Wineries brew up bitter row

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DU99

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bit of sour grapes i reckon....................

"Wineries in the South West believe microbreweries are "diluting" the
region's brand and threatening its status as WA's premier wine region.
There are eight breweries between Busselton and Margaret River and a ninth -
the Batch Brewery House - opens early next year on Bussell Highway.
Cullen Wines managing director Vanya Cullen said it was a waste to build breweries on premium vineyard land.
"You would not see breweries in the middle of Burgundy or Bordeaux," Ms Cullen said.
"It's a dilution of the wine industry, which the Margaret River region is
known for internationally and it is not seen favourably."
She hoped the wine industry would remain the major attraction to the region.
"But who knows, breweries might take over - there's so many of them,"
she said.
Ms Cullen fears the region's newest kid on the block -
Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery - which opened next door to Cullen
Wines last year, will cause cross-contamination between cultured beer
yeast and wine yeast.
"This business will always be at risk because of that brewery," she said.
Brookwood
Estate owner Trevor Mann, whose winery is flanked by Colonial Brewery
and Cowaramup Brewery, said breweries were taking business from winery
restaurants and cellar doors.
"The breweries are having a profound effect," Mr Mann said.
Cheeky Monkey director Brent Burton said breweries complemented wineries and did not compete with them.
"We are probably bringing business to the region and helping the wineries," Mr Burton said.
There was a "slight risk" of cross-contamination, but he said it was not high
enough to warrant concern and he had a strict management plan to stop
yeast escaping.
Batch Brewery House director Aaron Brown said the region had to diversify amid dwindling visitor numbers.
"In hospitality, everything has to change now and again to attract a wider
variety of people who want a cheaper, more family friendly option," he
said.
Sandalford Wines chief executive Grant Brinklow said
breweries were not overshadowing wineries but they needed to offer
premium products to preserve Margaret River's brand and not attract
"adult schoolies".
Geographe Bay Tourism chief executive Simon Taylor said the breweries were helping wineries by attracting more visitors.
"A diverse product mix gives visitors more reasons to come to the region and encourages repeat visits," he said.
"The wine industry is world renowned and has certainly put the region on the
map (but) we also have an exciting food scene and the emergence of
craft breweries is providing another facet to this experience."
 
u vill all be shot

Seriously though wonder how she'd feel if beer was given the same tax breaks as wineries and ability to do tastings etc at events ?
 
You'd be surprised how much beer it takes to make wine. I'd have thought the wine makers would be pretty chuffed to have breweries nearby.

As for the escaping yeast, the wine makers at work let me homebrew in the winery.

Edit: I can't spell
 
This is just one winery annoyed the business next door is booming as it's got beer and wine under the one roof. Beer is definetly not taking over down there as there must be 150 wineries to currently 8-10 beer venues/breweries.
 
Be interested to hear from those you in the viticulture industry.
To mw its big whinging about loss of cellar door marketshare and competition. Wine is easily branded to elitists but harder to brand if theres 'beer swill' next door.

I desperately hope someone emails the crap journalist with the namws of several brewhouses between burgendy and Bordeaux.
 
The problem isn't wineries or breweries, the problem here is people reading shitty newspapers.

And shitty newspapers taking comments out of context to stir shit.

I wonder sometimes how the media "professionals" can get to sleep at night. The extreme versions of this crap are screwing with society - especially the mentally vunerable, like the elderly.

As the newspaper dies a slow death it'll go through stages of worsening tabloid sensationalism until only the biggest idiots read it.
 
Just look to the British examples of journalism to confirm that Nick
 
Aren't there breweries and wineries in California who push that the region, having both, is a more varied and interesting place to visit? That if they work together they can get more overall visitors?
 
DU99 said:
"...it was a waste to build breweries on premium vineyard land"
I'm not sure why she cares what happens to the "premium vineyard land". Most of Cullen wines aren't made from grapes grown in their vineyards anyway. Also, if I was her I'd be very careful about comparing any wine region in Australia to Burgundy and Bordeaux seeing the Aussie wine industry's success is almost soley due to her forefathers attitudes toward winemaking being polar opposite to that of the old world.
 
Next thing they'll be whinging that the beers too close to the wine in Dans..........
 
not doing themselves any favours,but at the same time giving free advertising too the breweries,bit snobby it seems to me...cheers..spog..
 
felten said:
Thank god for that.
Ms Cullen fears the region's newest kid on the block -
Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery - which opened next door to Cullen
Wines last year, will cause cross-contamination between cultured beer
yeast and wine yeast.
I notice he's not worried about the wineries yeast cross contaminating his beer yeast.
What a load of Bollocks, the winery is probably on it's way down the proverbial sink hole and she's trying to pin the blame.
I would have thought that a brewery would attract another "type" of customer that would be more likely to cross over to the winery than the beer yeast would.
 
Nick JD said:
As the newspaper dies a slow death it'll go through stages of worsening tabloid sensationalism until only the biggest idiots read it.
Except the alternative is we shift everything online, where the average attention span is the length of a twitter post. Articles, and I use that definition loosely are going from the traditional Grab paragraph -> body -> conclusion to just the Grab and the conclusion because we all just want the TLDR: version. The amount of bullshit that gets spewed out now because we're too busy for the details is just mind blowing.

On topic - The Aus Wine market is making a killing in the current environment - it's cheaper, just as accessible and gets you quite smashed. A $3 clean skin worth 4-5 standard drinks vs even a entry level beer? I don't mind them making a quid and I actually buy most of my wine from wine shows or the cellar door each year when I go out to Stanthorpe for the small wine show but to complain about a microbrewery? A little perspective please.

You can't tell me every winery in the area is producing award winning products - If the Craft-brewers down there are doing their best to produce a top quality product then good on them. That can only be good for the region. Adult Schoolies? Give me a break.
 
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.....
 
Geez has anyone seen people at chambers in rutherglen? Chambers do the right thing and put ALL of their songs out and its completely selfserve no attendants standing over u or anything. They have a little sign aboutbnot making an arse of yourself. Do people pat attention. No. They load up and make fools of themselves. Nothing against Chambers. They make great wines and I like their philosophy. Its people who ate idiots.

And yup. 'Journalists'. Absolute joke. They are paper trolls. Real News is dead.

Edit. Or relegated to the abc like media watch.
 
Wine is what drunks who don't care what it tastes like, drink.

Cheap crap.

Craft beer is the new wine.

That's what giving the wine industry the creeps.

The low tax laws are coming back to bite the wine industry in the arse.
 
God forbid that people might choose to go to venues with a great product, and a great attraction, rather than swirling and spitting, looking for the terroir.
 
She hoped the wine industry would remain the major attraction to the region.
"But who knows, breweries might take over - there's so many of them,"
215 wineries/grape growers in the Margaret River region alone as of 2010.
Currently eight breweries between Busselton and and Margaret River.
I'm not sure that an overtaking is around the corner just yet.

So is she saying she would rather have another competing winery on her doorstep rather than a business selling a different product?
 

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