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Tony Allen - Duxton Vineyards & Rewild Wine
278 Plays2 years ago
On this week’s episode of Fine Vines and Wine, I’m joined by Tony Allen, Chief Winemaker at Duxton Vineyards and Rewild Wine.
This episode is jam packed with interesting wine chats (Tony brings over 30 years of industry experience in winemaking and operations), sustainable wine brand initiatives, and how these are now shaping the wine industry. Plus, we even live taste a couple of bottles from the affordable Rewild range.
We delve deep into what it takes to create a successful sustainable wine label chatting about the bigger picture and the smaller less obvious details that are all involved in the process, plus we hear what’s in store for the future and that there may even be a new varietal joining the already broad range very soon.
So sit back, pour yourself a large glass of your favourite beverage, and join me for this weeks delightful journey through the world of Australian wine.
Wines Mentioned in this Episode (all available to purchase from Dan Murphys & select BWS stores):
Sustainably Made Prosecco - $9.99
Fiano - $9.99
Sustainably Made Chardonnay - $9.99
Sustainably Made Shiraz - $9.99
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Season 2 and Acknowledgement of Land
00:00:05
Speaker
Welcome back to season two.
00:00:07
Speaker
I'm your host, Wessett certified wine influencer and bottle hoarder, Karis Pixie, and you're listening to the podcast, Find Vines and Wine, the show that takes you on a journey through the world of Australian wine, one guest and several glasses at a time.
00:00:23
Speaker
Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or a curious beginner, this show has something for everyone.
00:00:28
Speaker
So grab a glass, sit back and join us for today's episode.
00:00:32
Speaker
Cheers!
00:00:34
Speaker
Before we dive into today's episode, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the Cadigal people, traditional custodians of the land that I record the podcast on.
00:00:44
Speaker
I pay my respect to the elders past, present and emerging and I also extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who
00:00:52
Speaker
that resides where any guests are recording.
Meet Tony Allen: Duxton Vineyard's Chief Winemaker
00:00:55
Speaker
To kick off the new season, I'll be chatting with Duxton Vineyard's chief winemaker, Tony Allen, who brings over 30 years of wine industry experience in winemaking, operations and sales.
00:01:08
Speaker
He also plays a key role in the creation of sustainable wine brand, Rewild Wine, a range made with minimal intervention and regeneration in mind.
00:01:19
Speaker
Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today, Tony, for the first episode of season two.
00:01:25
Speaker
How has your week been?
The Vintage Season: Challenges and Operations
00:01:27
Speaker
Yes, well, we're into vintage already, so we've been busy crushing grapes and getting some juice into ferment.
00:01:35
Speaker
So it's been a bit of a difficult season leading up to vintage, but now we're in the full swing, so it's been very busy.
00:01:45
Speaker
Oh, yeah, I can imagine.
00:01:47
Speaker
How long does vintage usually last for?
00:01:49
Speaker
A normal vintage would probably go for about 10 weeks normally.
00:01:53
Speaker
So the winery sort of operates around the clock during that time.
00:01:58
Speaker
So we're 24-7, we're crushing grapes six days a week and we have a lot of extra staff on site that need training.
00:02:09
Speaker
Yeah, so it's a very busy time of year but very rewarding as well.
00:02:14
Speaker
So as winemakers, that's what we love to do.
00:02:16
Speaker
Yeah.
Tony's Journey: From Lab Assistant to Senior Winemaker
00:02:17
Speaker
Yes, no, definitely.
00:02:19
Speaker
Jumping straight into the questions, how long have you been working in the wine industry and how do you think it's changed over the years?
00:02:26
Speaker
I started in the industry back in 1989.
00:02:30
Speaker
So my first vintage was as a lab assistant at Beacon Estate, which is up here in the Mildura region as well.
00:02:40
Speaker
Straight after vintage, I gained full-time employment in the lab at Hardy Wine Company at their Stanley Winery, which is just on the New South Wales side of the river up here in Mildura.
00:02:52
Speaker
worked in the lab for about seven years and then the senior winemaker at the time convinced me to do my degree via correspondence at Charles Sturt Uni in Wagga.
00:03:03
Speaker
So I undertook that, took me six years by correspondence to complete in full-time employment as well and then doing
00:03:14
Speaker
80-hour weeks during vintage, it was a challenge, but no, I'm wrapped that I did it.
00:03:19
Speaker
Since then, I've held various positions.
00:03:23
Speaker
I've worked at this winery, which is currently where we are now because Duxman Board of Winery, and I've held several roles.
00:03:31
Speaker
I was senior white winemaker for a while.
00:03:34
Speaker
I was senior winemaker.
00:03:35
Speaker
Then I moved on to senior winemaker winery manager role.
Managing Growth: Duxton's Expansion and Trade
00:03:40
Speaker
And then probably about 2014, I took on a role with Accolade Wines at the time as director of commercial wineries.
00:03:53
Speaker
So in that role, I was basically overseeing both the Berry and Stanley wineries.
00:04:00
Speaker
Berry Estates is the biggest winery in Australia.
00:04:04
Speaker
I think the Southern Hemisphere.
00:04:06
Speaker
Oh, wow.
00:04:07
Speaker
Okay.
00:04:08
Speaker
They crush over 200,000 tonnes each year.
00:04:12
Speaker
So, yeah, that's a monster of a place.
00:04:16
Speaker
Yeah.
00:04:16
Speaker
And then in 2019, Accolade sold the Stanley Winery to Duxton.
00:04:23
Speaker
And as that happened, I took a little bit of a break and then I ended up coming back joining Duxton as senior winemaker.
00:04:31
Speaker
Oh, amazing.
00:04:32
Speaker
Wow.
00:04:32
Speaker
It's been a massive journey then.
00:04:34
Speaker
It has.
00:04:35
Speaker
Yeah.
00:04:36
Speaker
I've held a lot of roles.
00:04:38
Speaker
In the last couple of months, I've actually transitioned into grape and wine commercial manager role.
00:04:46
Speaker
So in that role, I'm sort of managing our supply and demand position.
00:04:52
Speaker
and I'm in charge of all of our wine trading as well.
00:04:56
Speaker
So I still work closely with all the winemakers on site in relation to winemaking direction and brand promotion, that sort
Vineyard Scale: Varietals and Production
00:05:05
Speaker
of stuff.
00:05:05
Speaker
So, yeah, it's really good.
00:05:09
Speaker
Since joining Duxton, it's been like a breath of fresh air, really.
00:05:14
Speaker
We've got a great team here.
00:05:15
Speaker
We've got big plans for the future.
00:05:18
Speaker
Overall, we have a total vineyard area of just under 2,500 hectares, which makes us, I think, we're the fifth biggest, largest vineyard landholder in Australia.
00:05:34
Speaker
In a normal year, we'd produce about 70,000 tonnes of grapes, which would make over 50 million litres of wine a year.
00:05:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:05:44
Speaker
We've got 25 different varietals in the vineyards.
00:05:48
Speaker
So that's great.
00:05:50
Speaker
We've got your stock standard Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot, but we've also got some different alternative varieties like Nero Diabla and Vermantino, Tempranillo.
00:06:05
Speaker
So that keeps things interesting from a winemaking perspective.
00:06:08
Speaker
Definitely.
Sustainability in Winemaking at Duxton
00:06:10
Speaker
Yeah, and Duxton's really committed to leadership
00:06:14
Speaker
in environmental sustainability in the wine industry as well.
00:06:17
Speaker
So we're really proud of that.
00:06:21
Speaker
We are big, but we're not corporate as such.
00:06:25
Speaker
And we've got a highly experienced team of sort of experts throughout the industry that are running the operation.
00:06:33
Speaker
Yeah, it's a great place to work.
00:06:36
Speaker
Oh, no, it sounds like it, definitely.
00:06:38
Speaker
It sounds like it's a big venture as well.
00:06:40
Speaker
Lots to do.
00:06:42
Speaker
Yes, there's always something to do, that's for sure.
00:06:44
Speaker
Oh, my gosh.
Industry Evolution: Wine Quality and Technology
00:06:46
Speaker
So have you noticed any massive changes in the wine industry over your years working?
00:06:51
Speaker
Yeah, when I first started back in 89, basically this plant was, it only crushed Sultana, Gordo grapes and a bit of red, so a little bit of Shiraz.
00:07:03
Speaker
And it was mostly for the cask industry, to be honest.
00:07:07
Speaker
And the whole region was like that.
00:07:09
Speaker
It was planted to Sultana, Gordo, which are basically fresh fruit varieties.
00:07:14
Speaker
Okay.
00:07:33
Speaker
Yeah, and I think wine quality is certainly improving still year on year.
00:07:39
Speaker
Oh, yeah, definitely.
00:07:41
Speaker
Yeah, yeah.
00:07:42
Speaker
And so I'd say that would be the biggest difference.
00:07:45
Speaker
Lots of differences in the technology we're using now in the winery as well.
00:07:51
Speaker
Yeah.
00:07:52
Speaker
Yeah, quite a few big changes.
00:07:54
Speaker
I feel like, yeah, the wine industry just is continuously changing.
00:07:58
Speaker
Like started with cask wine, then we went back to cask wine.
00:08:01
Speaker
I feel like cask wine is sort of not really a thing anymore.
00:08:04
Speaker
And now we're going into other sort of areas.
00:08:06
Speaker
So yeah, it's definitely always changing.
00:08:08
Speaker
Yes, yes.
00:08:09
Speaker
I think people are certainly drinking better quality wine now.
00:08:13
Speaker
Yes.
00:08:14
Speaker
And the producers are certainly crafting better wines as well.
00:08:19
Speaker
Yes, definitely.
00:08:21
Speaker
What would you say has been your most memorable moment in wine so far?
Rewild Rosé: Award-Winning Excellence
00:08:26
Speaker
This one probably happened very recently, actually.
00:08:29
Speaker
We were awarded the Wine State Magazine's Best Australian Wine Under $20 with the Rewild Rosé.
00:08:37
Speaker
Congratulations.
00:08:38
Speaker
So I actually bought the trophy.
00:08:40
Speaker
Oh, wow.
00:08:41
Speaker
That's amazing.
00:08:44
Speaker
Yeah, that was a great accolade for us, especially with the Rewild brand just coming out recently.
00:08:50
Speaker
The wine scored 97 points with the Wine State judges.
00:08:55
Speaker
and was awarded four and a half stars.
00:08:57
Speaker
And we really
Expanding Reach and Climate Challenges
00:08:59
Speaker
only entered it into the rosé category, but when it won that category, we then went into the chance to win the wine of the year on us.
00:09:07
Speaker
So fortunately for us, we took out the best value Aussie wine under $20, which is great because we really pride ourselves on
00:09:17
Speaker
providing our customers with great quality wines but at an amazing value for money.
00:09:22
Speaker
Yes.
00:09:22
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:23
Speaker
Yeah, your bottles are at a really affordable price.
00:09:25
Speaker
What do the judges look for when they're tasting a rosé to win that sort of award?
00:09:31
Speaker
Well, we definitely, we jumped on the bandwagon a little bit a couple of years ago.
00:09:35
Speaker
We were making a Nero Diablo rosé, but I don't think people understood it.
00:09:40
Speaker
So we just tried to make a Provence style Shiraz rosé, which was really pale in colour and quite dry.
00:09:51
Speaker
Yes.
00:09:51
Speaker
And the wine is, it's really, it's a great quality drink, lovely sort of strawberry fruits with a little bit of tannin and spice.
00:10:02
Speaker
For a $10 bottle, you just kind of go wrong.
00:10:05
Speaker
It's great, yeah.
00:10:07
Speaker
Oh, especially because those sort of pale French styles, especially from Provence, are so exy.
00:10:13
Speaker
It's nice to be able to have something so affordable and still have that same taste.
00:10:17
Speaker
Yeah, exactly.
00:10:18
Speaker
And they can be a bit hit and miss on quality as well.
00:10:21
Speaker
So, you know, I think rosé is certainly the most popular drink in Europe and hopefully the trend continues here in Australia as well.
00:10:31
Speaker
Yes, I definitely think it's going to.
00:10:35
Speaker
Do you have any personal wine goals for 2023?
00:10:38
Speaker
I mean, you've won this award, so I'm guessing that's one ticked off the list.
00:10:41
Speaker
But do you have any others?
00:10:43
Speaker
Yeah, we don't really go in trying to win awards, I guess.
00:10:47
Speaker
Probably the first goal will be to survive vintage if...
00:10:52
Speaker
It's been a really challenging year.
00:10:54
Speaker
Every year you're thrown different hurdles that you've got to jump over.
00:10:58
Speaker
The last two years up here have been quite wet and humid and very difficult to grow wine grapes.
00:11:05
Speaker
So really our goal this year in 23 is to just improve on the quality that we've been sending to Bottle and build a momentum for the Rewild brand going forward.
00:11:17
Speaker
We really hope we can...
00:11:20
Speaker
Engage some overseas customers and take Rewild to the world as well.
00:11:24
Speaker
Yes.
00:11:25
Speaker
And expand our sales overseas.
00:11:27
Speaker
So that would be probably the number one goal at this stage.
00:11:31
Speaker
Yeah, no, definitely.
00:11:32
Speaker
Talking about the sort of weather difficulties with picking season and everything like that, do you think climate change has a big factor
Sustainable Practices Amidst Climate Change
00:11:41
Speaker
in that?
00:11:41
Speaker
I think so, yeah.
00:11:43
Speaker
And I mean, we've seen it up here the last two years with the La Nina event.
00:11:49
Speaker
Yeah.
00:11:50
Speaker
more rainfall, more humid weather.
00:11:53
Speaker
we'll probably go into a 20-year drought again now.
00:11:56
Speaker
Who knows?
00:11:57
Speaker
But I think so, yeah.
00:12:01
Speaker
This area is a really hot region as well.
00:12:04
Speaker
So with climate change, you know, a small increase in temperature is not going to be great for wine grapes.
00:12:10
Speaker
Yeah.
00:12:11
Speaker
So it's certainly something that we think of from a business perspective and hence, you know, what the Rewild brand's about, really.
00:12:19
Speaker
It's taking care of Mother Nature and,
00:12:22
Speaker
hopefully putting more back in than we take out.
00:12:25
Speaker
So, yeah, so I think climate change is something that we all need to act on for sure.
00:12:32
Speaker
No, definitely.
00:12:33
Speaker
I definitely agree with that, especially because, well, I'm originally from England and
00:12:38
Speaker
England being able to grow grapes and being able to have sparklings and being able, I think they won, there was an English winery that won the best Sauv Blanc in Europe or something like that.
00:12:49
Speaker
And that's crazy.
00:12:50
Speaker
Like I never even imagined that that would be the case for somewhere like England.
00:12:55
Speaker
And French producers are thinking about moving to England now to grow grapes.
00:12:59
Speaker
Yes.
00:13:00
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's definitely crazy.
Minimal Intervention and Packaging Innovations
00:13:02
Speaker
Let's talk a little bit more about Rewild Wine.
00:13:06
Speaker
For anyone that hasn't heard of them, can you tell us a little bit more about the label?
00:13:11
Speaker
Yeah, so Rewild as a brand is a truly sustainable wine brand which is available now exclusively through Dan Murphy's and select BWS stores.
00:13:23
Speaker
It sells for $9.99 at Dan's.
00:13:27
Speaker
The brand has a genuine focus on sustainability across all aspects of the winemaking process from the grape to the glass, basically, which includes grape growing, obviously, and winemaking, but also production and packaging as well.
00:13:44
Speaker
Yeah, Rewild's committed to progressive sustainability and regenerative thinking with several environmental initiatives are in place.
00:13:57
Speaker
to ensure, like I said, that the brand gives back more than it takes from Mother Nature.
00:14:02
Speaker
So, yeah, the wines are made in the winery with minimal intervention.
00:14:09
Speaker
By that, I mean we try and have as few touch points on the wine as possible.
00:14:15
Speaker
We want to minimise waste in the winemaking process.
00:14:19
Speaker
We don't use things like Filder Earth on site here anymore, which I think probably most of the larger wineries in Australia are still using Filder Earth as a filter aid in the winemaking process.
00:14:31
Speaker
So this created a lot of waste for us, which ended up in landfills.
00:14:36
Speaker
So we brought new technology in and moved the old earth filters out and put in new centrifuges and high solids crossflow equipment, which took the place of that.
00:14:47
Speaker
Reduced our water consumption, reduced our energy consumption and our rework and all this stuff going to landfill as well.
00:14:55
Speaker
So virtually everything in the winemaking process is either reused or recycled in some way.
00:15:02
Speaker
So all the grape mark is used to make distillation spirit, grape spirit.
00:15:08
Speaker
All of our stalks and leaves that come out of the crusher are used as mulch.
00:15:13
Speaker
or used in the vineyards as compost.
00:15:17
Speaker
Any equipment that we purchase in the winery, we make sure it's all energy efficient, that there's no waste, and that it's fit for purpose.
00:15:26
Speaker
So the Reboil brand, we sort of work with the Dan's team for probably 18 months to get this compost.
00:15:33
Speaker
project off the ground.
00:15:35
Speaker
I guess the brand story and everything about it was more to do with, as a business, how Duxton wanted to behave.
00:15:47
Speaker
Yeah.
00:15:48
Speaker
So we spoke to the team at Dan Murphy's and they were keen to add a certified sustainable brand to their portfolio.
00:15:57
Speaker
Yeah.
00:15:58
Speaker
There's 10 different varieties in the brand.
00:16:01
Speaker
We have a
00:16:03
Speaker
Prosecco, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Fiano, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Shiraz.
00:16:13
Speaker
I think that's it.
00:16:15
Speaker
Oh, and I forgot the Shiraz Rosé as well.
00:16:18
Speaker
So the award winner.
00:16:21
Speaker
And we've got another...
00:16:22
Speaker
blend on the go, which will be released pretty soon with Dan's as well.
00:16:27
Speaker
So it's great to get 11 new SKUs out there straight up and everyone's receiving the wines really well.
00:16:36
Speaker
So the feedback from everybody is that...
00:16:40
Speaker
They taste fantastic.
00:16:41
Speaker
We've done really well on the show circuit.
00:16:43
Speaker
Yeah.
00:16:44
Speaker
And everyone is basically saying what great value for money they are.
00:16:49
Speaker
And behind that, we've got the sustainability story as well, which is on the back of the label, which tells us about sustainability initiatives.
00:16:58
Speaker
Yeah, we're really proud of it, proud of the brand.
00:17:01
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's amazing that you have so many different styles as well.
00:17:05
Speaker
So there's definitely something for everyone.
00:17:07
Speaker
When you say you work closely with Dan Murphy's, do they have a say in what styles you bring out?
00:17:12
Speaker
Or is it more you kind of say what you want, and then they tell you if they think it's going to be popular or not?
00:17:17
Speaker
We were really surprised to get that many different skews added at once.
00:17:24
Speaker
Yeah.
00:17:25
Speaker
Yeah, it was really difficult.
00:17:27
Speaker
So I think it's a testament to the quality of the wine that we're making at Duxton, but also...
00:17:34
Speaker
the brand story behind it so you know we grow a lot of the varieties that are in the range and we're probably the biggest pinot gris grower in the southern hemisphere okay i would i would imagine so we probably sell half of that domestically and yeah the other half is export and we keep the best parcels for e-wild so yes
00:17:59
Speaker
We did work with Dan's and they told us what they would like.
00:18:04
Speaker
And this new 11th ski that's coming on board was totally from them.
00:18:09
Speaker
They said, well, how about we want a wine in this style, yeah, to fit this whole in our portfolio.
00:18:17
Speaker
Yeah.
00:18:18
Speaker
Oh, amazing.
00:18:19
Speaker
Okay, that's good to know.
Commitment to Sustainability and Certification
00:18:22
Speaker
So on the last season of the podcast, several times we discussed the Sustainable Wine Growing Australia program, which you are the largest certified member of, which is amazing.
00:18:33
Speaker
Congratulations.
00:18:34
Speaker
What actions do you have to put in place to gain that title?
00:18:38
Speaker
virtually everything we do.
00:18:40
Speaker
We apply regenerative farming practices.
00:18:43
Speaker
Yeah, basically we're just seeking to assist in reversing agriculture's contribution to the environment wherever we can.
00:18:52
Speaker
So basically, you know, like I said before, we're trying to put more back in than what we take out.
00:18:59
Speaker
So some of the initiatives include improving soil microbial diversity,
00:19:07
Speaker
Soil carbon content shifting towards 100% recycled materials where we can on our trellises in the vineyard.
00:19:16
Speaker
We're looking at alternative energy sources.
00:19:20
Speaker
We're working with strategic relationships with government bodies and universities on trialling different things that will assist us with our sustainability and our footprint.
00:19:37
Speaker
Yeah, so we are the largest certified member of Sustainable Wine Making Australia.
00:19:43
Speaker
So all of our vineyards and the winery were required to be audited by a third party to get this standard.
00:19:53
Speaker
Yeah, there are a lot of things that went into it.
00:19:57
Speaker
It's really a continuous improvement program to show that we're trying to continuously improve to reduce our footprint and things such as
00:20:09
Speaker
reducing our waste, our water use, biodiversity, our chemical use, a lot of things like that.
00:20:17
Speaker
You know, we've put in fish greens on our river where we pump water for irrigating our vineyards to...
00:20:27
Speaker
protect native fish, and that has also given us an offset in that we're using a hell of a lot less water backplashing our filters all the time.
00:20:35
Speaker
Yeah, there's heaps of initiatives that our environmental manager, Dylan Klingbeal, is working on.
00:20:42
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:43
Speaker
Like I say, it's continuously evolving and it's just a continuous improvement program for us.
00:20:50
Speaker
It's just the way that we want to do business as well.
00:20:52
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:54
Speaker
It's not something we have to do.
00:20:55
Speaker
It's something that we do as part of our normal day.
00:20:59
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:59
Speaker
So do they sort of bring in like new approaches that you have to kind of meet and then they come and check on you to make sure you've met those as well to keep that title?
00:21:07
Speaker
Yes, yes.
00:21:08
Speaker
So we do get re-ordited to make sure that, you know, we've got KPIs in place.
00:21:15
Speaker
that we want to meet and to basically show that we are in that continuous improvement model so that we are focused on increasing our sustainability credentials.
00:21:28
Speaker
Everyone's sort of sustainability is the buzzword at the moment in the food industry, the wine industry.
00:21:36
Speaker
In every industry.
00:21:37
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:38
Speaker
So yeah, from sustainable winemaking Australia's point of view, there needs to be a rigorous process and re-auditing, getting re-audited is part of that process.
00:21:49
Speaker
Yes, definitely.
00:21:50
Speaker
In your opinion, I feel like we've touched on it a little bit, but what does a wine label need in order to be sustainable?
00:21:57
Speaker
If you had like a top five things that you would think that someone would need?
00:22:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's about looking at all aspects of your entire business.
00:22:07
Speaker
Yeah.
00:22:08
Speaker
So from vineyard, you know, for us it's from the grape to the bottle basically, and everything in between.
00:22:18
Speaker
So in the vineyard, you know, we're looking at water conservation, we're looking at alternative energy sources, recycled posts in the vineyard, soil biodiversity.
00:22:30
Speaker
In the winery, we're looking again at ways of reducing our carbon footprint via alternative energy sources.
00:22:38
Speaker
water reuse, planting trees in our wood lot, all of that sort of stuff.
00:22:45
Speaker
Then we go through to packaging where we're using lightweight bottles, recycled aluminium in the caps.
00:22:51
Speaker
The labels are made of sugarcane waste.
00:22:54
Speaker
Oh, wow.
00:22:55
Speaker
Lots of things like that.
00:22:56
Speaker
So, yeah, it's basically every step of the processes.
00:23:00
Speaker
Can we do this in a more environmentally friendly manner?
00:23:05
Speaker
Yeah.
00:23:06
Speaker
Yeah, definitely.
00:23:07
Speaker
So we're going to be tasting two of the wines today on the podcast.
Quality vs. Cost in Sustainable Winemaking
00:23:11
Speaker
I'm sort of regretting not opening the Prosecco before the episode.
00:23:14
Speaker
So whilst I open this and try not to spray it on my laptop.
00:23:22
Speaker
So I love how affordable the wines are.
00:23:25
Speaker
Is it challenging to make a sustainable wine while keeping the purchase cost for consumers low?
00:23:31
Speaker
To a degree, yes.
00:23:36
Speaker
But I think the most important thing, sorry about that.
00:23:41
Speaker
That's okay, all good.
00:23:43
Speaker
It is a wine podcast after all.
00:23:46
Speaker
I think the most important thing from our winemaking department's point of view is just to make great quality wines.
00:23:52
Speaker
Yeah.
00:23:53
Speaker
Sustainability is a thing, it's just part of the way we do business and the way the operation day-to-day goes about its business.
00:24:03
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:03
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:04
Speaker
So that means just taking those shortcuts in relation to quality, attention to detail in the winery and in the vineyard.
00:24:11
Speaker
You know, we are always looking at ways that we can save costs in the process, but not at the detriment of quality and the environment.
00:24:20
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:21
Speaker
Yeah, making a sustainable wine is not really something we think about.
00:24:26
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:27
Speaker
Because sustainability is at the centerpiece of everything we do.
00:24:30
Speaker
So, yeah, it's just the way we do things.
00:24:32
Speaker
So the cost, would it be cheaper to not go down the sustainability route?
00:24:39
Speaker
Probably yes, to be honest.
00:24:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:42
Speaker
And, you know, there are some chemicals and some wine finding agents, et cetera, that,
00:24:51
Speaker
would be of assistance in the process but due to our business approach that we just don't use them.
00:25:00
Speaker
Yeah, no, I love that you guys are sustainable.
00:25:02
Speaker
I think it's, I definitely think it's something that more wineries are probably planning to do or should be looking at as well.
00:25:09
Speaker
Talking about this Prosecco, apparently we're getting a heat wave in Sydney so this is perfect.
00:25:15
Speaker
Could you tell me a little bit more about the wine?
00:25:18
Speaker
Yeah, so the Prosecco, we grow quite a bit of Prosecco.
00:25:22
Speaker
It's probably one of our best sellers, to be honest.
00:25:25
Speaker
The wine is quite effervescent.
00:25:29
Speaker
It's got a really fine bean.
00:25:31
Speaker
On the nose, you can notice some sort of sweet pear, citrus, green apple type characters.
00:25:37
Speaker
Yeah.
00:25:38
Speaker
The palate's really vibrant and fresh.
00:25:40
Speaker
There's a touch of sugar there just to balance that acidity.
00:25:44
Speaker
Overall, it's just a really refreshing wine that goes with just about anything, to be honest, on any occasion.
00:25:53
Speaker
So if you're matching it with food, you know, maybe oysters would be a great match at a dinner party.
00:26:01
Speaker
Yeah.
00:26:03
Speaker
On a hot summer's day like today in Sydney, maybe a cold fruit platter with a bottle of Prosecco would go down ideally.
00:26:10
Speaker
Yeah.
00:26:10
Speaker
No, I don't think I've ever thought about pairing Prosecco with fruit, but now you say it, I'm like, actually, that would be really nice.
00:26:16
Speaker
Yeah.
00:26:17
Speaker
And the Ribold Prosecco won gold at the Riverland Wine Show earlier this year as well.
00:26:25
Speaker
So it's done really well on the show circuit.
00:26:28
Speaker
Congratulations.
00:26:29
Speaker
Now I can tell why it's very, it's definitely a very easy drinking sort of Prosecco.
00:26:33
Speaker
I mean, I love a Prosecco anyway, but yeah, no, it's beautiful.
00:26:38
Speaker
Have a little bit more and then move on.
00:26:40
Speaker
Back to the topic of sustainability, Rewild's parent brand, Duxton Vineyards, is now a bronze partner of Sustainability Advantage.
00:26:50
Speaker
Can you explain a little bit more about the process of what it took to attain this and what that award means and how it's different from the other sustainable products?
00:26:58
Speaker
platform that you're part of as well.
00:27:00
Speaker
Yeah, sure.
00:27:01
Speaker
So the Sustainability Advantage Scheme is a New South Wales, it's a voluntary initiative for businesses that are seeking to lead in the space of sustainability and reducing their emissions and so forth.
00:27:17
Speaker
So we joined the group.
00:27:19
Speaker
There's an annual fee, but in return the business gets access to experts in the sustainability space.
00:27:27
Speaker
So
00:27:28
Speaker
We also gained early access into some government pilot funding around reducing our carbon emissions and pathways to reach net zero carbon emissions in the future.
00:27:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:27:41
Speaker
Okay.
00:27:42
Speaker
The Bronze Award is recognition for being a member for greater than 12 months.
00:27:49
Speaker
Okay.
00:27:49
Speaker
And actively participating in initiatives over that time.
00:27:54
Speaker
So Dylan Klingbeal, our environmental manager, and the Duxton team work really hard to achieve sustainability across all the business operations.
00:28:07
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:08
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:09
Speaker
So like I mentioned before, we're driven by energy savings, reducing waste, reducing our emissions and so forth.
00:28:18
Speaker
So our long-term partnership with Sustainability Advantage, coupled now with being recognised as a bronze partner, is an important milestone in our journey.
00:28:29
Speaker
And hopefully in the future, we get to gold and then platinum because of our efforts in the sustainability field.
00:28:36
Speaker
Yeah, so what else would you have to do to get to the gold and platinum sort of stages?
00:28:42
Speaker
I guess, again, it's just continuous improvement and showing how we're reducing our footprint going forward.
00:28:52
Speaker
So we do have a goal eventually to become carbon neutral, carbon negative.
00:28:58
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:59
Speaker
Hopefully in the future our continuous improvement programs will get us there.
00:29:04
Speaker
Okay, perfect.
00:29:06
Speaker
I find it all so interesting.
00:29:07
Speaker
But yeah, there's so many different hoops you've got to jump through, I can imagine, and so many things you've got to tick off as well.
00:29:14
Speaker
Yes, yeah, it's quite involved, yeah.
00:29:17
Speaker
And Dylan's kept really busy with this sort of stuff.
00:29:20
Speaker
Oh, I can imagine, definitely.
00:29:22
Speaker
Can you talk a little bit more or explain for people who haven't heard of LAVO what it sort of is, a little bit more about your partnership and how it's impacting the wines?
Innovative Energy Solutions: Hydrogen Storage
00:29:32
Speaker
Yeah.
00:29:33
Speaker
Yeah, so we partnered with LAVO, Larvo Hydrogen Technology, in June 2021.
00:29:40
Speaker
Okay, yeah.
00:29:42
Speaker
Where we were trying to investigate hydrogen storage solutions, which...
00:29:49
Speaker
would hopefully get the winery to a carbon negative situation in the future.
00:29:56
Speaker
So we did some work with them to fit into, you know, how we switch out our fuel and our energy sources and so forth.
00:30:06
Speaker
But we found with them it's still the technology is still early days.
00:30:11
Speaker
Yeah.
00:30:12
Speaker
And in terms of commercialisation and operating our larger equipment in the winery that we're just not quite there yet with hydrogen power.
00:30:22
Speaker
But that's not to say that we're still not very interested in hydrogen power going forward.
00:30:28
Speaker
And hopefully, yeah, the technology improves so that we can certainly run our winery on it.
00:30:35
Speaker
hydrogen in the future.
00:30:37
Speaker
We have recently invested
00:30:41
Speaker
in some lithium iron batteries for storage on our vineyard sites.
00:30:46
Speaker
So that's great.
00:30:47
Speaker
And along with solar power, that's made one vineyard in particular have no carbon emissions basically.
00:30:56
Speaker
So we're working on getting the other farms off grid as well.
00:30:59
Speaker
So it's stories like this that hopefully the consumer, if they know about that and the Rewild brand, that they'll feel good about buying a bottle of Rewild.
00:31:10
Speaker
Yes, definitely.
00:31:12
Speaker
I kind of feel like people definitely, I feel now when people buy a wine, they kind of want to know the backstory.
00:31:19
Speaker
They want to know that they're doing something good for the planet and people sort of like that extra little detail.
00:31:26
Speaker
Yes, yeah, I agree.
00:31:27
Speaker
And like we said before, sustainability is certainly a big buzzword with all industry at the moment.
00:31:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:31:34
Speaker
Yeah, definitely.
00:31:36
Speaker
So moving on to the second wine, which is the Fiano.
Tasting Notes: Fiano Wine and Pairings
00:31:41
Speaker
Can you tell me a little bit more about the wine and what you'd pair with it?
00:31:46
Speaker
I know that some people might not be familiar with a Fiano, so maybe you could tell us a little bit about the sort of grape varietal as well.
00:31:53
Speaker
Yeah, sure.
00:31:56
Speaker
So we grow quite a bit of Fiano.
00:31:59
Speaker
It's a fantastic variety for this region, it's not the hot weather.
00:32:04
Speaker
Probably year on year, some of the Italian varieties like Fiano make the best wines we make out of vintage each season.
00:32:14
Speaker
So Fiano is a variety that's grown primarily in Campania, which is the southern region of Italy, and in Sicily.
00:32:22
Speaker
Yeah.
00:32:23
Speaker
As I mentioned, the variety loves hot weather, so it's really well suited to the Murray-Darling region.
00:32:29
Speaker
And it can produce wines of great diverse styles.
00:32:33
Speaker
So you can have rich, full-bodied wines or we've gone for something a little bit tighter and structured and fresh and fruity with our Fiano.
00:32:45
Speaker
I think the Rewild Fiano is a really bright and crisp wine.
00:32:50
Speaker
It shows some lovely pear, citrus, stone fruits on the nose.
00:32:55
Speaker
It's medium body and quite crisp and flavoursome.
00:32:58
Speaker
So there's no oak in the wine at all.
00:33:00
Speaker
Yeah.
00:33:01
Speaker
So we've gone unwooded.
00:33:03
Speaker
It's a new release in the Rewild range and it's only been out for a little while, but we're getting great reviews on the piano as well.
00:33:12
Speaker
So food-wise, what would this pair with?
00:33:15
Speaker
I think a nice sort of chicken dish, some lemon and herb-crusted chicken, maybe some pork with applesauce or maybe a
00:33:25
Speaker
Vegetable terrine, maybe?
00:33:27
Speaker
Yeah.
00:33:27
Speaker
Again, just lovely, easy-drinking wine.
00:33:30
Speaker
Yes.
00:33:32
Speaker
No, I really like this one as well.
00:33:33
Speaker
No, I definitely feel – I can definitely imagine having it with chicken, so I'm getting hungry just talking about this.
00:33:39
Speaker
Looking at the bottles, seeing as I've got them in front of me, is there a story behind the label
Label Art and Sustainable Materials
00:33:45
Speaker
design?
00:33:45
Speaker
I feel like the labels are beautiful, and I know –
00:33:48
Speaker
I used to before I knew a lot about wine.
00:33:50
Speaker
I used to definitely pick a bottle off the label.
00:33:53
Speaker
I'd be like, oh, that's a pretty label.
00:33:54
Speaker
I probably will like that.
00:33:56
Speaker
So I know a lot goes into label design.
00:33:58
Speaker
But yeah, is there a story behind this one?
00:34:00
Speaker
Yeah, we're really happy with the design on the label.
00:34:02
Speaker
It does pop on the shelf and sticks out a bit.
00:34:06
Speaker
So the artwork is supposed to depict our region basically from...
00:34:13
Speaker
Our beautiful blue skies to the Murray River and all the different soil types that are throughout the district and on our vineyards as well.
00:34:22
Speaker
So, yeah, the labels, like I say, are true to the region.
00:34:27
Speaker
Yes.
00:34:29
Speaker
But they also look great on the shelf, I think.
00:34:31
Speaker
And as I mentioned before, they're made of sugarcane waste, so it's a win-win.
00:34:39
Speaker
Yes, they definitely would pop on the shelf.
Future of Wine: Sustainability and Trade
00:34:42
Speaker
What do you think the wine industry will see more or less of in 2023?
00:34:47
Speaker
Obviously, I'm definitely thinking we'll be seeing more of sustainability, but do you think there's going to be anything else?
00:34:51
Speaker
I'm not sure.
00:34:53
Speaker
I certainly hope we see less trade barriers and freight issues than we've had in 2022.
00:35:01
Speaker
That's been a nightmare for the industry.
00:35:04
Speaker
And the weather has also...
00:35:07
Speaker
been a bit of a nightmare you know lanina is great for filling up our water catchments but it's not great for growing grapes in yeah so yeah there's a lot of growers and and we're one of them with reduced crops this year because of uh disease pressure in the vineyard yeah
00:35:26
Speaker
I sort of hope that the Australian wine consumer will continue to taste and buy alternative varieties as well.
00:35:33
Speaker
So expand their wine knowledge, you know, rather than just buy a stock standard bottle of Chardonnay or Shiraz.
00:35:41
Speaker
There's some great wines out there that have originated from other countries.
00:35:46
Speaker
The Fianos, the Vermantinos, the Malbecs, the Tempranillos.
00:35:52
Speaker
those varieties which grow really well in the Mildura region.
00:35:58
Speaker
I do hope also that, you know, consumers will look to purchase more sustainable wine brands.
00:36:04
Speaker
Yes.
00:36:04
Speaker
You know, these companies are doing their best and Rewald is an example that, you know, we're trying to do the best for the environment and help protect our planet from climate change.
00:36:16
Speaker
So, yeah.
00:36:17
Speaker
We're certainly very passionate about this and we'll continue to drive initiatives around making our operations more sustainable in the future.
00:36:26
Speaker
Yes, no, definitely.
00:36:28
Speaker
Talking back to if you could have a perfect climate, what would it be for the area that you're in?
Wine Pairing Suggestions for Various Occasions
00:36:35
Speaker
30 degrees every day, sunny, with a little bit of rain in spring, just not too much rain.
00:36:44
Speaker
Yeah.
00:36:45
Speaker
Not too much humidity.
00:36:47
Speaker
Yeah, we need a bit of cold weather during winter for the vines to go to sleep, but it's just that humidity that the grapevines don't like.
00:36:56
Speaker
To be honest, I don't really like the humidity either, so I don't think anyone does.
00:37:02
Speaker
So we've reached the last question.
00:37:04
Speaker
From the full range of wines available at Rewild, I know there's quite a few, so this might be quite difficult, like picking children, what would you take to a dinner party, a barbecue, and a picnic?
00:37:15
Speaker
Good question.
00:37:20
Speaker
I quite like the Chardonnay and the Rewild range.
00:37:23
Speaker
So if I was going to a dinner party,
00:37:26
Speaker
And I could match the Chardonnay with a nice chicken dish.
00:37:30
Speaker
I'd probably go with the Chardonnay.
00:37:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:37:34
Speaker
A barbecue.
00:37:35
Speaker
So you're going to have a nice ribeye steak, hopefully.
00:37:39
Speaker
So probably the Rewild Cabs have.
00:37:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:37:43
Speaker
And if you're going on a picnic, I'd probably pick the Prosecco with some canapes or a fruit platter.
00:37:52
Speaker
I'd probably go down that range, something light and fresh and vibrant.
00:37:57
Speaker
No, they're perfect choices.
00:37:59
Speaker
I feel like people always like that because I know if you don't know a lot about wine and you're stuck in the bottle store and you don't want to pick from the label, it's nice to kind of have an idea of sort of what to pick out when you're going to those sorts of things.
Where to Buy Rewild Wines
00:38:12
Speaker
Thank you so much for setting aside the time to do this podcast with me today.
00:38:17
Speaker
Where can people follow Rewild?
00:38:19
Speaker
Where can they purchase?
00:38:21
Speaker
You mentioned Dan Murphy's in select BWS stores.
00:38:24
Speaker
Is there anywhere that they can follow your journey and anything like that?
00:38:28
Speaker
Yeah, Rewild on Instagram if you look up the Instagram page.
00:38:34
Speaker
tag is it these days i'm not sure instagram handle handle that's the one so um you can look it up in insta you can find it on the dan's and vws websites um they're marketing the wine very well and i think they're very happy with quality and the results that they're getting from the from the wine on the shelf and the feedback on quality from from the consumers
00:39:01
Speaker
Amazing.
00:39:02
Speaker
Well, perfect.
00:39:02
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:39:04
Speaker
This is learned so much about sustainability and hopefully more wineries will follow suit in 2023 as well.
00:39:11
Speaker
You can purchase Rewild wines exclusively from your local Dan Murphy's or select VWS stores.
00:39:18
Speaker
Please keep up to date with Rewild's journey over on their Instagram, Rewild Wine.
00:39:24
Speaker
A massive thank you for listening to this episode from start to finish.
00:39:28
Speaker
I hope you enjoyed learning more about the Australian wine industry and were able to indulge in a couple of glasses yourself.
00:39:36
Speaker
If you liked what you heard, then please leave me a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
00:39:41
Speaker
To stay up to date with upcoming guests, wines I'm currently drinking, and food pairings, follow me on Instagram at Fine Vines and Wine for all of the extra and behind the scenes content.
Conclusion: Connect with Find Vines and Wine
00:39:53
Speaker
See you next time for another glimpse into the world of wine.
00:39:57
Speaker
Cheers!