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8/9/2019 Wine Business Monthly - Extract April 2010 Edition
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24 : TOP 10 CELLAR DOORS WBM April 2010
IntroducingWBMs fourth annualTop 10 Cellar Doors list, whichincludes stunning architecturalshowpieces like Saracen Estates
in Margaret River (above) as wellas smaller family operations thatare doing special things to set
themselves apart from the rest. All10 of these dynamic cellar doorshave one thing in commonadesire to go the extra mile for thecustomer to ensure they spread
the message far and wide, andhopefully return one day.
Any cellar door that has beer
on tap will win over WBMjudges every time. And so it
is with Saracen Estates Cellar
Door and Duckstein Brewery
in Margaret Rivera stunning new venue
where theres so much more to savour
than just Chardonnay and Shiraz.
Opened 18 months ago, Saracen
Estates, situated in the rolling hills of the
beautiful sub-region of Willyabrup Valley,
offers a five-star experience bringing
together premium wines, craft beers,
affordable dining, education, exquisite
architecture and stunning landscaping.
This cellar door has the wow factor in
spades (Western Australian wineries are
getting pretty good at that!). Saladin on
his horse guards the grand entrance with
a donnybrook sandstone wall leading the
way in past lilly pad-filled millponds along
the jarrah entrance decking with thesoothing sound of water features in the
background. The copper front doors take
you from one world into the nextthe
best of both worlds (wine and beer).
The cellar door is constructed from
blackbutt, sheok and jarrah timbers
sourced locally and the warm, welcoming
space features a granite fireplace with
comfortable leather couchesthe perfect
spot to relax with a glass of wine and
cheese or tasting plate. In warmer months
there is ample space to linger on the
jarrah decking overlooking the lake.
The Wine Education Corner has DVD
presentations and a life-sized soil profile
captures a dissection of a grape vine with
root system. If wine educations not your
thing theres always the merchandise and
GIDDY UP! Saracen Estates, Margaret River
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26 : XXXXX WBM April 2010
Jonathan Mogg, general manager, Sales
and Marketing, says, We have a
significant part of the Australian wine
history captured and aim to give visitors
the authentic Great Western experience.
Parts of our winery are exactly as they
were in the 1800s. As a winery with strong
family traditions we aim to make the
experience relevant for the whole family,
something that is inherent in the values of
the Thomson family. There is free juice
for kids and families are encouraged to
enjoy a picnic on the grounds overlooking
spectacular scenery.
Visitors are always pleased to have
found a genuine piece of Australian wine
history and appreciate the fact that we are
not part of a multinational company.
There is a self-guided walk of the
cellars which include old tanks and
underground casks. Many visitors spend
hours looking at artefacts such as 80 year
old large format oak casksstill in use
Its so refreshing to hear that a
cellar door has become so crammed
with happy customers that theyve
had to expand it. Thats the case with
K1 by Geoff Hardy at Kuitpo in the
Adelaide Hills, one of Australias best-
kept cellar door secrets. Its a stunning
hideaway located by a peaceful lake at
the end of a winding road with extensive
plantings of exotic trees and stunning
vineyards adding to the beauty.
One of Geoff Hardys favourite sayings is,
Passion always shows and for K1 it shows
SIMPLY THE BEST Bests Wines, Great Western, Victoria
today, and theres even an 1800s
fermenting tank visitors can walk into.
Customers can taste everything for free
including the iconic Bin 0 Shiraz. We
appreciate the fact that people have come
off the highway to visit us, so we show
them everything, Jonathan says. We
often find that consumers will buy across
all the product ranges because they have
been taken through them all.
Bests also takes the opportunity to ram
home its stylistic point of difference.
Visitors are often not informed about our
regional wine style and so we place great
emphasis on educating them about thestylistic differences of the Great Western/
In coming months the cellar door will be
expanded to provide a different tasting
experience, with the new space designed to
break down some of the natural barriers that
sometimes exist between staff and
customers. The expansion has beenprompted by increasing traffic and
functionsespecially weddings (what
a spot!)and a new function venue is
also planned.
Bec says the small family business is
ramping up events. A year ago we held
our first Tractor Shed Wine Sale which
included bin-end wines and export and
cleanskin wines, she says. We had
another one at Easter and plan to develop
the sale into a day that offers food and
entertainment. We also plan to offer a
more relaxing alternative to the Sea &
Vines festival. As Busby wrote in WBM, we
shouldnt be restricting ourselves to special
festivals like Crush and Sea & Vines.
Tastings are free. We prefer to take a
longer term view with each visitor as
in the many
repeat visitors
they have. Most
love to sit by the
lake, purchase a
glass or bottle ofwine and a cheese
platter, and relax in
the deathly-quiet
surrounds. The
changing seasons
offer a different
perspective of the
vineyard each time you visit.
K1 likes to mix up the tasting
experience, too. We prefer not to
overawe visitors with an unmanageable
number of wines to taste in one
experience, says marketing manager Bec
Hardy. We provide a selection of K1
wines each month including a once-a-
month tasting of our icon wine, the
Tzimmukin. By providing a glimpse of K1s
range, visitors are left wanting to return.
Not all cellar doors need to
have gleaming floor-to-ceiling
windows, stainless steel and
sharp edges to make a big
impression. Built in 1866,
Bests Concongella Cellar Door in Great
Western is a reminder that Australian
wine hasnt just popped up overnight.
The old redgum slab tasting room is
housed in the original stables built in 1869
and decorated with memorabilia. Henry
Bests original journal is also on display
along with artefacts and old family photos.
Visitors can take a tour of the cellars,
hand-dug by miners, and Henrys original
Nursery Block containing 40 varieties. His
old Shiraz and Pinot Noir plantings are
among Australias most valuablethe
Pinot is thought to be the oldest pre-
phylloxera planting in the world.
PASSION SHOWS K1 by Geoff Hardy, Adelaide Hills
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WBM April 2010 TOP 10 CELLAR DOORS : 27
Grampians region with a particular
emphasis on Shiraz, Jonathan says.
The cellar door attracts15,500 visitorsa year. While this may not be as many as
other regions, were proud that a large
proportion of people passing through
Great Western stop and sample our
wines, and numbers are increasing,
Jonathan says. We have done a lot of
work with local accommodation
providers and web-based marketers, and
we have a great relationship with like-
minded hotels and restaurants like the
Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld.
The Great Western Bin 1 Shiraz is the
biggest seller followed by the Riesling.We dont offer a huge range of non-wine
items, says Jonathan. The local olive oil
and jams/preserves are very popular, but
there are so many wines with stories
behind them that we find that thats
plenty enough to keep people interested
when theyre visiting us.www.bestswines.com
McWilliams Mount
Pleasant cellar door in
the Hunter Valley must
be doing something
right180,000 people
visit this wine mecca each year to
enjoy the atmosphere, the heritage and
of course the famous wines.
Wine lovers are drawn to Mount
Pleasant because of the history, the
beautiful setting and the wine pedigree.
We havent found the need to offer
anything beyond this ... and friendly,
knowledgeable service, says Simone
Bannister, brand communications
manager, McWilliams Wines.
The heritage of the winery and
vineyards is quite special. There have
been only three chief winemakers at
Mount Pleasant since 1921, when it
was established by Maurice OShea on
the slopes of the Brokenback range.We educate people through winery
tours and structured tastings, while our
on-site restaurant, Elizabeths, offers
wine and food matching experiences.
We also have a private room for more
relaxed tastings. Our philosophy is to
offer an informative and enjoyable visit
and to showcase the best examples of
Hunter Valley wine.
There is no charge for over the counter
tastings. The only charges we have are
for structured private tastings for our
premium wines, with reimbursement on
purchase, says Simone.
She says there has been an increase
in visitor numbers recently due to
more concerts and conferences, and
she has noticed more international
visitors around lately.
The biggest cellar door sellers are, not
surprisingly, Hunter Semillon and
Shiraz. Popular non-wine lines include
branded clothing and wine books
including The Wine Hunterby Campbell
Mattinson, the tale of Maurice OShea.
Simone says more young people are
showing interest in wine. Wevenoticed increased interest from a
younger demographic, as well as more
requests for new varietals, she says.
www.mountpleasantwines.com.au
PLEASANTVILLE McWilliamsMountPleasant, HunterValley
opposed to making a quick buck, Bec
says. The aim is to get people signed up
to the K1 email list or the K1 Vine Club,
which offer us the potential to build a
longer-term relationship. Its working
cellar door revenue has doubled in thepast 12 months.
Wine sales generally match the market.
Sauvignon Blanc has been strong, along
with Sparkling Salmon Ros during
summer. The second vintage of Arneis
has been selling well and K1 has planted
varieties to experiment with including
Gewurztraminer, Gruner Veltliner, Fiano,
Tannat, Teroldego, Lagrein and Durif.
Saturday mornings can be particularly
busy at K1 when visitors drop in after the
Willunga Markets. And Sundays are
generally busier, says Bec. Must be the
day for the Adelaide Hills drive!
K1 is home to an abundance of native
animals and the kids love fattening up the
rainbow trout in the lake!
www.k1.com.au
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WBM April 201028 : TOP 10 CELLAR DOORS
single vineyard Chardonnays called
Farrago and Faultline were earmarked as
producing two styles that are remarkably
different, given they are only several
hundred metres apart. The three single
vineyard Pinot Noirs are Meres, Haven
and Ferrous, and are amazingly different
given their close proximity to one
another. These limited release wines can
be tasted as a flight side by side for a fee.
Chris says the beautiful building has the
punters talking. We have had a constant
flow of visitors since we opened and a lot
of people are interested in all aspects of
the buildingand the wines of course,
he says. The cellar door and restaurant
are combined by visitors to create an all-
round experience. There arent many
restaurants where you can try an
extensive list of wines prior to choosing
which you prefer with lunch. The
reputation of the wines is a huge
drawcard, which combined with the
amazing building, breathtaking views andfantastic restaurant create a wonderful
experience.
Hot sellers are the Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay from both estates. Non-wine
merchandise is a no-no in this flash joint.
The primary focus is wine and creating a
wonderful experience, Chris says.
Visitors have been very positive. They
sense the industry is doing quite well
within the localised regions that are
primarily producing premium wines.
www.portphillip.net
The new ultra-swish Port Phillip
Estate/Kooyong cellar door on
Mornington Peninsula looks
like something that popped up
during the boom times when
winemakers were rolling in money, but in
fact it only opened in December. Its the
most spectacular piece of architecture
the industry has seen for some time and
a stunning reminder that reports of the
industrys death are premature.
The $11 million rammed earth buildingappears as an elegant 120 metre wall
spiralling from the landscape. The
dramatic facade is set against bushland,
vineyards and the sea and offers one of
the best views on Mornington Peninsula.
It leaves visitors breathless. As do the
wines themselves.
The tasting experience here is unlike
any other on the Mornington Peninsula,
says cellar door manager Chris Catlow.
The fact that we have two separate
labels (Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate)
producing wines of the highest quality
from two entirely different vineyards
creates a rare opportunity to make
comparisons. The philosophy of the
winemaking team headed by Sandro
Mosele is the same for both labels,
meaning the primary difference between
the wines is an expression of terroir.
He says the philosophy is to make
people feel welcome and to create a
memorable tasting experience for all wine
enthusiasts, from first-timers to seasonedcampaigners.
There is no tasting fee for most wines.
The tasting fee question is always a hot
topic for cellar doors, says Chris. We
put faith in the outstanding wines from
both estates and their ability to sell
themselves without the incentive of
refunded tasting fees. But we do charge
for a flight of our single vineyard wines as
we only have limited supplies.
Over the years Sandro has tracked the
best performing blocks on the estate. Two
CHALKAND CHEESE YeringStation,Yarra Valley
PORT PHENOMENONPort Phillip Estate/Kooyong, Mornington Peninsula
Some cellar doors look down
on kids in more ways than
oneYering Station in the
Yarra Valley gives them free
cordial tastings and chalk to
draw anywhere they like on the floor.
It all adds to the relaxed, happy
atmosphere at Yering Station. And its
hard not to feel relaxed in a gorgeous old
building dating back to 1859.
Our cellar door is in the original
winery building, says Rachael Scicluna,
director, Food & Beverage, Rathbone
Wine Group. We host tastings in the old
barrel hall and you can really feel the
history around you. But its the staff who
really make the experience special. We
pride ourselves on professionalism and
passion for the product, offering service
beyond excellence delivered in a
welcoming, knowledgeable way.
We show our wines in a fun, non
threatening way and try to teach our
guests something they didnt know, and
also learn something ourselves along the
way. Engaging with customers and
making them feel special is a huge part of
our philosophy. Our goal is for everybody
to leave our property feeling they have
received service above and beyond what
is expectedand wanting to come back.
The entire range is available for
tasting15 wines in totaland
occasionally they take the tops off the
reserve, museum and single vineyard wines.
There is no charge for tastings. We have
a steady flow of people through and dont
see a need to charge, says Rachael. We
also feel that it would detract from the
overall experience. We want everybody to
feel comfortable and appreciated for
simply visiting us. We do offer private
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30 : XXXXX WBM April 2010
twice a year. We keep the stock themed
around food and wine and our biggest
sellers are the branded wine pourers we
use in the tasting bar, which are a bit
different, says Gerald. Our shop sales
have increased by 30% in the past 12
months, possibly reflecting the fact that
locals are using it to purchase that gift for
the person who has everything.Cellar door features include:
Black glass tastings;
An Enomatic machine;
Sensory wine smells using the Nez de
vin (the correct answer is hidden under a
flap to allow visitors to guess first);
The Flawed History (history of the
Tasmanian vine spelled out in wood and
rhyming verse); and
Meadowbank has what is believed to
be Australias oldest winesa few dozen
mostly empty bottles of old fizz, probably
from Bartholemew Broughtons 1823
plantings. Though those with a still
sagging neckline are kept under lock and
key, we have a dry Wendover bottle on site
for anyone who enquires, says Gerald.
www.meadowbankwines.com.au
Gerald Ellis says the one thing
that makes his Tasmanian
cellar door Meadowbank
Estate unique, is truly believing
they are there to provide
entertainment. To achieve this we need to
offer more than just another wine tasting
or restaurant meal. The quality is a given,
so our aim is to ensure that our visitorsnot only have a pleasant experience, but a
memorable one, he says.
And what makes it so memorable?
Weve become known for certain wines
but we make a conscious effort not to
specialise, Gerald says. We produce 14
wines and there is something for everyone.
Were never afraid to experiment and
cellar door allows us to litmus test new
wines. In 2008 we made our first ever
Gamay30 odd cases in a why not?
moment which astounded us with its
popularity. In recent years weve done
similar exclusive cellar door releases of an
FGR (forty gram residual) Riesling which
has since become a mainstay of our range,
and a sparkling Shiraz, which has not.
Meadowbank charges a small fee for
tastings refundable on purchase. Its to
mitigate the impact of the cellar door
crawl on our customers, staff and bottom
line. Visitors tend to purchase wines
following a tasting if the wine is to their
liking, so it is rarely an issue, Gerald says.
About 40,000 visit Meadowbank each
year. Numbers are static but the spend
rate per visitor is increasing in line withvisitor trends in Tasmania.
The biggest seller is Sauvignon Blanc
followed by Pinot. We are noticing an
increase in our Grace Elizabeth
Chardonnay and Mardi (methode
champenoise) which sells for over $40 per
bottle, says Gerald. Sales can also be
influenced by staff recommendations and
often we will select a style to promote. The
purpose is to get our visitors to experience
styles they normally would not tryfor
example our Cabernet is often overlooked
and even mocked by those who believe it
just cant be done here in Tasmania, but if
we can convince them to taste it they are
usually pleasantly surprised.
To keep the shop interesting, two staff
visit trade fairs in Melbourne and Sydney
Anyone who thinks Australiais a new kid on the wine
block should take the drive
into Paxtons cellar door in
McLaren Vale. The cellar door
is housed in a beautiful old stone shearing
shed built in the 1850s on the original
Landcross Farm property, which is
dotted with other precious old buildings
including an underground barrel store and
blacksmith shop.
Paxton is all about atmosphere, says
Ben Paxton, the culmination of a
beautiful property, approachable staff,
good wines and a real storythe Paxton
story from viticulture and biodynamic
vineyards to our winemaking (by my
brother Michael) and the evolution of a
grapegrowing businessstarted by my
father David Paxton in 1979to a serious
wine producer.
Paxton has planted a biodynamic herb
garden to provide herbs for many of the
biodynamic preparations used in Paxton
vineyards, as well as some medicinal and
YOU CAN BANK ON IT Meadowbank Estate, Tasmania
THE X FACTOR
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