Edmonds about the Supplier of the Year award and how the business has grown.

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drinks trade: What did receiving the 2017 Supplier of the Year award mean to the team at APB? Scott Hadley: Winning the Supplier of the Year award was the culmination of five years of hard work for the team. From where our business came from - from private equity to ownership

by Asahi - we’ve worked hard to increase our professionalism, the capability of the team, the way we interact with our customers, consumers and the industry as a whole, and we’re very proud as an organisation to win the award.

DT: What has APB done over the last 12 months to get to where it is today as the number one beverage supplier in the eyes of the trade?

Michael Ritoli: I think that what we’ve done as a team is maintain our roots, meaning that the team is still flexible and nimble, they understand our customers’ businesses and go out of their way to find solutions to assist our customers in building their businesses. I think the award is a testament to how hard our team has worked with our customers to bring those solutions to life.

SH: Our acquisition strategy is to look at the current consumer trends and what’s growing in the market, and to use that to make sure that we’re relevant to our customers.

Initially, to get the Somersby licence was a real game changer for us and it gave us the confidence to acquire a brand like Cricketer’s Arms. Then we went on and acquired Mountain Goat and more licensing agreements with Estrella Damn, and the acquisition of Peroni and Grolsch just last month will be truly transformational for our business and continue our growth trajectory.

Our recent decision to move into full-strength spirits with the acquisition of the Artisan Spirit Merchants (ASM) brands has also given another leg to our portfolio which we’re really excited about.

DT: How would you describe APB’s portfolio in terms of the strength of the brands and what it offers the trade?

Michael Edmonds: APB now has a very strong portfolio of brands that cover a broad range of growing categories. We have a solid presence in premium international and craft beer; we’re

happening in the market, but at this stage, we don’t have a burning desire to go out and make any large acquisitions.

DT: How does APB plan to continue growth moving forward?

ME: I think the growth that we’ve achieved in the last few years and the ambitions we have mean that we’ve got a competent and motivated team in place, and it’s really the team that’s going to drive our business forward.

In terms of our brands, we have ambitious marketing plans to build our brand portfolio, backed by strong marketing investment.

In premium beer, it’s about building our super-premium range of beers, which we can use to help retailers and on-premise operators obtain healthy margins in that segment. In craft beer, it’s about the continued expansion of our Mountain Goat and Cricketer’s Arms offerings in line with strong growth trends in those categories. And in cider, with Somersby representing a third of the market, it’s essential that we continue to innovate and we’ve got some exciting plans for how to do that. And of

Winning the Supplier of the Year award was the culmination of five years of hard work for the team. From where our business came from - from private equity to ownership by Asahi - we’ve worked hard to increase our professionalism, the capability of the team, the way we interact with our customers, consumers and the industry as a whole, and we’re very proud as an organisation to win the award.

DT: As Supplier of the Year, what do you think differentiates APB from other suppliers?

SH: We like to think that we have the best team in the industry. Our team is passionate, dedicated and goes above and beyond, and we feel that gives us an edge in a competitive environment. We have some strong competitors, but we feel that our people are the difference for our business.

also the leading cider supplier with Somersby, and that comes from a strong base in RTDs. Of course, we’re also very excited about our most recent acquisition of ASM, which gives us great spirits coverage. So when you add our non-alcohol portfolio, with Schweppes and Pepsi into the mix, we really do have a strong multi-beverage offering for our customers and consumers.

MR: I think that when our customers deal with our business, they find very passionate and engaged people. Our staff genuinely care about our customers and how we can help them to grow their business.

DT: Are there any more acquisitions on the cards for APB? SH: Well you never say never, but as we’ve just spoken about, we’ve acquired a lot of brands in the last few years, and I think now it’s important for us to consolidate and get the runs on the board with those. As is the case with a lot of companies, we’re always on the lookout for new brands and we’re still looking at what’s

DT: There have been a number of acquisitions at APB over the last few years. Were those strategic?

course, our heartland is in our RTDs, and with the recent innovation with Woodstock Easy Roller, our new contemporary spiced rum brand Untold, and Vodka O, we have an exciting range of offers to drive continued growth.

DT: What activity can trade expect from APB over summer and Christmas?

ME: We’re very excited about the launch of Somersby Cloudy. It’s a refreshing, lighter and semi-sweet version of Somersby. It was highly rated by consumers in sensory evaluation so we have high expectations that it will become a strong performer.

DT: What consumer insights or trends are APB following in the beer industry?

ME: There’s been an evident revival in consumers’ interest in beer, and I think that’s exciting for

drinks trade|11

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | INTERVIEWS WITH THE MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

the industry. For our business, there’s a great opportunity in craft beer, which is becoming the new norm for many consumers. Craft beer gives consumers the chance to explore beyond the normal world of mainstream beer, and it’s bringing both genders along. There’s also a move away from those overly hoppy beers to refreshing and sessionable beers, and we think that a beer like Mountain Goat Steam Ale is perfect to tap into that market. In terms of premium beer, I think the notion of status has changed, and consumers are now looking more for knowledge and experiences rather than old status symbols, and I think we can tap into that with our brands.

Finally, the other trend that’s important for our business is the move towards premium midstrength and craft mid-strength beers. So for our business, the Asahi Soukai, Peroni Leggera and Cricketer’s Arms Session Ale offerings provide us with opportunities to capitalise on this change.

DT: How does APB perceive the health of the on and off-premise channels currently?

MR: Overall, I would say that both channels are in a healthy state, but I think operating in the on 12|drinks trade

“There are a lot of good operators out there with a lot of passion, both in the on and off-premise, which helps the industry to continue to thrive as well.” and off-premise is always challenging. So it’s up to us, as suppliers, to work with our customers to understand what we can do to assist them to drive further foot traffic into their stores or venues.

SH: There are a lot of good operators out there with a lot of passion, both in the on and offpremise, which helps the industry to continue to thrive as well.

MR: Absolutely, operators are doing a great job in providing stores and venues with new layouts and outfits that excite the consumer.

DT: What do you think are the main challenges for the alcohol industry currently?

SH: I think there are a few challenges. The first is the variety of different challenges across the regulatory landscape, which we all face, whether

you’re a supplier or operator in the industry. We think the alcohol industry is an integral part of society, providing enjoyment for many, and we don’t want regulation to overtake us. So we have been focused on our corporate social responsibility; we want to make sure that we continue to enhance our reputation within the industry, that we support the industry, and that we’re also aware of changing consumer trends and attitudes towards health and wellbeing. And we think the alcohol industry has a role to play in educating the consumer.

I think the other challenge is the changing consumer landscape and consumers’ repertoire of products, and it’s up to us to be leading and keeping up with those trends and delivering products that consumers want to buy and enjoy.

I will say, however, that while these may be challenges, they are also massive opportunities for us all.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N O R T O P L A C E A N O R D E R , P L E A S E C A L L Y O U R ASAHI PREMIUM BEVERAGES REPRESENTATIVE OR CUSTOMER SERVICE ON 1800 090 378

drinks trade|13

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | INTERVIEWS WITH THE MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

L-R: Brad Ipson, Chris Blockley, Mark Churi, Alan Kammouni and Alastair Beach

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

CASELLA FAMILY BRANDS Three acquisitions in three years have evolved Casella Family Brands from the engine room of [yellow tail] to a wine business with premium brands of history, authenticity and integrity, that seeks to find solutions for its customers. This is your joint 2017 Supplier of the Year. Here, drinks trade speaks to General Manager Sales Mark Churi about what the award means to the team. drinks trade: What did receiving the 2017 Supplier of the Year award mean to the team at Casella?

Mark Churi: To be recognised across the wine, beer, cider, spirits and RTD categories was a massive achievement for us. It also highlighted our relevance to the trade. You don’t always have a peg in the sand when it comes to how your customers perceive you, so it signalled to the team the strength of our business practices and brands in the eyes of our customers.

John Casella was equally as excited about receiving this award and in fact, on the night of the awards I rang him, and he said that his parents would have been very proud 14|drinks trade

too. Furthermore, it signalled that our recent acquisitions have added significant value.

DT: The Supplier of the Year award is given to a business that the trade love to work with. What has Casella done to build its relationships with its customers?

MC: Across the business, we’re relationship focused, but ultimately everything we do is about adding value - understanding what the retailer wants, then looking at what we have to offer from our portfolio, and delivering it. We are empowered to find solutions in the best interest of our customers and their businesses.

DT: The acquisitions in the last three years have included Peter Lehmann, Brand’s Laira and Morris Wines. What was the significance of gaining those brands for the business?

MC: In a changing global marketplace, premiumisation is an increasingly important trend. These acquisitions have been an important part of John’s vision to ensure the business remains strong and relevant to our customers and consumers.

These were three very strategic acquisitions in that they had a clear purpose. John’s view is that to be a sustainable business, you need to build sustainable brands and therefore you must continue to invest in and nurture them.

DT: A lot of people were aware of the external transition of these brands at the time, but what was going on internally at Casella during the process?

MC: Before we owned Peter Lehmann, we were purely focused on the [yellow tail] brand, delivering 12.5 million cases around the world every year. With the integration of three new brands came significant change and complexity across all facets of the business.

We have really had to work together to provide a seamless offer to our customers. Receiving this award recognises that all of the hard work all our teams have put in behind the scenes has really paid off!

DT: Were any changes made to the brands?

MC: After each acquisition, we took the time needed to review the portfolio. In order to make informed strategic decisions we reviewed consumer market insights and consulted closely with key winery operations and our retail partners. It was important to maintain the integrity of each of the brands’ legacy and role within the community while enhancing their relevance with both consumers and the trade. The key outcomes were to streamline the ranges, enhance the brands through packaging refreshes and build strong communication platforms.

“Acquisitions have been an important part of John’s vision to ensure the business remains strong and relevant to our customers and consumers.”

DT: What’s Casella’s perception of the fortified category now that it has the Morris range?

MC: It’s interesting how engaged the market is with the brand. The fortified category is seeing renewed interest from consumers as a result of the shift towards premiumisation. To me, it is all about heritage, authenticity and generations of winemaking expertise. We are fortunate enough to now own one of the world’s most iconic fortified wineries.

falls within the $15-19.99 price bracket. This lighter, Provence style wine meets the needs of the discerning wine drinker and we believe it is a strong extension of our existing Portraits range.

DT: What plans does Casella have in store for summer/Christmas?

MC: We’ve got a very strong summer campaign underpinned by [yellow tail]. It’s a sizzling incentive for retailers to display and sell Australia’s second favourite wine brand to their customers at Christmas time, led by our new rosé and prosecco. Our sales reps will be rolling these out over the coming weeks (turn to page 44 for more information).

Then with Peter Lehmann, to capitalise on premium wine sales at this key time of year, we have introduced an in-store competition giving consumers the opportunity to win a selection of our flagship wines in a very premium, six-bottle wooden gift case.

To build awareness and trial of Brand’s Laira, we have partnered with Australia’s largest food and wine festival - Good Food Month. Through numerous events including our first-ever pop-up cellar door, we will engage with more than 1.3 million consumers across the country, bringing a taste of Coonawarra to the people.

With Christmas gift-giving providing the perfect opportunity to enjoy gift-boxed fortified wines, we will also be re-engaging with the trade with our iconic Morris range.

“You don’t always have a peg in the sand when it comes to how your customers perceive you, so it signalled to the team the strength of our business practices and brands in the eyes of our customers.”

DT: The three new wine brands are well known for their history and heritage. How important is it to Casella to continue those and maintain close relationships with the cellar doors and communities behind them?

MC: When we acquired the three brands, John was very much aware of the importance of the local communities/cellar doors and how integral they are to both our history and future success.

The Peter Lehmann Wines and Brand’s Laira cellar doors are receiving much-needed facelifts and we continue to support local events in the regions, and work hard to acknowledge the local community. The recent Peter Lehmann campaign, ‘It takes a village to raise a vintage’, is a great example of this. The campaign seeks to show the many people who have a hand in creating each bottle of Peter Lehmann wine.

DT: What are some of the wine trends Casella is chasing at the moment?

MC: The prosecco category is really on fire, so we’re releasing a [yellow tail] Prosecco in time for Christmas. It will retail in the $15 bracket, which is where most of the other, more affordable proseccos are positioned.

We are seeing phenomenal growth in the rosé category in Australia at +57 per cent value yearon-year. We identified an opportunity for a [yellow tail] Rosé priced at $10, which we believe will appeal to the younger, emerging drinkers.

Then within the Peter Lehmann range, we have launched an elegant grenache rosé, which

drinks trade|15

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Q&A

MOST LOVED BRAND

drinks trade: What did winning the award mean to you?

Natalia Kowalczyk, Senior Brand Manager - Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands: Our brand is intrinsically linked to our product, and we make this a priority every day.

Our whiskey will never let us down therefore, we ensure to live up to its quality in everything we do. Winning the Brand of the Year is recognition of our determination to uphold Jack Daniel’s legacy. We like to think he would be pleased.

DT: What has the brand done over the last 12 months to achieve the award?

NK: Our promotional plans focused on inspiring and exciting consumers by celebrating 150 years in making and reinforcing what makes Jack Daniel’s so special. And that’s Lynchburg Tennessee the only place where Jack Daniel’s is made with our original recipe.

DT: What plans does the brand have in store for summer/Christmas?

NK: Jack Daniel’s and music have a long history together and we’re excited to be partnering with a number of events over the next 12 months including Falls Festival, CMC Rocks and Woodford Folk Festival to engage with consumers during their most memorable moments.

16|drinks trade

Jessica Bullock, Natalia Kowalczyk & Emily Chenoweth

JACK DANIEL’S Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

BEST INNOVATION

Q&A drinks trade: What did winning the award mean to you?

Emily Griffiths, Marketing Manager Pure Blonde: Pure Blonde Cider was launched because we truly believed there was a gap in the market for a better-for-you cider.

The incredible results since launch validate this.

The whole team at CUB is really proud of the achievement.

DT: What has the brand done over the last 12 months to achieve the award?

EG: Pure Blonde Cider was launched with a comprehensive marketing plan to drive awareness and build trial, but probably the biggest impact came from our customers – who all believed in the product and really got behind the launch.

Emily Griffiths & Paul Reason

PURE BLONDE CIDER Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

DT: What plans does the brand have in store for summer/Christmas?

EG: Throughout summer, we’ll continue to build awareness and drive trial of Pure Blonde Cider through above-theline and below-the-line communications. All messaging will reinforce Pure Blonde Cider’s innovative claims of 60 per cent less sugar and 50 per cent fewer carbs than regular cider.

drinks trade|17

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Q&A

BEST SALES ACHIEVEMENT

drinks trade: What did winning the award mean to you?

Michelle Gazzola, Marketing Manager, Great Northern: It’s a great acknowledgement for the entire business to win Best Sales Achievement. This award wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our sales, supply, production and marketing teams. We’re really proud to have won this award for the last two years.

DT: What has the brand done over the last 12 months to achieve the award?

MG: Great Northern Super Crisp has been the number one priority for CUB; we’ve worked hard to close all distribution gaps in sales and develop strong in-store programs alongside developing compelling consumer relevant above-the-line campaigns.

DT: What plans does the brand have in store for summer/Christmas?

MG: The momentum on Great Northern is only getting started.

We’ve just launched Great Northern Original, our full-strength variant across the country, which is delivering above our expectations and our new TVC is launching in late October.

18|drinks trade

Glenn Thiele, Michelle Gazzola & Paul Reason

GREAT NORTHERN Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

THE PENFOLDS COLLECTION. A FAMILY OF FINE WINES, EACH WITH A DISTINCT CHARACTER AND PROVENANCE. THIS TESTAMENT TO THE ENDURING HOUSE STYLE HAS BEEN UPHELD BY PENFOLDS SINCE 1844.

DISCOVER THE PENFOLDS COLLECTION 2017.

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AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Q&A

BEST PRESENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA

drinks trade: What did winning the award mean to you?

Angus Lilley, Chief Marketing Officer - ANZ, SEAMEA and Europe: It’s a great achievement for our team. Social media plays a significant role in our overall marketing plan for Penfolds, so it’s a great privilege to be recognised for the fourth consecutive year in this area.

DT: What has the brand done over the last 12 months to achieve the award?

AL: Over the past 12 months, we have increased our digital and social advertising activity and focused on time targeting. This has given us efficiencies on our advertising spend by targeting the times when our audiences are most likely to be receptive. We have also implemented digital advertising retargeting and engaged on a series of testing to continually learn and enhance our efforts.

DT: What plans does the brand have in store for summer/Christmas?

AL: We recently announced our new National Geographic partnership and have just launched our 2017 Collection wines. Over the coming summer months, we will shift our focus to white wines and festive occasion gifting.

In early 2018, we will also be running a campaign for Penfolds Max’s range.

20|drinks trade

Troy Butley & Angus Lilley

PENFOLDS Supplier: Treasury Wine Estates PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

BEST AD CAMPAIGN

Q&A drinks trade: What did winning the award mean to you?

Juan Uranga, Brand Manager – Global Premium Brands: We always knew that it was a great campaign. It was one of the best TV ads ever tested in Australia.

It is encouraging that the campaign and the product have also been recognised by a highly and respected institution and our peers.

DT: What has the brand done over the last 12 months to achieve the award?

JU: We launched a new campaign to establish Stella Artois’ legacy.

Sebastian, the hero of this campaign and Stella Artois founder, had to make the choice to go against the grain to build that legacy.

Juan Uranga & Brian Phan

STELLA ARTOIS ‘SEBASTIAN’ Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

DT: What plans does the brand have in store for summer/Christmas?

JU: Christmas is an important time of the year for us. Stella Artois was originally crafted for Christmas for the people of Leuven, Belgium and it was named after the Christmas star. We will launch a campaign across a number of marketing platforms.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

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AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | OVERALL CATEGORY WINNERS

MOST LOVED BRAND

And the Major Award Winner was...

JACK DANIEL’S! Turn to page 16 to read their interview.

George Alikakos, Jessica Bullock, Natalia Kowalczyk & Emily Chenoweth

RTD

SPIRITS

Overall Category Winner: Jack Daniel’s Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia

Overall Category Winner: Jack Daniel’s Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia

George Alikakos, Andy Vance & Brian Phan

George Alikakos, Caroline Brown & Christian Kennedy

George Alikakos, Camilla Olsen, Michael Edmonds & Grayson Cook

BEER

WINE

CIDER

Overall Category Winner: Corona Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

Overall Category Winner: Brown Brothers Supplier: Brown Brothers

Overall Category Winner: Somersby Supplier: Asahi Premium Beverages

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

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BEST INNOVATION

And the Major Award Winner was...

PURE BLONDE CIDER! Turn to page 17 to read their interview.

Sally Wilkinson, Emily Griffiths & Paul Reason

Sally Wilkinson, Kim Sale & Helen Kruger

CIDER

WINE

Overall Category Winner: Pure Blonde Cider Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

Overall Category Winner: Ta_Ku Sauvignon Blanc Pink Supplier: Accolade Wines

Sally Wilkinson, James Whiteford, Simone Saroff, Jessica Ratcliffe & Danny Bache

BEER

RTD

SPIRITS

Overall Category Winner: Heineken 3 Lager Supplier: Lion

Overall Category Winner: SOFI Blood Orange & Bitters Spritz Supplier: Sofi Spritz

Overall Category Winner: Archie Rose x Horisumi Supplier: Archie Rose

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

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AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | OVERALL CATEGORY WINNERS

BEST SALES ACHIEVEMENT

And the Major Award Winner was...

GREAT NORTHERN! Turn to page 18 to read their interview.

Georgia Lennon, Glenn Thiele, Michelle Gazzola & Paul Reason

Georgia Lennon & Caroline Brown

BEER

WINE

Overall Category Winner: Great Northern Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

Overall Category Winner: Brown Brothers Prosecco Supplier: Brown Brothers

Georgia Lennon, Camilla Olsen & Michael Ritoli

Jessica Bullock, Georgia Lennon & Emily Chenoweth

Georgia Lennon, Katherine Johnstone & Paolo Marinoni

CIDER

RTD

SPIRITS

Overall Category Winner: Somersby Supplier: Asahi Premium Beverages

Overall Category Winner: Jack Daniel’s Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia

Overall Category Winner: Aperol Aperitivo Supplier: Campari Australia

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

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BEST PRESENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA

And the Major Award Winner was...

PENFOLDS! Turn to page 20 to read their interview.

Ashley Pini, Troy Butler & Angus Lilley

Nikki Langford, Ashley Pini & Elle Lewis

WINE

CIDER

Overall Category Winner: Penfolds Supplier: Treasury Wine Estates

Overall Category Winner: Rekorderlig Supplier: Coca-Cola Amatil

James Whiteford, Ashley Pini, Simone Saroff, Jessica Ratcliff & Danny Bache

Ashley Pini & Virginia Woodger

Ashley Pini & Andrew Skeehan

BEER

RTD

SPIRITS

Overall Category Winner: Heineken Supplier: Lion

Overall Category Winner: Woodstock Supplier: Asahi Premium Beverages

Overall Category Winner: Glenfiddich Supplier: William Grant & Sons

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

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AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | OVERALL CATEGORY WINNERS

BEST AD CAMPAIGN

And the Major Award Winner was...

STELLA ARTOIS ‘SEBASTIAN’!

Turn to page 21 to read their interview.

Juan Uranga, Dan Roberts & Brian Phan

BEER Overall Category Winner: Stella Artois ‘Sebastian’ Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

Dan Roberts & Roger Maconachie

Dan Roberts, Grayson Cook, Camilla Olsen & Kym Bonollo

Jessica Bullock, Dan Roberts, Natalia Kowalczyk & Emily Chenoweth

WINE

CIDER

SPIRITS

Overall Category Winner: McGuigan ‘Bring a McGuigan’ Supplier: Australian Vintage Limited

Overall Category Winner: Somersby Apple ‘The Joy of Sharing’ Supplier: Asahi Premium Beverages

Overall Category Winner: Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 ‘150th Anniversary’ Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | BEST IN CLASS

BEST IN CLASS AWARD WINNERS

Best in Class (Other Spirits Dark): Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum Supplier: William Grant & Sons

BEST INNOVATION Best in Class (Other Spirits Light): Aperol Aperitivo Supplier: Campari Australia

BEST AD CAMPAIGN BEER Best in Class (International): Heineken 3 Lager Supplier: Lion

WINE

BEER

Best in Class (White): Ta_Ku Sauvignon Blanc Pink Supplier: Accolade Wines

Best in Class (Domestic): XXXX Gold ‘Take in the Gold’ Supplier: Lion

Best in Class (Other): McWilliam’s Flavoured Fortified Supplier: McWilliam’s Wines

Best in Class (International): Stella Artois ‘Sebastian’ Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

SPIRITS

Best in Class (Craft): Wild Yak Pacific Ale Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

Best in Class (Gin): Archie Rose Rose x Horisumi Supplier: Archie Rose Distilling Co. Best in Class (Other Spirits Dark): Ratu Dark Spiced Rum 5YO Supplier: Coca-Cola Amatil

Best in Class (Craft): James Squire First Brewer Supplier: Lion

WINE BEST PRESENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Best in Class (Red): [yellow tail] Shiraz Supplier: Casella Family Brands Best in Class (White): [yellow tail] Chardonnay Supplier: Casella Family Brands

BEER Best in Class (Domestic): XXXX Gold Supplier: Lion

Best in Class (Other): McGuigan Wines ‘Bring a McGuigan’ Supplier: Australian Vintage Limited

SPIRITS Best in Class (International): Heineken Supplier: Lion

Best in Class (Bourbon): Wild Turkey ‘The Journey Begins’ Supplier: Campari Australia

Best in Class (Craft): James Squire Supplier: Lion

Best in Class (Whiskey/Whisky): Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 ‘150th Anniversary’ Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia

WINE Best in Class (Red): Penfolds Supplier: Treasury Wine Estates

BEST SALES ACHIEVEMENT

Best in Class (White): Banrock Station Supplier: Accolade Wines

BEER Best in Class (Champagne/Sparkling): Jansz Tasmania Supplier: Samuel Smith & Son

Best in Class (Domestic): Great Northern Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

SPIRITS

Best in Class (Craft): James Squire Supplier: Lion

Best in Class (Whiskey/Whisky): Glenfiddich Whisky Supplier: William Grant & Sons

Best in Class (International): Asahi Super Dry Supplier: Asahi Premium Beverages 28|drinks trade

WINE Best in Class (Red): Devil’s Corner Supplier: Brown Brothers Best in Class (Champagne/Sparkling): Brown Brothers Prosecco Supplier: Brown Brothers

SPIRITS Best in Class (Gin): Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin Supplier: Bacardi-Martini Australia Best in Class (Whiskey/Whisky): Jack Daniel’s Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia Best in Class (Other Spirits Dark): Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum Supplier: William Grant & Sons Best in Class (Other Spirits Light): Aperol Aperitivo Supplier: Campari Australia

MOST LOVED BRAND

BEER Best in Class (Domestic): XXXX Gold Supplier: Lion Best in Class (Craft): James Squire Supplier: Lion Best in Class (International): Corona Supplier: Carlton & United Breweries

WINE Best in Class (Red): Jacob’s Creek Supplier: Pernod Ricard Australia Best in Class (White): Brown Brothers Supplier: Brown Brothers Best in Class (Champagne/Sparkling): Brown Brothers Prosecco Supplier: Brown Brothers

SPIRITS Best in Class (Gin): Bombay Sapphire Supplier: Bacardi-Martini Australia Best in Class (Whiskey/Whisky): Jack Daniel’s Supplier: Brown-Forman Australia

drinks trade|29

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | SOCIAL

WHAT THE AWARD SPONSORS HAD TO SAY “We always look forward to the big Awards night in September and celebrating the achievements of the Australian liquor industry.

This year, we bolstered the science behind the Awards and, in conjunction with the drinks association, made enhancements to the judging criteria to ensure the industry’s efforts were best measured.”

– JUSTIN SARGENT Nielsen Pacific CEO “I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Australian drinks Awards; it’s a fantastic opportunity to get together and celebrate with friends and colleagues across the industry. This year’s Supplier of the Year result was our first tie and a real demonstration of the fact that you don’t have to be a large-scale supplier to stand out in the eyes of the retailers.

As we download our insights to the supplier community, it’s great to see the level of engagement we have across the industry and the ongoing support for the Trade Survey.”

– JOHN MCLOUGHLIN Advantage Asia Pacific Group Managing Director

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“Each year, NCI and AMA look forward to sponsoring an award and attending the gala dinner. Congratulations to all of the category award winners for Best Innovation at the 2017 Australian drinks Awards.

NCI/AMA was proud to partner with the drinks association to celebrate such an important category. We are also proud to provide services that help protect, grow and support the drinks industry.”

– KIRK CHEESMAN NCI Managing Director “Hip Media was thrilled to partner with the 2017 Australian drinks Awards.

The industry’s night of nights, it was a fantastic opportunity to network with friends, peers and colleagues, and to be on the stage to present several of the awards to well-deserving winners. We hope to do it again in 2018.”

– ASHLEY PINI Hip Media Managing Director “A great evening was had at the Australian drinks Awards, celebrating alongside passionate brands within the drinks industry and acknowledging those who have worked that little bit extra, going home with an award in tow. Liebherr was thrilled to hand over the Most Loved Brand award to the Jack Daniel’s team.

We acknowledge the hard work involved with drinks trade|31

AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS 2017 | SOCIAL

winning over consumers in a competitive market and keeping them. Well done Jack Daniel’s, you are a true testament to a successful brand. And well done to all the brands who won their categories in Most Loved Brand.”

– GEORGE ALIKAKOS Liebherr Marketing Manager “OnTap Data was delighted to present the Best Sales Achievement award at the Australian drinks Awards. Sales and data are both such an important part of our industry and the two go hand-in-hand, which is why we felt this sponsorship opportunity was the perfect fit. We feel celebrating success is hugely important and sales is an integral part of the overall success of any product or brand within our industry. We’d like to congratulate all of the category finalists, as well as the winning Great Northern team.”

– LEITH MCGREGOR OnTap Data Managing Director “We were so excited to be part of the 2017 Australian drinks Awards, as we recognise innovative and compelling marketing strategies within the drinks industry.”

– DANIEL ROBERTS SKUVantage Founder and CEO

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