Australian Grape & Wine - Podcast Series: Recent Episodes
Australian Grape & Wine
Australia's peak wine industry association brings you information for Australian grape growers and winemakers, including domestic and international wine policy updates, the inside word directly out of Canberra, and conversations with some of Australia's most experienced industry participants on the things that matter to Australian wine producers.
Join CEO Tony Battaglene with our guest, CEO of Limestone Coast Wine and former Hawthorn FC captain, Richie Vandenberg.
As a 4th generation grape grower, Richie talks to us about his move from the family vineyard to football. He discusses his return to the industry and his passion for the environment, which inspired him to change the goal posts with his wine brand, The Hidden Sea - a brand with a conscience. The Hidden Sea is proving to be a brand with a purpose by making it their mission to remove plastic waste from the world’s oceans, and help consumers feel part of something bigger than themselves. For every bottle of wine sold, they remove ten plastic bottles from our oceans and waterways.
In July 2020, The Hidden Sea announced their ambitious goal of removing 1 billion plastic bottles from the world’s oceans by 2030. In Feb 2022, they reached the 10 million bottle milestone, a remarkable achievement in the space of 18 months.
Tony and Richie also discuss the impact that China has had on Richie’s business as well his attempts to break through the “wall of wine” in Australian retail stores and his success in exporting to UK and Nordic markets.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Henrik Wallgren, Business Services Manager for the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA), as they discuss the use of heavy vehicles in the Australian wine industry, particularly throughout Vintage, and addressing the Changes to the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws that were introduced on 1 October 2018. Australian Grape & Wine have collaborated with SAWIA to establish a Registered National Industry Code of Practice, through a grant from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. A nation-wide consultation process commenced in 2020, however due to ongoing, unstable border restrictions, consultations in-region will resume in 2022.
Chain of Responsibility is designed to ensure everyone in the supply chain play their part in ensuring the safety of their transport activities, so that breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law do not occur. Vintage is a peak time for the use of heavy vehicles in the wine industry and with this, comes certain legal obligations of drivers, wineries, grape growers and vineyard contractors for ensuring the safe transportation of goods. The Registered National Industry Code of Practice will include framework that ensures goods are not overloaded, that they are secured properly and that drivers are not encouraged or pressured to speed or drive while fatigued. For the duty holder (eg a winery receiving grapes, a grape grower loading grapes onto a truck and a transporter carting grapes or finished wine), ignorance is not an excuse and the cost of non-compliance is significant.
Join Australian Grape & Wine CEO, Tony Battaglene and Lee McLean, GM Government Relations & External Affairs, as they discuss two highly topical issues currently facing the Australian wine sector. Firstly, Container Deposit Schemes and the inclusion of wine bottles as part of the environmental policy around waste reduction; and secondly, off the back of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Winegrapes Market Study from 2019, the ACCC are currently scheduling to follow up on their recommendations to address market transparency, perceived power imbalances, market information, to name a few, by the end of the year. Tune in to hear Tony & Lee break down these issues for grape and wine businesses to plan and be prepared for any potential outcomes, which ever way the cards fall.
While the Australian Government’s policy is that receiving a vaccination is free and voluntary, it aims to have as many Australians vaccinated as possible. Join Tony Battaglene and guest, Will Snow, Partner at Finlaysons Lawyers as they discuss the various State Government's Vaccine Mandate positions on double vaccination for COVID-19 and the impacts these positions have on grape and wine businesses in Australia. Community transmission is the bedrock foundation that risk assessment and duty of care is based on to assess and measure risk factors within the workplace. Will expertly tackles the big questions around the “Double Vax” issue and provides us with sound advice on how to navigate your business through this challenging time for all Australian businesses. The Australian Fair Work Ombudsman provides guidance on requiring employees to be vaccinated, with a good approach on understanding levels of risk for workplaces. AON Insights also has a great webinar on COVID vaccines and legal issues, with excellent information from a large food manufacturer and why they implemented their mandate - this emphasizes that each employer must consider the issues in their own context.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Angie Schipano, Director of Bird Control Australia, as they discuss effective, humane and eco-friendly methods of controlling pests in and around the vineyard. In the leadup to harvest, birds damage fruit by plucking entire berries from the cluster or pecking holes in the berries. Bird damage goes beyond yield loss; pecked grapes can harbour bacterial and fungal pathogens that lead to bunch rot and off-flavours in the wine. Angie provides advice on how to tackle damage to fruit by birds and other pests that not only prevent pest infestation, property damage, and the spread of disease, but also eliminate the need for chemical pesticides, poisons, and dangerous traps.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Dr Martin Cole, the new CEO of Wine Australia, as they discuss Martin’s initial impressions and priorities for the Australian grape and wine sector. Martin joined Wine Australia on 15 November 2021 from the University of Adelaide, where he was the Head of School, Agriculture, Food and Wine. Along with his wine sector experience, Martin brings extensive experience across government, academia and industry – including the broader agricultural sectors – and has held senior leadership positions at CSIRO, overseas and in larger commercial companies. It’s a critical time for the Australian grape and wine sector, with many challenges and opportunities ahead. But as we embark on a new era, the collaborative nature of Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Australia’s working relationship has never been stronger and we look forward to paving a way forward for a prosperous and sustainable sector for all winegrape growers and winemakers.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Mitchell Taylor, Managing Director of Taylors Wines, as they discuss cyber security. In the lead up to Easter 2021, Taylors Wines were the target of a cyber attack across their entire business systems. This is a must-listen podcast for all grape and wine businesses across Australia, as Mitchell describes the attack they experienced, what they learned as a business, plus he gives us some handy tips for all businesses to protect themselves from cyber attacks.
Any business is at risk of being targeted by malicious actors in cyber space. While most of the time the risks relate to criminal actions like fraud, theft of personal details, ransomware etc, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) issued advice to a range of agriculture sector bodies earlier this month, highlighting their assessment “that cyber operators (foreign powers and their proxies) are currently targeting a range of Australian businesses, particularly those in the agriculture industry”.
In this week's Studio Canberra Podcast, Tony & Lee discuss two significant issues grape and wine businesses are facing.
Shipping issues are causing significant disruptions to the sector, including the increasing costs to ship and the difficulty many businesses are having in booking a spot for their wines on ships leaving Australia.
We also discuss the availability of labour leading into the 2022 vintage in terms of finding workers in the vineyard, the winery and even on-farm expertise for technical equipment. We know it was an issue last year – and there is an argument that we got lucky with a long and even vintage and no compression. Given it is unlikely that Australia’s borders will re-open for travel ahead of the 2022 vintage, what should ag-businesses be thinking about?
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Lee Haselgrove as they discuss viticulture and the increasing interest from consumers about the origins of the wine in their glass; the importance of the 'partnership' between supplier and customer for strong, sustainable business relationships; and the Young Gun of Wine's 2021 Vineyard of the Year Awards, where the Australian wine sector celebrates the vineyard and its connection to the earth that nurtures and produces our grapes.
An acclaimed viticultural voice in Australia, Lee has built his career on developing a deep understanding of the land, combining a scientifically trained background with an innovative and, at times, unconventional approach. He prides himself on being an independent thinker - not beholden to wine growing trends and fads. Lee was the inaugural winner of the 2020 Young Gun of Wine, Vineyard of the Year Awards with Swinney Vineyards in Franklin River, Western Australia.
Young Gun of Wine's 2021 Vineyard of the Year Awards
2021 Judging Panel:
Dr Catherine Kidman, Dianne Davidson AM, Lee Haselgrove, Mark Walpole, Dr Mary Retallack and Max Allen.
In this weeks Studio Canberra Podcast, Tony & Lee break down the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement process initiated by the Australian Government, in response to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s decision to impose duties on Australian wine imports in March 2021.
Whether you export wine or not, the impacts of the duties imposed by China will have a ripple affect across the sector - tune in to hear how the WTO process works, why the Government has taken this path, and what it means for Australian grape and wine producers.
In this weeks Studio Canberra Podcast, Tony & Lee break down the in-principle agreement on the bilateral Free Trade Agreement [FTA] between Australia and the United Kingdom, and what it means for Australian grape and wine producers.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Tim Bartsch as they discuss the importance of developing and nurturing relationships between winegrape growers and winemakers for sustainable and mutually beneficial business outcomes.
Tim has 20 years of experience in viticulture. Since graduating from the University of Adelaide’s viticulture course in 2006 with first class honours, he has worked across many parts of the wine industry in countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand. For the past 10 years Tim has been managing his family winegrape growing business in the Adelaide Hills, Bartsch Vignerons, which supplies grapes into a range of different wineries.
In this weeks Studio Canberra Podcast, Tony & Lee break down the 2021-22 Federal Budget and discuss a number of agriculture-sector-specific announcements aimed to deliver benefits for Australian grape and wine businesses. Also, Australian Grape & Wine hosted the Australian Wine: Trade with China & Opportunities for Diversification seminar last week to look at the impacts of Chinas final determinations on the Countervailing Duties and the Anti-Dumping Investigations into Australian Wine - Tony & Lee recap the event and discuss how Australian wine producers can maintain our strong reputation and partnership links with China into the future. And finally a shout-out to all producers who received the 2021 Vintage Survey link to complete the survey so we as an industry have the most accurate data available to help us plan and make the best decisions for the sector.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Martin O'Dee as they discuss the impacts of China’s final determinations on the Countervailing Duties Investigation and the Anti-Dumping Investigation where tariffs of up to 218% were imposed on Australian wine exporters to China, and the buzzword of the day - Market Diversification.
Market Diversification sounds like a simple thing to do. How many times do you hear people say “winemakers just need to diversify their markets”. It sounds simple enough, but how do you actually do that? How do you choose a market that is right for your brand or product? Who do you speak to? It’s actually much harder than it sounds.
Tune in to hear from Martin O'Dee from Australian Export Product Network as he talks about his experience over the last 20 years trading in Asian markets, the cultural nuances required to successfully build & maintain relationships, and how exporting into China is not the same as exporting into Asia.
This week Tony and Lee break down the short, medium and long term strategies to deal with the latest outcomes from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). On Friday 26 March 2021, MOFCOM released its final determinations on dumping of Australian wines in China and trade distorting subsidies (countervailing duties), applying duties of up to 218.4% on most Australian wine exporters on imports of all bottled and still wines from Australia. Domestic tourism is one of the strategies to support winegrape growers and winemakers, and we encourage all lovers of Australian wine to get out into the wine regions this year and support our wine producers.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Inca Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Vinehealth Australia, as they discuss biosecurity in the Australian wine sector. The new biosecurity buzzword "Biosecurity Bubble" has got people talking, and Inca breaks the term down to what it actually means, plus she discusses the importance of businesses investing in biosecurity, communication at the farmgate level and the shared responsibility of biosecurity at the farm-region-state levels to ensure we are all protecting our most critical asset - our vines.
This week Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager, Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean discuss International Women's Day and the practical measures the peak industry body is undertaking to ensure equal gender representation in leadership positions is achieved and respect in the workplace is the norm. Plus we talk about the upturn in optimism in the wine regions with wine festivals and wine shows going ahead in 2021 after the shutdowns in 2020, ensuring that all wine businesses continue to operate in a COVID-safe environment, and the importance of promoting safe and responsible drinking practices with the help of DrinkWise Australia.
This week Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean provide insights into international trade. Much is made of Free Trade Agreements, and Australian Grape & Wine are heavily involved in these negotiations and believe in their benefits, but we also engage in a broad range of multilateral and plurilateral bodies. It is a complex area to work in, but Tony & Lee break it down to help grape and wine producers understand how the decisions made at this level impact Australian wine exports.
Join Tony Battaglene and our guest Will Taylor, Head of Finlaysons Wine Group. Will created the Wine Group in the early 1990’s, and has been instrumental in establishing Finlaysons as Australia’s leading law firm in the Australian wine sector. In this Conversations... podcast, Tony & Will discuss the growing importance of good relationships between grape growers and winemakers, including having these relationships enshrined in a contract for transparency and clarity, the importance of adhering and signing up to the Code of Conduct for Australian winegrape purchases, what to look out for with your insurance policies, and tips for choosing a reputable contract processor. Also keep an eye out for the 29th Finlaysons Wine Roadshow where Australian Grape & Wine will be joining the Finlaysons team in some of Australia's wine regions July - August 2021.
This week Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean provide insight into national advocacy, as they talk about their meetings this week at Parliament House with the Hon. Dan Tehan, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon. David Littleproud, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, and the Hon. Andrew Gee, Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment. Plus with a rise in online customer engagement and sales activities for many wine businesses, Tony & Lee provide a timely reminder about alcohol advertising and the role ABAC - Australia's Responsible Alcohol Marketing Scheme plays, including providing pre-vetting services, to ensure your advertising meets the standards for alcohol marketing.
Join Tony Battaglene and guest Yolande Gower, Senior Safety Compliance Officer from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, as they discuss the issues with the transportation of grapes during Vintage, what to be aware of, the potential unintended consequences of decisions that can impact on businesses and how clear lines of communication are the key to safety and success.
Tune in to hear from Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean as they discuss the issues of the day, and the latest out of Canberra.
Rural communities everywhere continue to lose men to suicide and many more struggle in silence. A few years ago, the Darling Downs in Queensland was struck with two such tragedies in a short space of time and the sadness surrounding this prompted Mary O’Brien to speak up about rural men’s mental health and write an article called ‘Are you bogged mate?’. The incredible response to this article from the rural sector, particularly men, has led to the creation of the Are You Bogged Mate? program.
Mary’s career in the rural sector has given her a deep respect for country blokes, and more importantly, the ability to effectively communicate with them. The Are You Bogged Mate? program is visiting rural communities, talking to rural people where they feel comfortable, starting conversations and delivering a message that resonates with both rural men and women. Mary aims to reduce rural male suicide by breaking down the stigma, make blokes feel more understood and to provide us with some insights into how blokes communicate.
Tune in to hear from Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager, Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean as they discuss the issues of the day, and the latest out of Canberra.
Join our GM Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean as he is joined by our guest Jason Amos, Managing Director Lallemand Australia, as they discuss Winemaking Decisions for 2021.
Join CEO Tony Battaglene with our guest, Managing Director of the AWRI Mark Krstic as they discuss the work of the AWRI and the support the AWRI provides the Australian wine sector.
Join CEO Tony Battaglene as he is joined by our guest Jim Caddy as they discuss Vintage 21 and what we can expect from this Vintage.
Tune in to hear from Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager, Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean as they discuss the issues of the day, and the latest out of Canberra.
Tune in to hear from Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager, Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean as they discuss the issues of the day. Today they break down Trade in the wine sector, including trade tensions with China, GI's, grape varieties and more.
Tune in to hear from Australian Grape & Wine Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene and General Manager, Government Relations & External Affairs, Lee McLean as they discuss the issues of the day and the latest out of Canberra.