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Australia: Grant Burge
Grant Burge is the owner and winemaker of the eponymous winery (www.grantburgewines.com.de) in Australia’s Barossa Valley. One of the largest owners of centenary vines, his single vineyard Shiraz have begun to garner international acclaim, which has had a positive impact on exports.
How do you interpret the gathering strength of the anti alcohol lobby?
Our Australian industry forefathers include noted doctors, who long promoted the therapeutic nature of their products. Viewing moderate consumption as beneficial, I like to quote a recent Californian medical study: “It is clear that there is no disease for which wine is a specific treatment. There are, however, many for which it is a potent reinforcement. Most of all, wine is useful in the most prevalent of all disease conditions – anxiety.”
Is the environmental impact of winemaking becoming an issue for you?
We have followed the lead of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia and committed to the improvement of our environmental performance in everything from winemaking techniques to vineyard management. We have adopted ecologically sustainable practices to ensure that we meet the expectations of the wider community in which we work.
Which of the emerging markets - India, China, Russia or Brazil - offers the greatest potential for your business?
Given its rapid growth and capacity to sell premium wines, China offers us the greatest potential. Clearly, selecting the importer that best suits our family owned brand is vital and we now have distribution arrangements there. Russia will be our next market, followed closely by India and then Brazil. As our wine sales have grown by 33% over the past six months, we must be doing something right.
Spain: José Manuel Ortega
José Manuel Ortega is the chairman of the O. Fournier Group (www.ofournier.com), which was founded in 2000. Its goal is to produce 1.5 million bottles a year from holdings in Spain’s Ribera del Duero, Portugal’s Douro, Argentina, Chile.
The anti alcohol lobby seems to be gathering strength. What should the wine industry do to address this?
We are not doing enough to separate wine from other alcoholic beverages. As governments generally side with the anti-alcohol lobby, this effort must come from the private sector – and we must convey to the general public the virtues of wine consumption with moderation.
How seriously should the wine industry take global warming?
The wine sector will be one of the first influenced by climate change. Just a slight movement in night temperatures can modify the quality of a vineyard area – and prices for land |
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will fluctuate immensely with these changes.
Is the environmental impact of winemaking an issue for you?
In my opinion, the most important item is the treatment of our vineyards, where we should try to eliminate pesticides, insecticides and artificial fertilisers. Another important item would be to limit the use of contaminating power sources by using solar and wind technologies. Finally there must be an effort to improve water treatment plants.
Which of the emerging markets offers you the greatest potential?
In the next five years, our most interesting market will be Brazil.
Italy: Henrieta Schubert
Henrieta Schubert is the export manager of Friulvini (www.friulvini.it) in northeastern Italy. Producing some nine million bottles a year, it makes not only staples like Pinot Grigio and Prosecco, but also specialities like Refosco.
What impact does the anti-alcohol lobby on your business?
As this is not an issue in Italy, Italians have a problem understanding why other countries are so affected.
How seriously does Friulvini take global warming?
If anything, we’re actually profiting from global warming in Veneto.
Is the environmental impact of wine making an issue for you?
We try to be more "green" in our vineyards and cellars, but going carbon neutral is not something that we have looked at closely.
How much investment, how much effort are you putting into innovation?
We have a responsibility to promote indigenous varitetals such as Refosco and want to develop marketing and promotion programmes with our partners to highlight these products.
Which of the emerging markets offers your business the greatest potential?
Russia has become an important market for us - and not only for Pinot Grigio. They are interested in the full range.
Germany: Nikolaus Schritz
Nikolaus Schritz is the managing director of Reh Kendermann (www.reh-kendermann.de) in Bingen on the Rhine. Since he joined the company, he has made Black Tower into Germany’s most widely sold brand worldwide. Even in the difficult British market, sales have doubled in the last five years.
What should the industry be doing to address the anti-alcohol lobby?
Ultimately, the level of personal consumption is a matter of consumer choice, but we must act responsibly when promoting our products. Consumer education will also play an increasingly important role. We are fortunate in Germany because our northerly position enables us to produce wines with low natural alcohol, which growing numbers of consumers seek.
How serious is global warming for |
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your business?
Overall, moderate warming could be an advantage to Germany, but we have to take into account other climate change, such as hail, rain and storms. This, of course, will have a negative effect on production.
The environmental impact of wine making is becoming an issue. Where do you see this all going?
In keeping with our policy of corporate social responsibility, we believe the 'carbon footprint' issue is increasingly important. For some time, we have been using recycled packaging and lighter glass - and are currently testing Tetra Prisma® Paks in Canada. We are also looking at PET bottles as well as aluminium cans. Last year, we installed a new heating system for the winery which has reduced our energy use by a double digits.
Which of the emerging markets - India, China, Russia or Brazil - offers the greatest potential for your business?
Black Tower is already the leading German wine in Brazil, where we have been for decades. In China, we are working intensively and feel confident that we have both the brands and styles to meet demand. Whereas India is problematical because of the import duties and legislation, Russia is being flooded by lower priced, unbranded German wines and therefore presents a market less open to premium quality.
France: Bernard Magrez
Bernard Magrez was long known as the owner of the Bordeaux brand Malesan, with which he built a fortune. His conversion to designer wines witnessed not only the resurrection of Pape-Clement and Latour Carnet, but also the creation of a wide selection of unique bottlings from 35 vineyards in seven countries. See www.bernard-magrez.com
Is there anything the wine industry should be doing to address the gathering strength of the anti-alcohol lobby?
Certainly, but we must lobby with real arguments over a long time frame.
How serious is global warming?
I don’t believe that we should exaggerate the effects over the next ten years – and nothing truly indicates that change is inevitable.
Is the environmental impact of winemaking an issue?
I am not a pessimist. We have problems to address, but also the know how to solve them.
How much investment are you putting into innovation?
Although I know how to promote my wines, I invest far more time and money in improving my 35 vineyards and cellars. We’ve created small teams of six to push each forward every year. The results are positive.
Which of the emerging markets is important for your business?
Russia, certainly. Surprisingly Brazil seems to offer more potential than China or India, but that may change.
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