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My first trip to visit the Brisbane wine trade was in 1998 with my then agent Curtis Marsh. It seems ironic that the visit took a day and a half and we seemed to cover the major retailers and restaurants in the short amount of time. My trip in September 2009 was entered into with great excitement as I had heard how much the market had changed in the last decade.
My first day was spent with Luc Richards, a transposed Frenchman who is a sommelier but now enjoys the life of a wine salesman. Luc is new to our agents, Bouchon wines, and already has a good grasp on the trade in this city. There is a slim chance that I may have crossed paths with Luc in London as I remember doing a wine tasting for the sommelier at Pont de la Tour around 2000 when he worked there.
The day started in a traditional French way with a good coffee at Luc's favourite cafe, and then it was onto the road. Our day was taken up by visiting the stores of Dan Murphy's and Vintage Cellars on the south side of Brisbane. It is important for me to get to know the managers and fine wine buyers in these stores as they are the real people who, once they trust and know my wines, will better be able to sell them. It is always great to be out with a self confessed 'crazy Frenchman' and we were still running around making calls as the afternoon turned to evening. In all, it was a good day.
As the day concluded Brisbane put on one of its great light displays at which I marvelled. How spectacular.
Tuesday was again an early start with Rory Smith, one of the owners of Bouchon. Our first call was to see Kristen and Manni at Siana, a famous Brisbane landmark situated on the river. We sat and chatted, having such a good laugh I almost forgot I was there to do a sales call! Next stop was a small but exciting wine shop in the heart of the city called Festival Cellars. Here Mez the manager has put together an exciting array of wines that are just off the mainstream. I like to see this as it shows to me the market is maturing and willing to explore wines.
I always marvel that the early settlers and community builders had the foresight to put prominent and grand buildings in great locations. Such is the case with the Customs House in Brisbane, prominent on the bend of the river with a great vista. Here we tasted with Lyn and Brian who both concluded the Heinrich Shiraz Mataro Grenache was the perfect wine for the restaurant and the terrace.
Our next stop was at Alto on the river in the old Powerhouse - what a great spot. Perfect for lunch, which is what we did. To sit and relax by the river was great and I can understand why our Riesling is selling so well there. Our next stop was a place just as intriguing as Alto. It was Cloud Land, considered to be the new hot happening place in Brisbane. It is a vast complex, marvellously laid out over three levels. Here we tasted with Iain, Cloudland's Restaurant and Functions Manager. Kwon from the Press Club, which is part of the same complex, joined us. After feeling very relaxed tasting and talking about my wines, we moved onto the Fifth Element. A good quick tasting was followed by a trip to the nearby Ice Works, which is right by Lang Park, the famous Rugby ground. Mark the wine guy sat with us and tasted through the wines.
Our final call for the day was at Brents, a high end restaurant run by Brent Farrell. We tasted with him and Alex the restaurant manager. It was nice to finish the day here and taste the wines which were now looking very good as they had opened up over the day.
That evening I ventured out and had a meal at JellyFish which is the sister restaurant to Cha Cha Char, a Brisbane institution. What a great way relax at the end of the day, sitting by the river and having a good glass of wine and eating some memorable soft shell crabs.
My final day in Brisbane started early and we were at the bottle shop called Era at opening time to taste with Ben. I always know I am with professional wine people when someone is willing to taste the full range at this early hour. From here we ventured across town to the new and exciting Purple Palate and Bar Barossa. This establishment had just recently opened and is a Barossa focused place. The bar is well decked out and I had the privelege of signing the winemakers wall.
The next call was Stewarts at the Barracks where we tasted with Andrew and Victoria. Joining us was a regular client who mentioned that he attended a wine dinner I hosted at Two Small Rooms some years ago. By chance, our next call was Two Small Rooms, the famous but small Brisbane eatery. Peter was there to greet us and taste the wines. We spent some time there, reminiscing about that memorable event.
Now it was across town to the Wine Emporium for a visit and taste of the wines with Travis and Tony. In my opinion this wine shop is unique in that it is one to the best laid out shops I have ever been in. It makes excellent use of its shape and size.
The final call was on the way to the airport. Ironically, Stewart's in Ascot was the first retail outlet I ventured into all those years ago with Curtis. I can conclude that as we change and move forward it is reassuring that some things do not change.
Welcome customers. Alas anonymous but they were the first customers to
walk into the cellar door at the new winery in December, 2001.
Red Wines
Tuesday was again an early start with Rory Smith, one of the owners of Bouchon. Our first call was to see Kristen and Manni at Siana, a famous Brisbane landmark situated on the river. We sat and chatted, having such a good laugh I almost forgot I was there to do a sales call! Next stop was a small but exciting wine shop in the heart of the city called Festival Cellars. Here Mez the manager has put together an exciting array of wines that are just off the mainstream. I like to see this as it shows to me the market is maturing and willing to explore wines.
The next call was Stewarts at the Barracks where we tasted with Andrew and Victoria. Joining us was a regular client who mentioned that he attended a wine dinner I hosted at Two Small Rooms some years ago. By chance, our next call was Two Small Rooms, the famous but small Brisbane eatery. Peter was there to greet us and taste the wines. We spent some time there, reminiscing about that memorable event.
