Winemakers without Borders

There is an old saying, attributed to the Chinese, that goes along the lines of “may you live in interesting times”.  Now, when they say “interesting times” they don’t mean anything fun or amusing, like finding a big, fat cheque in the post from the lotteries people, discovering that you’ve just lost the five (or 10, in my case) extra kilo’s that have been plaguing you for years or getting a letter from the tax department saying that they think you’ve paid enough and now have a lifetime tax exemption.  No, no, no!  What this saying has in mind are interesting circumstances which are quite challenging like, oh lets say, civil unrest and riots in the streets, political turmoil, famine and economic instability.  So I guess we are currently living in very interesting times indeed.

Living in interesting economic times is a challenge we are all facing to some degree or another (ok, maybe not so much for people like the Murdoch’s, but just lately their lives have become uncomfortably interesting in other ways) and for many wineries and wine-makers the difficulty of getting their product out in a market that is already quite crowded can be intimidating.  However, a group of winemakers called Winemakers without Borders has come up with the novel idea of ‘wine with no borders’, stepping out from behind the cellar doors and taking their goods to the streets.  Freeing themselves from many of the traditional approaches associated with wine, both making and sharing, means they are able to experiment with everything.  As Yalumba‘s chief winemaker, Louisa Rose, says – “it’s a holistic philosophy – no borders means that you can experiment with new everything – from grape varieties, regions and winemaking styles, to wine occasions, food matches and the people and places that ultimately share the experience.”

The group came together organically, largely thanks to the growing popularity and usefulness of social media and share the philosophy that winemaker David Bowley of Vinteloper describes as “essentially being about mixing things up and doing things differently with wine.”  The original spark came from an article by wine writer Max Allen espousing the virtues of vermentino and the sustainability of  Australian sardines and the compatibility of the two.  He went on to challenge vermentino producers to introduce the public to this happy pairing and so, picking up that particular gauntlet, a small group of producers took “Vermentino and Sardines – The Musical” on the road.  This was followed by #rareredsandpizza at the Adelaide Central Market, showcasing some of the lesser known red wine varieties such as mataro, aglianico, sangiovese, tempranillo, durif, nebbiolo, then the “Hearty Party”, again at Adelaide’s Central Market, featuring paella, more reds and fortified wines.

Currently numbering about 25 winemakers, most of whom are South Australian but with interest growing from other  states, the road show continues with the V+S (vermentino & sardines again) Ball in October at the Clovelly Surf Club in Sydney and Oysters in the House at the Sydney Opera House, part of the 2011 Crave Sydney International Food Festival, with other opportunities for sharing the wine and food love planned nationally.  But it’s not all just wine and skittles for this bunch of socially responsible winemakers who are currently nutting out the details of plans to support that well known charity with the similar name, Medecins San Frontieres.

There is another old saying that comes to my mind at the moment – “needs must” – meaning necessity compels.  If the economic challenges and rationalisation of wine marketing and retailing have brought us to this exciting, new, accessible and ‘interesting’ way to discover new wine varieties, new wine and food pairings and to meet the people who bring them to us then I think I can probably live with it!

For more information check out Winemakers without Borders.

 

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