Wineries brew up bitter row

[New_guy]

This is nonsense - as always it comes down to money. Has anyone seen the crowd cheeky monkey pulls in a weekend? Now Cheeky Monkey is not my style of drink but they have a bloody good business model. I think Vanya is more concerned about dollars floating over the fence than yeast - and not her way.

 

[Bribie G]

Wow do the Margaret River wineries do Fruity Lexia? I'm going there if they do.

(Typed on my Android Phone. Give your iPhone a good stiff talking to, CM3.)

 

[drew9242]

Wow do the Margaret River wineries do Fruity Lexia? I'm going there if they do.

(Typed on my Android Phone. Give your iPhone a good stiff talking to, CM3.)

Doesn't seem to be working to well. You missed the number 2

 

[JDW81]

I also found the 'adult schoolies' comment ridiculous.....you would never see that sort of horrid behaviour at a winery right?????

EVER????

Only the common folk at the brewery acting like barbarians.....

I was at Chandon in the Yarra valley a couple of years ago and there was a group of very refreshed women lying around the grounds with a stack of empty bottles carrying on like you wouldn't believe with several having a squat in the well manicured gardens. When another customer enquired why they hadn't been asked to leave the staff member replied "we'll they're not hurting anyone are they?"

Never been back there since.

Lucky I didn't go to the white rabbit brewery that day, imagine the behaviour I would have encountered if I had. Hang on I did go there and people were sitting around quietly talking and enjoying their beer.

I think the "adult schoolies" comment is drawing a very long bow.

 

[tavas]

This article typifies the attitude in Margaret River. Bunch of stuck up "tree change" yuppies wanting your tourist dollar, but not actually the tourists.
Over priced, over blown and not much else.
We've found the breweries have the best family friendly facilities.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I've noticed int he month I've been in Taswegia that there is a 'cross pollination' frame of mind with regard to breweries, wineries, cheeseries, choccy places and produce places.

They're all friendly and all happy to co-exist.

And they get TOP dollar for what they produce. Tassie is expensive (that's another day's gripe), but the fact that everyone leverages off everyone else means that the region gets the tourist dollar in a big way.

And I can imagine any wine region will have its share of wine yuppies, but much the same way as the drunk skanks wandering down racecourse road, ascot (in Brissie) are in the most yuppie suburb there is, but don't behave with any class - I can imagine the same thing will go down at booze up wineries in the Margaret river (or anywhere where that attitude is apparent).

Interestingly, my Mrs is now an avowed beer drinker (craft) rather than a wine drinker, and the thing that got her onto beer, other than my passion for craft and micro beer, was the wankiness of the wine-class, combined with places like Bittersuite, Tipplers, Archive (though got a bit rowdy before we left) and the like providing a safe environment to drink good beer (often with 3 or 4 kids in tow and having a meal (and children's menu or finger food) with it). Add in that she likes the "drink less, drink better" philosophy of micro/craft beer - she is sold.

So in this instance, the wineries were the ones who cost themselves a current and future customer, not the breweries.

Edit: grammers

 

[GalBrew]

Nearly all grape growing/wine producing areas in Australia have a brewery somewhere (sometimes even at a winery). I have never heard of any other winemaker bitch about yeast contamination from the brewery. In Healsville the Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander winery (yes the do make it out the back) is not more than 40m from the White Rabbit Brewery so go figure?? Although Cullen have always had a large opinion of their standing in the wine world and while they do make some fine (and expensive) wines that is no excuse for acting like a massive tossbag. I will be sure to spend my wine allowence somewhere else if that is to be their attitude.

 

[Aces High]

The lady from Cullen was on the 6PR yesterday (local perth radio) and it just came over like sour grapes. She seemed irrational in her argument and it just sounded to me like she was annoyed because the breweries are doing things better. The yeast cross pollination argument didn't really make sense and when she was pressed on the point she just said its a proven fact that it happens and we'll always be worried that our wine will start to taste more like beer.


Last time we were in Marges with some friends we ended up going to 5 breweries and not a single winery and had an awesome day. Good pub food, good atmosphere, plenty of big family groups last time i was there (including grandparents and kids) all sitting around and enjoying the day out.

 

[Nick JD]

we'll always be worried that our wine will start to taste more like beer.

Mmmmmm, wine with 3068! Yum.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Mmmmmm, wine with 3068! Yum.

Saison Champagne.....

 

[sp0rk]

Saison Champagne.....

Hello next brewing experiment...

 

[Greg.L]

When a region is young and developing the attitude is "the more the merrier", they all help to create a vibe and draw visitors to the area. Once an area is established you get the turf war, with people wanting to keep their slice of the pie and not share it. Just as well in a country like Australia we are free to open a new business, if the whingers had their way we would be stagnating like Europe. The French are talking of increasing the tax on beer because that is what young people drink, the fact is the French wine industry is out of touch and just want to use regulation to protect their turf.

 

[super_simian]

Perhaps someone should start Brett'ing their beers in the area; that's a way to make winemakers freak the f**k out!

 

[krausenhaus]

The lady from Cullen was on the 6PR yesterday (local perth radio)

Hahah I must've switched on just after this, I was wondering why the hell Millsy was asking for calls on "wine that tastes like beer".

Last time we were in Marges with some friends we ended up going to 5 breweries and not a single winery

It's great, 6-7 years ago Bootleg was the only place to go, now I can go down and make a full day of it. I don't really understand why she'd rather the area be appealing to wine drinkers only rather than attract more tourists in general.

 

[DU99]

+1 on the bret in the area

 

[Bribie G]

There goes the neighbourhood.

 

[Batz]

Stuck up wine drinkers, don't they know Craftbrewers are now a sophisticated and respected part of the community?

Adult schoolies my a#se. !

 

[Muggus]

No surprises coming from Cullen. Just the fact she refers to the wine region of Bordeaux says it all really...
Having worked in the wine industry for a bit, it's safe to say a lot of wine makers/workers just don't understand the craft beer...and perhaps see it as some sort of threat.
I don't see the problem. Realistically the two industries should be able to work together side by side very comfortably. They can compliment each other really.
Personally, it was boutique/craft/good beer that got me into wine in the first place!

 

[Nick JD]

Wine essentially relies on the season and the region and the variety to control the majority of the characters. Sure there's tweaks, but the whole "vintage" thing speaks volumes about who's really in control of whether a wine is good or great ... long grey beardy old fella in the clouds with an vindictive streak.

Beer relies on the brewer.

Basicially, wine is shit. You heard it here, folks.

 

[Hippy]

Margret River wine is seriously over rated any way. Head another hour or so down to Pemberton,Nannup, Mt Barker and you'll get a shitload of better wines IMHO