Wine in Australia by Hunter Valley - Case Study Example

Wine in Australia (Students Name) (Course Name) (Instructor’s Name) 29th September 2011 Introduction The high demand for wine in the local and international markets has rendered many countries to diversify their production in order to meet the need of their consumers. Through production of quality wine, the profitability of the wine producing companies has continued to increase despite the stiff competition in the industry. Australian wine industry is one of the major exporters of wine in the world. The country exports more than 770 million litres in the international market. This has resulted to high inflow of the foreign exchange, which accounts for more than $5.6 billion per year on the Australian economy (Clarke, 2004). Some of the major importers of the country’s wine include South Asian nations and India. The high domestic demand has also boosted the wine industry. Some of the benefits of the wine industry in Australia include increased employment opportunities, improved infrastructure, tourism and increased export earnings. The country has more than 60 wine regions which are located in various parts of the country including Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Variety of wines and styles are produced by each of these regions depending on the topography, climatic conditions, and topography. Some of the notable varieties include Meriot, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, and Chardonnay. This paper will analyse the wines varieties and styles produced by Hunter valley, one of the most significant wine regions in Australia. Background information of Hunter valley Among the most well known wine regions in New South Wales is the Hunter Valley. Having been established in 19th century, the region has played a significant role in the growth of the wine industry in Australia (Halliday, 2007). The region was established during the time when European settled New South Wales and Sydney in the 18th century. John Shortland, a British soldier discovered the Hunter River in 1797. Soon after the discovery, the Australian government supported the planting of grapevines in Sydney. Hunter Valley produces its wine from a variety of grapes that include Verdelho, Chadonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The region is subdivided into lower and upper valley. The lower valley is further divided into sub region that include Broke Fordwich. Most of the famous vineyards are located at Brokenback range which is a major part of the Great Dividing Range. Hunter valley climate Even though Hunters valley is known to be having a Mediterranean climate, the region specifically has the sub-tropical climate that is influenced by the maritime that comes from the Pacific Ocean. This makes the region to be one of the wettest and hottest regions in Australia (Halliday, 2007). One of the major reasons for the production of grapes of high quality in the region is the cooling effects the regions experiences from the ocean breezes. In addition, to the cool breezes the region experiences periodic cyclones and high rainfall especially during the autumn and summer periods. During winter, the temperature at Hunter Valley is around 40 °F while during winter the region experiences daily temperature of more than 69.9 °F. January is the peak-growing month. During this month, temperatures range between 72 –74 °F. The region also experiences 7-7.6 hours of sunshine especially during the growing season. However, the vines are protected from the heat stress due to the occurrence of clouds from the ocean. During winter, the valley experiences dry conditions due to the cold fronts that are because of the winds which generate high-pressure (Johnson, 1989).Annual rainfall in the region falls between the month of October and April. The high humidity in the region is experienced during the month of January and February. This results to appearance of mould, one of the major threats that affect the production of vines in the region. Hunter Valley geography Hunter Valley is a section of the Hunter region that is found in South Wales. Brokenback range, one of the major features in Hunter Valley region originated from Mooki fault after it became geographically active. Hunter Valley is also associated with volcanic thrust based on the basalt strips that are found in the region. Hunter Valley Soils Hunter Valley is composed of different types of soils that favour the growing of the variety of grapes. For instance, the creeks and rivers found at the Upper Hunter contribute to the loam soils that are silky in nature. At the lower Hunter, the soils vary from friable loam to sandy alluvial, which favours the growing of Shiraz Semillon respectively. Volcanic basalt is also found at the Brokenback range. This type of soil is highly valued by the vine growers since it makes the grapes to have a higher concentration of minerals as well as restricting vigour in the grapes. Hazards restricting the productivity of vineyards One of the problems faced by the Hunter valley is the season rains. This is based on the site of the region. The occurrence of Botrytts cinerea fungus results to the rotting of the grapes. Botryttz cinerea is useful during the harvesting of Semillon, one of the grape varieties in the region. However, the fungus results to an infection known as grey rot. Wide range of pathogens including Greneria uvicola and Coiletotrichum acutatum were also discovered in Hunter Valley vineyards in 1990s. In order to dry the grapes off and prevent them from being affected by the Botrytis grey rot, open canopy were constructed in the region. However, in 2000 the canopy triggered the development of other types of rots including ripe rot. Lack of fungicides to address the ripe rot is another major problem that is still affecting the growing of grapes in Hunter valley. Broke Fordwich Broke Fordwich is one of the recognized sub-region of the Hunter Valley. The sub region is located near Pokolbin Town. Having been officially established in 2010, the area is recognized due to high quality of its fruits. The area that includes Milbrodale and Broke communities has most of its vineyards located at the Broke and Bulga villages as well as at the Brokenback range. Out of the total plantings in the Hunter Valley, Broke Fordwich contributes 14%. The major part of Broke Fordwich is mainly devoted to Pinot noir, Verdelho, Semillon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz. Other types of grapes grown in the area include SangioveseMalbec, ViognierTraminer, Tempranillo, Chambourcin among others. Future concerns of the Hunter Valley Despite the adequate production of vines in the Hunter Valley, the region is faced with a number of challenges that need to be addressed in order to retain the high production of vines. One of the concerns is the dieback diseases that affect the stems of the vines. Eutypa lata, one of the fungi present at the region is negatively affecting the production of vines leading to reduced production of various brands of grapes. Semillon vines, which are used by majority of the wine makers is affected by Botryosphaeria, a pathogenic species that is presently found in the region (Steel, and Christopher, 2007). This has resulted to a slow growth of the vines hence reduced yields. The attack of the grapevine shoots by the Kangaroos especially during growing season is another problem facing the valley. It is vital for the Australian government to adopt measures to keep at bay the Kangaroos’ for instance by fencing the region. In the same way, the frequent birds that attack the vineyards during harvesting period result to decreased production of the vines. Hunter Valley wineries Hunter valley is recognized for the production of wines that are taken during family gatherings, dining pleasure, parties and cultural events. For the tourist visiting Australia, the wineries offer quality wines that have beautiful tastes and affordable prices. Some of the notable wineries include Adina vineyard, Allandale Winery, Ascella Wines , Benwarin Wines, Arrowfield Estate among others (Johnson et al, 2005). This section analyses major wine brands available in some of the wineries within Hunter Valley region. Adina vineyard Adina vineyard is located at the centre of lower Hunter Valley. It is a family owned business that is located 7 kilometres from Cessnock. In order to provide its customers with products that meets their needs, Adina Vineyard, has diversified its product line to include services including five star catering services, restaurant among others. As a result, the winery has continued to register high number of local and foreign tourists. The objective of the Adina vineyard is to produce quality wines that the customers enjoy together with their friends. In order to capture the attention of their customers, Adina vineyard produces variety of traditional wines. This is in addition to the other fascinating varieties including sangiovese, pinot and grigio that are highly valued by Italians. Adina opens its cellar door from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm for 7 days. In this way, employed and unemployed customers are able to access the wines. One of the major brands portfolios are white wine. These include the Verdelhos, Chardonnays and Semilions. Other varieties are also available to complement the white wines. These include Semilion/Sauvigno blend and Pinot Grigio. In order to create strong customer awareness, Aldina Vineyard has launched a museum release Semillon. In addition to the white wines, Aldina also produces red wines. These include Shiraz, Hunter, Meriot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Sparkling wines are additional products available at the Aldina Vineyard. Sparkling wines that include Pinot Noir, Sparkling Shiraz and Dessert Semilion are mostly favourite during festive seasons. Arrowfield Estate Arrowfield Estate is located at Pokolbin. Being located at the Northern side of Sydney, wine brands available at the Arrowfield Estate include Sophie’s bridge, Bowman’s and Show Reserve. The winery highly values its customers. This is evident from its quality wines whose prices are affordable. At the Pokolbin cellar door, two sales executive namely Stephanie and Peter welcomes and gives orientation to the new customers on the various brands available in their stores. Arrowfield Estate produces Sophie Bridge wines in order to depict to its customers the extent to which the firm is dedicated to provide the clients with quality wines which is worth their money. Sophie Bridge portrays the strong partnership that exists between the grape growers and the vineyards. Sophie bridge brands include Verdelho, Chadonnay and Sauvignon Blanc all of which are sold at $12 per bottle (Johnson et al, 2005). In addition, Arrowfield Estate produces Bowman’s crossing. These brands are aimed at giving maximum value to the customers. The freshness of the Bowman’s and their ability to be compatible with variety of foods makes them more attractive to the customers. Examples of Bowman’s crossing include 2006 Bowman's Crossing Shiraz Cabernet and Bowman's Crossing Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, which are sold at $9. Arrowfield Estate Philosophy Arrowfield Estate is focused at providing quality and fascinating wines that portrays the vineyards they are produced from. According to the Arrowfield, quality wines are produced by the vineyard. In this regard, it is imperative to maintain a variety of vines that are planted at the right place with appropriate climate and soil. In order to produce great wines adequate maintenance of the vineyards should be emulated. These include thinning and pruning. In order to natural tastes and fruit intensity are achieved, Arrowfield reduces the use of oak. The brands of wine produced by Arrowfield are also taken together with variety of foods. Allandale wines Allandale Winery was established in 1978. Located at Hunter valley, the winery makes has its own vineyards from which they produce their wine. The success of Allandale is as a result of the dedication of Bill Sneddon, a renowned winemaker. After becoming a senior winemaker at Allandale, Bill formed a team that resulted to the formation of quality wines that won a number of awards. Allandale emulates modern technology to produce its wines. As a result, quality wines with an excellent balance of flavours are produced. One of the recent awards Allandale received was James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion when it was recognized as a five star winery. Allandale Winery includes 2004 and 2003 Semillon, 2009 Verdelho, 2008 Chadonnay and orange Blanc (Halliday, 2001). Based on the high quality of its wines, Allandale Winery has won bronze in various awards that include Cowra wine show, Hunter Valley winemakers and 2008 Brisbane fine wine festival. In order to ensure effective distribution of its wine, Allandale has established Oz Wines, which is an international distributor, based in UK. Other local distributors in different locations and their contacts are shown below. Name of distributor Location Email Starling Wayne New South Wales wstarling@ozemail.com.au Rory Smith Queensland rsmith@bouchon.com.au Will Sneddon New Castle william.sneddon@uon.edu.au Jill Watts Victoria orders@vintnersmerchants.com.au Ascella Wines Ascella Wines is located at Hunter valley, New South Wales. Made from the organic vineyard in Hunter Valley, Ascella wines are recognized by their devotion to care for the health of their consumers as well as to conserve the environment. This is based on the fact that the grapes from which the wines are made are not spayed with fungicides or pesticides (Robinson, 2006). In order to create customer loyalty and trust, Ascella Wines are taken to laboratories for testing. In this way, there is a prove that there are no chemical in the wine (Steel, and Christopher, 2007). In order to ensure quality, experienced wine makers such as Greg Silkman and Jackson Liz are involved in the production of the Ascella Wines. The table below indicates various brands of Ascella Wines and their bottle, half dozen and dozen prices. Brand Bottle($) Half dozen($) Dozen($) Pure White 15.30 87.00 165.00 Chardonnay 19.90 113.00 215.00 Semillon 19.90 113.00 215.00 Verdelho 19.90 113.00 215.00 Reserve Semillon 24.50 140.00 265.00 Pure Red 15.30 87.00 165.00 Shiraz 19.90 113.00 215.00 Ascella Pure Wines are aimed at creating strong positive relationship with their customers. In this regard, the winery has embarked on creating a forum where customers intermingle with the winery. Customers who are willing to become friends with Ascella Pure Wine can now fill a registration form indicating their last names, first names, date of birth, street, sub-urb and other personal details. Conclusion The production of wine in Australia is a vital economic activity that cannot be underrated. Due to the high number of wine regions, the Australian government has embarked on intensive maintenance of the vineyards in order to produce quality wines both in the local and international market. As a result, the country has benefited from increased foreign earnings and employment opportunities. Hunter Valley is one of the major wine regions that have played a significant role in expanding the wine industry. Based on the wide range of wines produced by the wineries in the Hunter Valley, the number of tourists has been on an increase. Despite the efforts made by the government to improve the production of the vines, there are some challenges, which are facing the vineyards. Various fungi have been hindering the productivity of the vine an aspect that does only affect the production but also the quality of the wines. It is therefore essential for the government to intensify research in order to come up with effective pesticides and fungicides. It is also fundamental for the Australian authorities to come up with strategies to protect vines from Kangaroos. References Clarke, Oz. 2004.Oz Clarke's Australian Wine Companion: an Essential Guide for All Lovers of Australian Wine Orlando, Florida: Harcourt. Halliday, J.2001. Regional Spotlight – Hunter Valley. Wine Pros. 29 October 2001. Web. 25 May 2010. Halliday, J.2007. Wine Atlas of Australia. Berkeley: University of California. Information on Ascella Wines. http://ascellawines.com.au/. Retrieved on September 29, 2011 Information on Hunter Valley Wineries http://www.wine-searcher.com/merchants/australiax-hunter+valley,winery,134. Retrieved on September 29, 2011 Johnson, H, 1989. Vintage: the Story of Wine. New York: Simon and Schuster. Johnson, Hugh, and Jancis 2005. The World Atlas of Wine. London: Mitchell Beazley Print. MacNeil, K.2001. The Wine Bible. New York: Workman Publisher. Robinson, J.2006. The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Steel, Christopher C. (2007) Fruit Rot Control in Hunter Vineyards. Providing Growers with Tools to Stop the Rot. New York: Workman Publisher. Read More